User Comments

1. 

   5/02/08

   kdawg68

   Ummm...I play the GTA games (and others) all the time, and I've never gone out shooting up pedestrians or committing violent crimes.
   
   I don't buy into the argument. Certainly you should monitor what your children watch and ensure that they are not viewing things they are unable to handle properly. I wouldnt' let a 13 year old play those games, but most 18 year olds ought to be able to handle it. If they can join up for the army, I think they can handle a game like GTA.
   
   I've seen plenty worse violence and deplorable morality in movies, listening to certain disc jockeys, or some of the lyrics in popular music.

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2. 

   5/02/08

   crkian

   blaming games has become common place nowadays

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3. 

   5/02/08

   kdawg68

   reminds me of the South Park episode from this week - where the kids were all using cat piss to get high. They outlawed cats as a result. The moral of the story being that cats weren't the problem - people using them to get high was.

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4. 

   5/02/08

   rearvumirr

   cat urine to get high? That's a new one to me...gross!

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   1. 

      5/02/08

      kdawg68

      They were just using it as a ridiculous example. South Park's the best at that. The cool part was the "trips" that folks would go on while under the influence. They all saw the same ridiculous sequence.
5. 

   5/02/08

   RuinousRight

   The new GTA IV is rated M (mature) so if your kid is under 17 he shouldn't be playing it. If he/she is 17 or 18 you may want to ask him/her about the gameplay on occasion since it would be an opportunity to get a read on things and express how you feel about some of the subject matter.
   
   I'm not saying these games have a negative affect on all kids/young adults, but the jury is still out and we're all different. Better safe than sorry.
   
   Kids are exposed to all sorts of crazy stuff these days and it's difficult for parents to police every move. The important thing is that parents spend time with their kids and cultivate good morals and decision making.

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   1. 

      5/02/08

      rearvumirr

      "The important thing is that parents spend time with their kids and cultivate good morals and decision making."
      
      ^5 to that!
6. 

   5/02/08

   Aprilfreelance

   I think the current uproar is a parenting issue and should not be about the game. The game is properly rated, etc. It is parents expecting society to raise their kids rather than doing themselves that is causing the controversy. If you don't want your kid to play it, don't buy it for them. If they go out and buy it themselves, make them return it. If they play it a friend's house, tell those parents that under no circumstances is your child allowed to play that game at their house. You want control over what your kids do? Then be a parent. Teach them sound judgment when they are at home because society is not going to do it for you. They have to face the real world without you eventually.

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   1. 

      5/02/08

      rearvumirr

      "Teach them sound judgment when they are at home because society is not going to do it for you."
      
      Well said!
7. 

   5/02/08

   clioandme

   There might be a parallel between parent fears of these games and the great comic book scare over a half century ago. The story is relevant at any rate. www.npr.org/blogs/talk/2008/04/the_great_comicbook_scare.html
   (Listen to the show if you can find the time.)

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   1. 

      5/02/08

      rearvumirr

      interesting thought mark...going to check it out!
   2. 

      5/02/08

      rearvumirr

      I found the following comment left there "food for thought"
      
      "I went to school in Darjeeling, India. We were not allowed to read American comics because of its slang which would be detrimental to our English. However, we were highly encouraged to read a series called "Classics Illustrated". This comics covered (in the Queens English), classics such as Around the World in 80 Days, Kim, Red Badge of Courage, A Tale of Two Cities, Food of the Gods, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. It was great because it helped us catch up with high works of literature that we could have missed"
      
      Sent by Hemant Lama | 3:37 PM ET | 04-24-2008