Community poll forum: Keeping violent video games away from children

I think that the main responsibility of keeping games away from children is the parents responsibility and the responsibility of the Vender/Seller of the Games. Here are the reasons I think so:

For Vendors
1. If the Game is rated M then dont sell it to people under the age group (Im in Canada and I dont know if its the same in the US but M is 18+ and these are the majority of the violent games are in this section) There should be proof of their age if they look younger like picture ID or something (we have to provide ID for games in Canada)

Parents
1. Are responsible for taking care of their children. If you dont want them to play violent games then dont let them. I want allowed to play certain games until I was older.
2. If you play Violent games then Hide them from your Children and get non violent video games for them.
3. If you do not want your child to play a violent game, read up on the game, look at the cover of Gears of War for the Xbox360 is rated M and has a picture of big soldier with a huge weapon which has a bloody chainsaw bayonet on it (sorry I am offending any of you, but thats whats on the cover) If that doesnt give people a hint then nothing will By the Way Gears of war is a Sci-Fi third person Shooter game its classified as a action/horror game (it has aliens or zombies in it I think but I have not looked at it)


I dont think that getting violent games into the hands of children will stop Some parents think that those games are ok so there is no stopping them Then these kids invite their friends over and other kids get interested (I am looking at the younger teen crowd) apparently its cool to play those games and some of them are really fun The first M game I played was Halo (I love that game, [cant wait till halo 3 or the movie of halo])... and your right I talk on xboxlive while playing M games on my Xbox360 and I hear childrens voices I was surprised at number of them that I have heard.

I dont think that there is anything that is simple which the government or game developers can do to stop this If the government bans all of the games then all of older gamers will get mad, and the some of the game developers loose jobs The developers are making money so whats motivating them to change what they make? I suppose the Government could make rules but what? Its not simple

I agree with what was posted. It is a MINOR duty of the gaming industries to keep these violent games out of kids hands. The full responsibility however falls on the parents. The kids may be in the stores for a few minutes at a time, but the people with the most influence are the kids. The parents need to stop lobbying for non-violent games and actually parent.

It's absolutely the parents who need to take responsibility for their children (as well as the children too). Too many parents have already dumped their kids at schools - daycare - summer camp and the like to get others to take the lead in controlling their progeny. Get rid of the excuses and labels (ADD & ADHD) to help explain why our children behave inappropriately or have little or no respect for anything - and let's get back to basics! If you can't - take a look at history - it's sure to repeat itself!

If you don't want to take the time to keep an eye on your kids and what they're playing on the game systems and what they're watching on t.v. and if you don't want to bother disciplining them, then don't have kids. It takes a lot of time and effort to raise kids. When you have them you not only get them you get the responsibility and privilege of raising them.

It is time for parents to be parents instead of giving in to every whine and demand. The kids will ask for the moon, but as parents and grandparents we have the responsibility to monitor and restrict them from accessing inappropriate games. Working in the medical community with a wife and two daughters in education I see first hand the kids who can't separate video games from reality. It isn't positive or pretty.

Parents are to blame for young chldren playing on violent games.WHY?.Because someone that produces either films,dvd's or videogames for the adult population isn't to be held responsible for children getting their hands on them.The onus is on the parent(s)to take responsibility.Ask yourself this....is it someone elses fault if you have an adult film or dvd in your home,and you 5 year old son/daughter gets hold of it,or even an adult magazine? I have grandchildren between the ages of 14 down to 3.If I am playing on a violent video game,and they happen to visit,I turn my pc off immediately,no buts no arguments.If parents are concerned,dont buy them yourself AND DON'T buy them for your children(not even let the child buy them).

We have a terrific home. We don't smoke, we don't drink, we don't fight (at least in front of the kids), we have family time, we go to church, we enforce discipline, but in the end it's up to the kid to choose how to live his/her life. My son bought these games on the sly with his own money, and I had no idea at the time because he was very careful to keep it secret, knowing I would not approve. He's fulfilled his "violent" tendencies as an adult, he's now in the US Army serving in Baghdad. But if there had been ratings, and laws to enforce them, he would not have been able to buy them secretly or otherwise. Even good parents need tools and resources to help them! It's not about WHO is responsible. Obviously, in the end, it's the parents. But at some point you cannot control - nor should you - what your older child is doing with their life. IT'S ABOUT HAVING THE TOOLS TO BE A GOOD PARENT.

I am happy that you have successfully raised your children in a love filled home and that your child has proceeded through the hedgerows of challenges that children face maturing to adulthood. No family is without these challenges no matter how perfect we try to keep the appropriate environment to accomplish our goals. There is no single answer. My eldest of six was elected to a church vestry three days past his 16th birthday only to become a successfull cocaine addict and dealer at a major western campus. The major lesson seems that we cannot control the future of anyone but ourselves, by our individual decisions and with the knowledge that our individual future rests on the responsibillity we take for our own decisions. It seems that once a child starts walking, they walk towards the level of individual maturity that they choose. Becoming educated can usually only come from making mistakes and realizing that the previously choosen path does not procude the level of maturity that we sought. The same path, whether it be a computer system, a sport, a religious activity or whatever does not produce the same resulting learning and maturation in different individuals - we are different, we are free to choose as individuals and we are responsible for those choices or we don't learn and we don't mature.

I think that the main responsibility of keeping games away from children is the parents part of how you want to raise your kids,games have never made me go out and do stupid thing's jeff

Parents are the ultimate answer to this question, but I question if there are enough parents out there with the patience and moral fiber to help their kids make the right choices!
Half right my friend; the people who chose to have children are totally responsible for their offspring and hold the Childs entire future within their own hands.
They should be held fully culpable for any 'misdemeanors'.
The clay is molded to your own personal choice.
It is the responsibility of the Parent at all times; children can only respond to the quality input supplied i.e. good input equates to good kids
The designers of the product are the only ones accountable.

I joined virtually no one saying I thought regulation of violent games should by federal/local governments. Being long past my "salad" days, I have seen a good deal of life. There is NO WAY any of the other methods would work. Even government would probably fail. I remember during the 1960's when I was in college--we all were amazed at how our parent's world was so screwed-up...war, poverty, lack of food, housing--all the social issues--were unsolved. Over time, we slid off our "high horse" and slowly began to see how many of life's problems--which seem so easily fixed--cure poverty with money, etc.--were DAMN HARD to solve! The vagaries of life's winding path eventually overtakes most of us. But, look at the college students of today...ANGERED and defiant at how so many generations had failed so miserably! Simple things--solved by just MAKING it happen. I wish it was that easy, I still hope for solutions. They would come quicker if no one raved about simplistic solutions. Nothing will stop children from getting these games. Did you ever drink a beer before you were 21 (or 18)?

I would hate to even try and list the students I know whose parents give them computers, often with Internet too, and allow the student to use the Computers as they wish in their private bedrooms, as firstly, it keeps the students out of their parents hair, and secondly, it is far too difficult for parents to start making rules and restrictions, on children who have been able to do what they wish most of their lives.

So the start should be with parents assuming responsibility for what their children do...from a very early age. Its impossible to suddenly start controlling what the students do when most parents have totally lost control of their kids anyway.
Those that haven't, have responsible kids, and they are not the ones I am referring to. There are many well trained and well loved kids who are still under their parent's rules.

Anything in excess is not good, and this is where the situation is today..If you want to control what your children are using, you have to start controlling when they are young enough to listen and respect what you say.
Expecting schools to do parental work is a hoot...parents keep passing the buck to schools to try and fix the unfixable..

Get the computers out of hidden rooms, into open studies and lounges where parents can keep some sort of eye on what the children are doing..That is the start..

Advice from a responsible teacher, who cannot control what students do anymore either.
It has to be started before the kids come to school...

I meant the problem of kids getting their hands on things they shouldn't for their age, i.e. in video game's case, can be handled the way alcohol is handled (at least in most countries).

Talking about how video games are like/not like alcohol in their effect on people is no where near relevant to what I said. And how the hell does it make it okay to let children acquire things they shouldn't for their age, just because some country does it? Apart from missing the point you're also making invalid excuses. And I did say that if kids can afford their own games they probably have some maturity in them... thanks for restating that.

No... kids aren't going to crash their cars and die because they were high on video games... in most countries kids aren't allowed to drive real vehicles on public roads in the first place. But remember that stupid people don't come from thin air... they were once stupid kids too. And stupid kids don't know what's a video game and what's real life. It's their lack of intelligence that causes them to not realise this... that there are people in real life who actually value their own lives too.

Obviously there are kids who are a lot mature than people sometimes 10 years (or more) older than them. They won't become anything less by playing any video game... infact, it might even make them more mature. It's the kids with low intelligence and a lack of values that people have to worry about. And these kids probably think there's nothing wrong in playing video games that aren't suitable for their ages too.

Personally, i don't think it is right to keep children away from violent video games. Children get more violence in the school playground than they will ever get from a pixel!! And it is less harmfull! I think children should be able to make up their own minds about what they want to play! They are very intelligent!! My step grandson, who is 10, has been playing games for so called over 18 since he was 7! And i truly beleive it has done him good!! It has made him stronger as a person and set him in good stead! So, no, please dont take video games from our children. THIS is what causes anarchy!!

Here's why: Our brain is trainable - even subconsciously. The more our brain experiences violent scenes, even unreal ones, the more it accepts them as plausible. If you think watching people hacking other people to bits is good for a child's mental health or doesn't impact it at all then I'm sorry but you're mad.

Now of course you can say that there are other reasons that make kids go off the right path and I agree but if we can't tackle all problems at the same time we'll have to do it bit by bit...banning these games from our society if as tough as getting rid of smoking, yet with the right determination it IS achievable.

Who is responsible for the limitation of these sick productions? Well it would be easy to just point the finger at the parents again but let's face it - looking around in certain neighbourhoods the parents are worse than their kids so we might as well make the goat responsible for the garden.

Only if these games will no longer be produced and sold will they disappear from the scene.

In the end it will have to be the government who has to put stricter laws in place and take action against the firms that produce them.

Maybe they won't disappear completely but at least they would not be available from every supermarket shelve anymore.