PG-13 Doesn’t Scare Me
June 22nd, 2005 by feeling entropy
I remember when I was younger, my parents allowed me to watch PG-13 movies before I turned 13, and Rated R movies before I turned 17. I remember hearing cuss words and seeing violence that my friends and I would talk about while waiting for our turn at tetherball. When I got home from class I’d kill King Koopa then shoot ducks with my Nintendo gun. Never once did I kill a fellow classmate, nor attempt to kill one. Watching movies and playing games were just that to me.
A recent survey has shown that parents are aware of video game ratings yet disregard them. Some may feel that it’s poor parenting to give a 15 year old child Doom 3 which is rated for 18+ year olds. But I think that it’s poor parenting when a 15 year old can’t handle playing a game rated for 18+ year olds. In this scenario the parent has 15 years to teach one simple concept of “this is a game, and it is not real life”, if they fail to do so, I cannot blame a video game for a child’s poor judgment. My optimistic view of the statistics here may be based on my personal experience only, but then again, isn’t that how everyone sees the world?
