Letting your kids play

[Briggs]

How old would you want your own child to be before you let them play? If it depends on the kid, what would it depend on?

 

[lgdg090596]

I'd let him play regardless his age. I played GTA at a young age and it didn't really have any negative impact on me.

 

[Shimus]

Like Id, I'd let them play whenever. If it depends on the kid, it depends on their maturity level/ability to handle violence. Because the game has it in spades along with every other shady aspect of life (hookers, drugs, apartments, fast cars, skydiving, you name it) you just need to make sure they realize it's a GAME and not real life.

 

[FuZyOn]

Whenever I feel like he's ready, it depends on how well he develops as a person. I would explain to him that things in this game are not to be done in real life then I'd let him play.
No big deal, GTA didn't impact me in any way.

 

[burtpovski]

I think the moment he can view the difference between the gaming world and reality, I would allow him to play GTA. But prior to that, I would never even consider it.

 

[jamiew23]

I'm only 23 so no kids planned just yet but I'd probably say 15/16 depends really on what my child is like. I've been playing since I was about 13 maybe even younger but then again that was back in the day when the GTA series was 2D and not so graphic and violent.

 

[troutski]

Kids can play GTA V whenever they want as far as I'm concerned, as long as they understand that they need to behave once they're done. Also, they have to take care of their other daily chores or obligations first. Playing is a privilege, not a right. :3

 

[pwarbi]

While it's true that GTA does involve a lot of violence I think a lot will depend on the person who's actually playing it. I think most children these days are more mature than what they used to be and realise that it is just a game.

There's been a lot of talk that playing violent video games can affect what people, especially children do in the real world but I don't really agree with that argument.

 

[Capri]

I don't have kids of my own but I played GTA series when I was a kid and I'm all right. And hundreds of thousands of people are too. You see a lot more disturbing stuff on a TV everyday so I don't think there is a lot of harm in letting your kids play this game. They have to be old enough to know that it is all fiction and should be taken as such.

 

[pwarbi]

Just thinking, isn't their an age restriction on purchasing GTA? So really if a child is playing it then it must have been bought by an adult. So then it's up to that adult if it's suitable or not?

Well...if the adult thought it wasn't, then they wouldn't have bought it in the first place would they?

 

[devinametallic]

I ain't gonna lie, when I first played GTA, it was the Vice City version when it first came out and I'm a 90's baby so I was a kid when I played it. It wasn't through my parents though. I had a neighbor who had every new game that came out so I always went over there to play. I know how I am when I played games as a child and to be honest, kids are going to do what they want and let's be honest: They won't always be in your eyes 100% of the time unless you home-school them and be every kind of friend that they want to have in life. Everyone has free will in life and kids will find out about those kind of things one way or another especially if they have a lot of friends. I won't push my kids and say "Hey lets play GTA!" But if they decided to play the game, they'll play the game. Of course I won't allow it in my place until they get a certain age but if they play it and I can't be around during that time, how can I be in control of that situation? They've already seen it and know about the game. But I'm babbling. Hope I made my point lol

 

[xlzqwerty1]

I believe I read a scholarly article that stated violence in video games has no correlation whatsoever with real life violence, meaning that those exposed to violent video games will not necessarily become violent people themselves.

I started playing GTA San Andreas when I was in elementary school, probably around grade 5, and here I am today. To be honest I think it would really depend on the child that you're giving the game to, as in, whether or not they'd mimic what they see in video games and TV in real life. Obviously, if a child can't differentiate between socially acceptable and socially incorrect behaviour, then they shouldn't be playing games like GTA. If I was a parent, I definitely wouldn't let my child play it until the final years of elementary school (same time as me, grade 5 to 6-ish). But by that time, I'm pretty sure the child would have some sense of morality and socially acceptable acts, so it wouldn't be a problem at all.

 

[pwarbi]

I think that's one of the key points, if you've brought up you child in a way that they know right from wrong, they realize that GTA is just a game and have some sort of morals like you say, then I don't see playing this game, or any violent game for that matter as being an issue.

It's very easy for parents to blame the game instead of looking at themselves.

 

[niiro17]

I played GTA when I was 10 years old I think. And if I let my kid to play GTA, it depends. I play it first and if find something indecent, I'll not them play it.

 

[Susime]

I played GTA when I was a young kid, about 10 or maybe even younger. I think it's perfectly OK to let kids of a young age play these sorts of games as long as the understand that what they are doing is partaking in a work of fiction and it doesn't work like that in the real world.

I would let my kids play whatever age but I'd explain to them first about what they're playing.

 

[troutski]

I played GTA when I was 10 years old I think. And if I let my kid to play GTA, it depends. I play it first and if find something indecent, I'll not them play it.

So what you're saying is is that you won't let your kids play it. Every GTA game contains indecent content after all.

 

[Thomas Hall]

I would say 15 would be alright and also, tell them that what happens in the game should not be tried in real life as there will be consequences and will affect you if you try it. I would also tell them to, see that drugs and violence in real life can have bad consequences and also will not be a good thing to turn to. I also, think that it will be sad to see children turn to violence and try and use it as it can cause problems and also not good to do and remember the game is only a game and keep it at that.

 

[pwarbi]

On GTAV, I can't say I've ever really noticed but what IS the actual age limit on the game?

Do age ratings make any difference a way or are people quit happy to buy theistic children copies to play, even though they might not be old enough?

 

[rightct]

I would let my kids play at any age. I remember playing GTA games since I was, like, 5 years old, and didn't affect me at all. As long as I can teach them that virtuality is way different from reality, it should be fine.

 

[pwarbi]

I do think a lot of it depends on the actual child aswell, only you as the parent can judge if it's going to be an issue or not.