Simmer! It’s Just a Video Game
Once again the video game industry has come under fire for its violent content, what else is new? It’s the same thing over and over again and every time I get more frustrated with the world. For some reason my brain cannot fathom the idea why people complain about violence in video games. I mean I can go onto Netflix and watch Rampage which happens to be a story about a kid going and shooting up his town. Or I can look at the news and see pretty much the exact same thing if not worse.
Now I understand that parents are concerned about their children’s mental capacity and how they will react to such graphic nature. I understand that children being subjected to these games can become desensitized to it and possibly become more aggressive. What I don’t understand is why kids are playing these games in the first place. I mean come on parents, it says right on the box “M17+”! What part don’t you get about that? Is it the M? Cause that stands for Mature. Is it the 17+? That one means that consumers of the age of 17 and above may play this game. What’s not to get there? Oh your kid is 13? That’s nice! They probably shouldn’t play this game then. It’s really that simple. The only conclusion that I can seem the come up with is that today’s average parent is blatantly lazy. I mean if the rating on the box isn’t enough you could simply google it. Try it. Google “GTA Rating” Holly shit! The first link is “Grand Theft Auto V – ERSB” ERSB happening to be the company best known for rating games for the last 20 years, but really, what the hell do they know?
So that took me about oooohh… let’s say twenty seconds and that’s being very, very modest. I have now found out who, what, when, where and why this game has a mature rating. I don’t think that could have been any easier nor any less time consuming.
I will reiterate once again that the fact that children are playing games meant for a mature audience astounds me. Lazy ass parents need to take responsibility over what their kids watch and play. Own up to the fact that you were the one who let your “special little child” play a game that is probably not suitable for their age nor their mental stability. The video game has placed precautions to prevent underage gaming (sounds weird to be calling it that but you know what I mean). For one they request that anyone that looks under the age must have a consenting adult with them to buy. Wait, wait wait wait, so does that mean any parent that complains that their kid is being subjected to harmful content is really the cause of the problem? Casue I mean you were the one at the game store with your kid telling the sales person it was ok that your child could play that game. Sooooo who is really at fault here, the Gaming Industry or the Consumers(when I say consumers I really mean the parents of this world)?
I think, possibly, maybe, most likely you few people reading this can guess who I think is at fault but I would love to hear what you all think. Comment down below if you like…or don’t, I don’t really care.
KCCO
XTheSymbioteX
Goombas Gone Wild 
To be fair, the ESRB isn’t actually a mandatory board. Stores like Best Buy are given the option to allow/disallow purchase based off the age of the customer, and the content rating of the game. But they’re not REQUIRED to disallow purchase if those conditions aren’t met.
That being said, I totally get what you’re saying. It’s the parent’s responsibility to make sure their kids are purchasing/playing games that are appropriate for them. While they may not really understand the ESRB and how it arrives at a rating, there is a certain level of accountability that has to be laid down on the parents.
However, many people that say video games are too violent aren’t referring to only T and M rated games. Many are referring to the cartoon violence found in many E rated games, where cartoon heroes punch, kick, and shoot their way though ever wackier enemies. These games still carry the same underlying themes of violence as a means of accomplishment. But that’s a different discussion, and one for another day!
In the end, I think one of the best things you could do would be to spread the word of the ESRB and what it means. As well as HOW it determines different ratings. Absolutely put the accountability back on parents to ensure they’re letting their kids play content appropriate games.
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