# Age Ratings on Video Games ..



## weltweit (Apr 21, 2011)

My kid (12) says all his friends have Call of Duty Black Ops..

We were in GAME today and he wanted me to buy it for him, I looked at the age rating (18) and said no. But all my friends have it etc etc ... 

The earlier call of duty games are 15 and 16 .. to that I would stretch but an 18 for a 12 year old just seems too much for me. 

All they do is shoot em up and kill demons said sprog .. just like Alien whatever which he has got.. 

In the end, in another store I compromised and bought him a 16 rated star wars game, how bad can it be? 

Did I do right?


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## mwgdrwg (Apr 21, 2011)

Yeah. The menu screen is a man being graphically tortured for a start.


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## kained&able (Apr 21, 2011)

call of duty doesn't have aliens! Its shooting commies in the most part.

I'd have happily played it at 12 without any problem, but he is clearly on the con.

Have a look on youtube for some videos.


dave


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## creak (Apr 22, 2011)

I love this game, but I personally wouldn't give it to a 12 year old. A lot of the material is pretty dark and gruesome tbh; as mentioned above, even the start menu for the game is based around a torture room/interrogation. Example of the single player gameplay:


Multi player is a bit goofier though, so you might feel that's alright even if not single player:


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## weltweit (Apr 22, 2011)

How much worse is Call of Duty Black ops, compared to the other Call of Duty games. 
There seem to be three, the first is rated 15, the next 16 and Black ops 18... 

My kid refuses to get the earlier ones, he says they are not worth buying.


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## Kid_Eternity (Apr 22, 2011)

Not really that much different. Kids shouldn't in general be playing these games but if you think as a parent he can handle it then it's your choice and responsibility.


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## weltweit (Apr 22, 2011)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Not really that much different. Kids shouldn't in general be playing these games but if you think as a parent he can handle it then it's your choice and responsibility.


 
The only game I can recall from when I was into such things was I think Quake .. basically a shootem-up with screen graphics that could make you dizzy..


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## cybershot (Apr 22, 2011)

Surely the language plays a large part too in the age rating of games especially. There's a hell of a lot of swearing in game, and it's no doubt even worse when playing online.

I don't have kids, but I would certainly think twice about getting a game like this for a 12 year old.

The ratings are there for a reason, and when kids go off the rails, people blame the game, the game companies blame the parents for allowing them to play in the first place and on and on and on the arguement will go on for years to come.

Age ratings are good because its allowed games for a more mature market, the problem is keeping them out of the hands of the minors, when parents for the most part, don't keep an eye on what their kids are playing anyway.


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## Random (Apr 22, 2011)

Stick to the age ratings, unless you've played the game yourself and have an informed opinion.


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## weltweit (Apr 22, 2011)

cybershot said:


> Surely the language plays a large part too in the age rating of games especially. There's a hell of a lot of swearing in game, and it's no doubt even worse when playing online.
> 
> I don't have kids, but I would certainly think twice about getting a game like this for a 12 year old.
> 
> ...


 
Yes, that is probably right. 

My kid has some friends also 12 whose elder brothers are old enough for 18 games and hence my kid's mate also gets to play them because they are on the same machine.


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## Citizen66 (Apr 23, 2011)

No different than when our parents had horror films and we watched them when their backs were turned.

Not sure it should be encouraged but there's little anyone can do to prevent exposure beyond locking them in their bedrooms.


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## Shippou-Sensei (Apr 23, 2011)

rent the game  play it  then decide


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## Shippou-Sensei (Apr 23, 2011)

but also  ask  if  his freinds really do have it


because  if he is playing it  at their  house   then  what really is  the point  of you banning it


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## Random (Apr 24, 2011)

Citizen66 said:


> No different than when our parents had horror films and we watched them when their backs were turned.
> 
> Not sure it should be encouraged but there's little anyone can do to prevent exposure beyond locking them in their bedrooms.


 Aren't parents and guardians the very people who cna stop it? If we want to? If you don't want the kids to watch it, then lock it away, or even better don't buy it at all. 

Ratings are because of different things, of course. Some are marked up just due to drugs, drink and tobacco references, which I'm not bothered about personally, compared to graphic violence or other brutalising themes.


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## Random (Apr 24, 2011)

Shippou-Sensei said:


> because  if he is playing it  at their  house   then  what really is  the point  of you banning it


 Get in touch with the friend's famly, if you're really worried.


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## Citizen66 (Apr 24, 2011)

Random said:


> Aren't parents and guardians the very people who cna stop it? If we want to? If you don't want the kids to watch it, then lock it away, or even better don't buy it at all.
> 
> Ratings are because of different things, of course. Some are marked up just due to drugs, drink and tobacco references, which I'm not bothered about personally, compared to graphic violence or other brutalising themes.



I can only speak from personal experience here and my parents were unable to prevent me from doing whatever it was i wanted to do. Anything was possible, if you were resourceful enough.

To succeed they would have to disallowed me to have friends or leave the house.


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## kained&able (Apr 24, 2011)

Shippou-Sensei said:


> but also  ask  if  his freinds really do have it
> 
> 
> because  if he is playing it  at their  house   then  what really is  the point  of you banning it


 
difference is weather its everyday or once in a while.

Yeah if he has freinds with access to it anyway he will see it, but, he wont be exposed to it nearly as much if he has his own copy. Might even help him to realise that the violence is exceptional rather then what the world is actually like.

dave


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## weltweit (Apr 24, 2011)

kained&able said:


> difference is weather its everyday or once in a while.



It is only once in a while that he is round his friends houses and can access such games. 



kained&able said:


> Yeah if he has freinds with access to it anyway he will see it, but, he wont be exposed to it nearly as much if he has his own copy. Might even help him to realise that the violence is exceptional rather then what the world is actually like.


 
 don't think I want him exposed to any more adult language than necessary, he can already swear like a trouper when he wants to ... pretty much all bar the C word ..


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## starfish (Apr 24, 2011)

creak said:


> I love this game, but I personally wouldn't give it to a 12 year old. A lot of the material is pretty dark and gruesome tbh; as mentioned above, even the start menu for the game is based around a torture room/interrogation. Example of the single player gameplay:
> 
> 
> Multi player is a bit goofier though, so you might feel that's alright even if not single player:




I let my 12 yo nephew have a wee shot this weekend. We did 1v1 in Nuke Town which was fine but i made a mistake with letting him do a bit of the campaign mode. I took over on one of the Nam levels where you drag the guy out the boat. I didnt tell you then slit his throat. He did seem a bit shocked by it.
Would have let him do a bit of multiplayer though if the bloody PS network wasnt down all weekend.


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## Shippou-Sensei (Apr 26, 2011)

as a personal reflection at around 12  i was playing doom  and then a little later  at about 13/14 i was playing duke nukem 3d  with all it's blood and strippers

it's not quite the same  with  modern graphics et al. but i think actually  violence in video games  is very distanced.  it's practically  cartoon violence  especially  multiplayer stuff   where  even the most grusome death is   simply a few seconds  hindrance and nothing to attach feeling to.    

i think just about any  well adjusted child  can play these kind of games given the right framing.

in fact    you should  probably   rent  it  for a weekend  and  just  play with him  on multi player   to  see  how it goes


of  maybe  try getting him hooked on other  equally excelent  but less violent  games.    how about  getting a copy of portal 2  and playing  that with him?


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## cybershot (Apr 26, 2011)

Like I said previously, it's not necessary the gameplay. Doom and Quake et al of that era had little if any cutscenes and no voice overs.

Today the gameplay may be more or the less the same, and the pace much more frantic meaning once someone dies a bit of blood and they drop on the floor. However voice acting and deep long cutscenes talking about situations a youngster may not even understand and then strapping someone to a chair and blowing them up or not is very different.

But then I guess if they are just playing them online, then all this is irrelevant. is where the difference between single player and multiplayer exists. If your just loading up the multiplayer to play your mates, then your not going to see these cutscenes or hear the voice acting. The age rating still has to cover both environments under one rating.


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## mwgdrwg (Apr 26, 2011)

Slightly OT, but is this on Xbox 360? I have both my chldren set up with "child accounts" which means I have to authorise friend requests, online play, voice chat, video chat etc. I can even set the allowed ratings and amount of time played.


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## trashpony (Jan 21, 2021)

Massive bump. The foal is badgering me to get him Demon Souls on the PS5 for his 14th birthday which is in March. After a lot of research, I got him Skyrim Elder Scrolls last year even though it’s an 18 because it’s not that realistic and he’s more about solving puzzles than fighting.
But Demon Souls is quite new and so there aren’t many reviews yet.

Not sure what to do!


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## tommers (Jan 21, 2021)

trashpony said:


> Massive bump. The foal is badgering me to get him Demon Souls on the PS5 for his 14th birthday which is in March. After a lot of research, I got him Skyrim Elder Scrolls last year even though it’s an 18 because it’s not that realistic and he’s more about solving puzzles than fighting.
> But Demon Souls is quite new and so there aren’t many reviews yet.
> 
> Not sure what to do!



Demon's Souls is an old game, this is a remake of it. 

Souls games are the best games. I would probably get it for a 14 yr old but they are gory. Can be quite scary. They are also difficult, especially for beginners so he should know that he might get quite frustrated. 

I found this on common sense media, if that helps





__





						Demon's Souls (2020) Game Review
					

Fantasy tale is bloody and punishing but rewards resolve. Read Common Sense Media's Demon's Souls (2020) review, age rating, and parents guide.




					www.commonsensemedia.org


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## trashpony (Jan 21, 2021)

tommers said:


> Demon's Souls is an old game, this is a remake of it.
> 
> Souls games are the best games. I would probably get it for a 14 yr old but they are gory. Can be quite scary. They are also difficult, especially for beginners so he should know that he might get quite frustrated.
> 
> ...



Thanks that’s really helpful. I just don’t play games like this and i read that review but it was only based on 4 reviews!  He knows it’s very hard. I think he’ll get quite frustrated but he has just got the platinum trophy on hard mode on miles morales so he’s feeling a bit cocky 

i didn’t realise it was basically the same as the old game either


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## NoXion (Jan 27, 2021)

I'd be less concerned about the violence, and more concerned about how games like CoD valourise murderous foreign adventurism. Get him a wholesome demon-slaying game instead, like Doom Eternal. Arguably Christian.

Demon's Souls is OK for a 14 year old, in my opinion.


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## CNT36 (Jan 28, 2021)

Multiplayer game play is just shooting. Not much different from going to the park pointing sticks at each other and shouting bang. Single player is worse but he'll only play that if he has no friends. The biggest concern with multiplayer is the chat. I haven't played for a few years but there could be a lot of abusive language, racism, sexism, homophobia etc.


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## trashpony (Jan 28, 2021)

He doesn’t play multiplayer and talk to people he doesn’t know and he’s never getting CoD so that’s all good.


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## Monkeygrinder's Organ (Jan 28, 2021)

tommers said:


> Demon's Souls is an old game, this is a remake of it.
> 
> Souls games are the best games. I would probably get it for a 14 yr old but they are gory. Can be quite scary. They are also difficult, especially for beginners so he should know that he might get quite frustrated.
> 
> ...



Yeah, I'd say the biggest risk from getting a Souls game is controllers smashed against the wall tbh.


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## Steel Icarus (Jan 28, 2021)

Yep, a guilty pleasure of mine is watching reaction videos or gamers losing their shit. Souls/Bloodborne type games often feature.


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