Video Game Limits

My son is almost 9, he is only allowed E & E10 games, no Teen or M. Only 1 other friend has parents as strict as us; all the rest of his friends are allowed to play M games including all the CoD games. IMHO they have enough time to grow up and play those types of games, they don't need to play them now.

My son is almost 8. He is only allowed E games right now.
I don't think I'll allow M or T games when he is 10.
He does have friends (7 or 8 or 9) that are allowed to play call of Duty, which amazes me!

okay honestly until Christmas I was the total - We will never have HALO or Call of Duty those games are terrible- then we bought an Xbox360 for my boys we bough Call of Duty, Madden 11 and Mortal Combat, and Lego Star wars. I thought I would hate them but my 8 year old plays Call of Duty and Mortal combat with my teenager AND my husband,( who is NOT a video game kinda guy) we bought HALO he plays that too. He is not allowed to play the "live" version but he can play with us. There are nights we will all play we take turns I know most moms are freaking out at reading this but it really isnt anything worse than a cartoon. Trust me it freaked me out in the beginning but he enjoys playing against his dad because he always wins and they have fun together

Since when is being strict bad? Just keep on repeating to yourself "I am the parent, I am the parent" and know that the ratings are there for a reason.

Stand by your guns! This is a good life lesson that what's OK for him and rules in your house are what's important; he goes by your standards because you know what's best for him, not "everyone else's" standards. They are given ratings for a reason. I agree, no way a 10 yr old should be playing M-rated games. If there is a particular game he really wants that is M, maybe you could rent it or borrow it and see why it's rated M then you could have a discussion on why it is or is not appropriate. But I agree that in general allowing T-rated is being lenient as is, and M-rated is completely inappropriate for a 10 yr old.

At 10, I would set a general rule of only E rated games. Then let your son know that you MAY consider a different rating depending on the game, once you check it out. I guess it should also depend on how often he plays. Our sons are younger than yours (7 1/2 and 6) and we only allow video games during the weekend.During the week we encourage them to grab a book, draw, or something requiring a bit of creativity. BTW, we did get Call of Duty for DSi for our 7 1/2 year old, which is rated T. Hubby talked to him about it. Actually it was difficult for him to master b/c of the advanced skills needed and my son ended being very frustrated with it.

Unfortunately I am one of those parents. I have never had limits on the video games my son plays and now he is 11 and I honestly dont know the ratings on the games he plays or buys or even the ones I buy for him. Its sad but true. I also have taken the time to teach him that what happens in the video games is not real and he understands that, always has. My son plays his games online and plays against most of his friends and classmates so they are actually allowed to play these sort of games too!

I also recognize that not all kids understand things the same. So when othe kids, and my nephew, particularly, come over, he is 9 and enjoys the same games as my son but is not able to understand that so when he comes over and sees my son playing those games he has to go to my sister and she has to explain it all to him. (She acually got him the video game for xmas because she felt he had an understanding of the difference between real life and video games and said she appreciated that she had that opportunity to explain it to him before she purchased it.)

I think it completely depends on the child AND the game.

My son is not allowed to play every E game (some are absolutely AWFUL), and he IS allowed to play some M games. T games tend to be the worst overall IMHO... because they tend to be gratuitous everything, shoddily engineered, and badly thought out as a rule. Many M games, on the other hand, are multimillion dollar projects full of great depth and subtlety.

We go on a game by game basis. Just as an example ds8 IS allowed to play all 6 of the HALO series, and the old WWII version of Call of Duty... but NOT Call of Duty World At War or CoD Black Ops.

When kiddo's friends are playing with him we have a lowest common denominator rule. AKA, he's only allowed to play games with his friends that their parents have given permission for, and vice versa. People have different rules, and that's just the way it goes. We make sure that NO ONE is breaking their parents rules... whether it's his friends or him.

I agree, stick to your guns. We are the parents and we were that age too once. We have more life experience than they do. Be the parent. Maybe even have your son read all of these parents responses so he can see for himself that you are not the only "strict" parent in town. :)

mine is the same age Rockermom, he is 11 opps early morning ) anyway we only do "e" and "pg" only for our kids (16, 11, and 4) and they are not allowed at other parents houses to play video games unless they call us with the title of the game. Yes, this is harsh but they are already exposed to that type of thing on a daily basis. (media, school, cartoons etc)

the 16 yr old started mature rating only after hubby or i played a trial version of the game.... we still say no example being counter strike / halo / cant remember another street something where you are to beat up and run over folks to earn points = BIG NO

Another thing studies prove over 30 mins of game time a day = worse grades / bad attitudes / and slower mental agility in this age bracket .... better to get them involved with books and other things they / you might do together if you have the time to spare.

hugZ hope this helps !

My older kids are 11, 9, and 8. They are allowed to play E or E+10 games only. They each get 45 minutes of game time on Saturday and 45 on Sunday. If they have been good I will give them 45 on Friday as well but absolutely nothing more. Of course our kids tell us we're too strict but we don't care - that's the job of parents to set boundaries & it's the job of kids to test them, see how far they can pus mom & dad. That's how they learn how to navigate the boundaries of the world. Oh, also, they don't have any hand-held game machines either.

I know there are dozens and dozens of games out there that are E or even E10+ that are fun, so I'd just focus on those. I would DEFINITELY NOT buy him the M games, no matter what he begs. That's just asking for trouble. Plus kids always exaggerate when they say, "ALL my friends can play those games." LOL

I don't let my 9 yo play them and I won't for another couple of years at least. While these might seem 'OK' IMO they cause stress that won't manifest outright but underneath the surface. Low level stress is so unhealthy for even kids.

He is your child and you make the rules for your house. Do what you think is BEST.

Right now we only buy my 11 (will be 12 Monday) Teen games. But if I see anything in them that I don't think is approprate I will get rid of. I know he wants call of duty which his friend has I told him NO!!!!!!!!!!! To me even if all his friends have it and he's prayed it before I know at my sister in laws house. It's not going to be in my house while his is that young. And he's got a younger brother too that does not need to be exposed to that violance. He's your son and if you need to decide what's best for him! Like my momma always said if everyone was going to jump off a cliff would you??

Good luck and God Bless!!

You know your child and what he is or is not 'mature' enough for. Don't let other parents choices influence your own. My nephew is unable to watch PG 13 movies because he takes the language and violence out of the them. Where as my son does not and so we feel he is mature enough to watch them.

My son is 12.5. I will not BUY him or let him OWN Mature games, or anything else I find objectionable, regardless of the rating. He has played Call of Duty at a 14 yr old friend's house. This is NOT a regular occurrence, however... just a one time thing. It is a neighbor kid and usually, he comes over here and they play our games. :)

My son, now 13, has always told me and my hubby that "all" of his friends were allowed to do this or that and that we were so strict. He was not allowed to play T or M games until October of 2010 (he turned 13 in December) and he has to look them up and see why they got that rating. If there is any sexual content or sexual themes then he is not allowed to play it. I agree with you 100%.

I think we let our kids grow up too fast and most parents are too lienent. I do not allow my kids to play T or M games for the most part. I think the Harry Potter game was a T rating, but I've seen it and I didn't see anything I objected to, so that one was allowed. However, the M rated games I know of are extremely violent and show blood, so that's a no in my house. There are online sites you can go to where you can get a rating NOT by the company, but by an organization that tries to help parents make informed decisions. One is plugged in online and the other is something about kids safe media or something like that. Read about the game, why it was given the M rating, and then decide for your child. But, the quick answer is why do they need to play T or M games before their time? Do you want them watching R movies before they are ready? Do you want them acting out what they see either sex or violence? It's not necessary, it's not adding something great to their personality, so what is the plus behind letting them do it?