How young is too young to play 18+ games?

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I'm planning on completing the game first then allow her to play missions I see as appropriate so no sex scenes etc...

Get a grip, you're three years older than her, not her parent and a 14 year is aware of what sex is. Lets not even start on the fact you think violence is fine but sex is taboo.

As for the thread it depends on the child but I would say most would be fine playing 18s at 8 or 9.

Reply 41

wildrover

Original post by xMr_BrightSide

I wasn't allowed games until I was the actual age requirement.... seriously annoyed me. I'd say 15/16 or so for games like GTA, maybe 13/14 for CoD and other milder 18's.

Do your parents vote for the greens or Lib Dems by any chance?

Reply 42

xMr_BrightSide

Original post by wildrover

Do your parents vote for the greens or Lib Dems by any chance?

Haha, no they're steadfast Tories!

Reply 43

MissMyDawgs

Original post by wildrover

I pray for your children (that's only if you end up with any).

Reply 44

wildrover

Original post by MissMyDawgs

I pray for your children (that's only if you end up with any).

I don't want them but there's no reason why a child can't handle adult media. It never did me any arm and the characters in GTA III were far more vile than the current ones and there was far more blood.

Reply 45

ozzyoscy

Original post by MissMyDawgs

I pray for your children (that's only if you end up with any).

I pray for yours being taught that sex is taboo but violence is acceptable, especially considering your ignorance about what 14 year olds know about sex.

Reply 46

MissMyDawgs

Original post by ozzyoscy

I pray for yours being taught that sex is taboo but violence is acceptable, especially considering your ignorance about what 14 year olds know about sex.

And where exactly did I say violence is acceptable? There's a reason I replied to someone specifically, so stay out of it if you don't have anything useful to say. Thanks

Reply 47

ozzyoscy

Original post by MissMyDawgs

And where exactly did I say violence is acceptable? There's a reason I replied to someone specifically, so stay out of it if you don't have anything useful to say. Thanks

You can't tell anyone what to do or control them, and you only define 'useful' as 'agreeing with me'. So deal with it.

By allowing your child to play the game, but specifically excluding them from 'sex', you're saying violence is ok, sex is wrong. Which is mental.

Reply 48

Miss Lola

I'm sure at 16 some people will be mature enough to watch/play 18+ rated content. But honestly I think 18s really should be for over 18s.

I watched a few 18+ rated films at 16 or 17. Never played any 18+ games until I actually was 18.

Reply 49

whatisthis47

I was playing the first GTA at age 5 or 6 and continued playing every game in the series ever since so I'm going to be incredibly biased in saying that I think 7 and under isn't too young.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 50

wartortle

11, so being in secondary School at least.

Reply 51

Michael^^

It's 18+ for a reason :smug:

Few of the good things about being 18

Reply 52

username945663

I started around 10.

I got parents to buy them for me. But tbh if my parents knew what sort of sht goes on in games like GTA, they wouldn't have bought me them.

Reply 53

username917703

Original post by Vixen47

I was playing the first GTA at age 5 or 6 and continued playing every game in the series ever since so I'm going to be incredibly biased in saying that I think 7 and under isn't too young.

The first GTA was nowhere near as bad as what it is now though. I voted for 7 or under but that's because that is the absolute cut off point where I don't care how mature the child seems.

I played GTA 1 when I was about 8/9 I think and was fine, it was mainly just driving and getting to phones. Now there's so many sexual references and things like that in the game... I'd say on average 11/12 is fine as that's when you're in your first year at secondary school and you're gonna be exposed to all this stuff anyway.

Reply 54

miser

I remember when I was 10 or 11 and Resident Evil, a 15 with playstation 1 era graphics scared me to death. It was great.

Personally I think at the very minimum they should be 12, and judged based on the maturity of the child in question, but I admit that this is based mainly on intuition; I don't have any specific knowledge on how video games affect childhood development.

Reply 55

Lanfan

If you are mature enough to know the difference between what's socially acceptable and realistic in real life and what happens in games, then you are old enough to play an 18-rated game.

Reply 56

username1042689

Then again, my brother's 13 and I don't think he's mature enough for it...he still makes fart jokes and dissolves into giggles at any vague innuendo.

Reply 57

Drunk Punx

Original post by zjs

I've always played games a long way under the age restriction and it's never done me any harm.

Owned and regularly played Goldeneye when I was 7/8 and GTA III when I was 11/12.

I was exactly the same as far as Goldeneye was concerned. The worst I "acted up" as a result was pretending the a snooker cue was a rifle and I'd start shooting imaginary soldiers out of my bedroom window :h:

As long as people are of sound mind I see no reason why they can't play 18+ games. I wouldn't want my kid playing GTA/similar "realistic" games too early though (like you said, 11/22 sounds about right) because there's no point in exposing them to stuff like swearing, prostitution, and (in the latest one) torture too early, they'll get a hold of such concepts as they grow up and I personally wouldn't feel comfortable with a 7 year old asking me what a hooker is or what **** (rhymes with "punt") means.

Reply 58

Lucky-Roll

Original post by GreenOut

Inspired by this thread http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2469634&p=44540550#post44540550. My 8 y/o brother wanted to play and the general consensus on tsr is that it's too young. So I wanted to know what age you think is appropriate to start playing 18+ games at. And comment saying what age you started playing 18+ games at.

I started at around 11/12 and I think that's an appropriate age for most people.

It's so frikin stupid!!!!!!!!!!! 18+ to see fake blood when you get taught how to become a successful dictator in history classes. retarded..

Reply 59

Theflyingbarney

Presumably the only kids I'd ever be buying GTA for would be my own, so I'd personally just judge whether they were personally mature enough for it when they asked for it. For an arbitrary cut-off point though I'd say 13, below that age there's still too many kids who might be influenced badly by it.

Ironically I never managed to persuade my parents to let me buy GTA so I eventually stopped trying and just bought GTA IV and San Andreas when I turned 18