by E Mouse » Thu May 29, 2003 3:30 pm
"Remember kids, you're never too old to be immature!"
- Hsu, or maybe Chan.
Actually, as I've heard argued many times in the same gaming magazine that first included that quote, the power to enforce the gaming ratings is as much the parent's responsibility as the retailer's. A good parent should keep an eye on what their kids are playing, and enforce any limits they find reasonable. For example, a smart parent would not let their 3-year-old child rent Grand Theft Auto, even for a day. The "M" rating is a bit of a giveaway.
From what I'm hearing here, these 'The View' people are not good parents. I'm betting they're the same lazy, gossiping idiots (or overworking career-obsessed moneygrubbers) who sit their kids in front of the TV and call that parenting.
It's not.
The retailers aren't entirely without fault (selling M-rated games to overeager kids with flimsy alibis, without directly asking for their parents...?), but then again, sometimes questioning things like that leads to having an angry Stupid Parent showing up and ratting you out for not selling the game to an obvious cretin such as their son. This is even after you point out the M rating and explain it.
Then again, not every kid under 18 is really too 'young' for some of the M-rated games out there. And not every 18-year-old is mature enough for them. Emotional and mental maturity are much, much more important than physical, but so far no one's come up with a way to measure it, so we're still stuck with flimsy age-based enforcements that don't really work in every situation.
This is also true of cigarettes, alchohol, sex, and everything else judged solely by the 'age' mentality.
That's my view on things, but it's a bit too informal to toss in their faces, huh? <p>-------
E'S QUOTE OF THE WHENEVER:
"I'm here to burn the lollipops."</p>