Sunday, February 20, 2011

Exciting Stories!

So, there I was, in the forest. My helicopter had gone down. I had nothing but the clothes on my back with me. Then some tigers started to circle, probably attracted by the noise of the crash. The first one lunged an-

WE INTERRUPT THE PROGRAM IN PROGRESS FOR THIS EXTRA SPECIAL PSA!

Good day, folks. My name is Sam and I'm here to talk to you about something very important. Well, perhaps not important in the overall world and the such, but something very important to me. This is video games. I want to discuss video games and you. Namely you if you're a parent. If you're reading this, you are likely not a parent, but that's a-ok!

So video games. They have been around for quite some time now, entertaining the masses. From platformers, to RPGs, to shooters, to third person adventurey type games. They come in all shapes and sizes and for all kinds of different people. Some are for kids, but not all video games are made for kids.

FACT: NOT ALL VIDEO GAMES ARE FOR KIDS. THERE ARE GAMES FOR ADULTS.

I understand this may be hard to grasp. Video games seem like a toy, but they are in fact not. They are just like any other entertainment industry. There are games designed for kids, but there are also those made for adults. I'll repeat this, since it is apparently difficult to grasp or understand. VIDEO GAMES CAN HAVE ADULT THEMES AND EXTREME VIOLENCE.

They even have a handy ratings guide!

E-It stands for everyone, but has 10+ on there. Which is confusing, since there are people under the age of 10 in the world, meaning they aren't for everyone. But these are very tame. They include things like Mario, sports games and other related content.

T-This stands for teen. It's about the equivalent of a PG-13 movie. Except more tame than that, PG-13 movies are allowed a lot more freedom. You are not allowed to really...curse in Teen rated games, but there is some minor violence. These are generally pretty safe.

M-This stands for mature and is for a 17+ audience. There is cursing, blood, violence. Anything you would find in a Rated R movie is generally fair game here. Except even then, it's generally more tame than a Rated R movie, there's less cursing, not really anything in the way of nudity. But then there is violence. And people think it's worse because you can perpetrate the violence. These people are known as "idiots" who want other people to raise their kids for them, because they clearly do not know how.

AO-Adults only. 18+, not really many games get this rating.

I decided to go into this, because last week I saw a mother buying her child a copy of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Great game, great series. Problem: This child was 8 years old. This game is not appropriate for an 8 year old. Would you let your 8 year old child watch a rated R movie? No? Then on earth are you buying them a mature rated game?

It doesn't make sense. The only way I can explain is that people still see games as a toy. A thing for children. They are not. They are meant for all ages, different games for different groups. Until people realize this, games will continue to be demonized.

Also, until people take responsibility over raising their own kids. Take the time to get informed about things before buying them. Understand what you're doing. Take some damn blame on yourself every once in awhile. A video game didn't make your kid a bad kid. You did.

The Supreme Court had to hear a case about censoring video games and making it a felony to sell mature rated games to a minor. Which on the surface sounds like a good idea, but it really isn't. It means retailers won't want to carry mature rated games, because you get slammed by the government if one single employee messes up. Suddenly you're up on federal charges.

Movies don't have to put up with this. Books don't. Music doesn't. Why do video games? I would venture to guess it's because it's the new entertainment medium, it's easy to blame. It's the scapegoat for bad parenting.