The problem with leaving it up to the parent is that too many parents are doing... nothing. They're just handing over the game when their child throws a tantrum, and then going out to dinner or something. They get back home and their child has done something stupid, and they blame the game instead of their parenting.
Should you buy your young children violent games? Depends.
Has the child been raised to be mature or has the child been coddled and shielded from the mind-warping corruption that is the nipple? If it is the former, yes; if it is the latter, no.
Does the child's parents educate the child on what is right and wrong while also teaching them the difference between fantasy and reality? If so, then yes; if not, then no.
Does the child's parents just buy GTA without doing even the slightest bit of research (which even YouTube can help more than Google at times in this case) and plops their kid infront of it with little to no interaction between parent and child? If so, then no.
This all boils down to one thing: whether or not the parent is competent and educated. If they're not competent enough to educate their child or refuse to educate themselves on what a game's content is before throwing it infront of their kid, then they not only have no right to complain but also have no right to raise a child (even more so if they refuse to blame themselves). There is no excuse for a parent to claim they didn't know when there are even FREE WALKTHROUGHS of the entire game available on YOUTUBE on top of google answering whatever question you have about it with a thousand forum threads on whatever subject.
i agree to an extent, @aLucidMind. everything you say about research is absolutely true. however, some of the things that happen in these games (god of war, for example) are just too violent for even the most mature 8 year old kid. it's like you said, the parents need to get involved...period.
I was in line to a midnight sale for Saints Row 3 and some guys in front of me were having fun and cussing a lot... a lady 2 or 3 people behind me with her teenage son asked them to not cuss.
We all laughed!
But more surprisingly she stayed in line and bought the game.
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Has the child been raised to be mature or has the child been coddled and shielded from the mind-warping corruption that is the nipple? If it is the former, yes; if it is the latter, no.
Does the child's parents educate the child on what is right and wrong while also teaching them the difference between fantasy and reality? If so, then yes; if not, then no.
Does the child's parents just buy GTA without doing even the slightest bit of research (which even YouTube can help more than Google at times in this case) and plops their kid infront of it with little to no interaction between parent and child? If so, then no.
This all boils down to one thing: whether or not the parent is competent and educated. If they're not competent enough to educate their child or refuse to educate themselves on what a game's content is before throwing it infront of their kid, then they not only have no right to complain but also have no right to raise a child (even more so if they refuse to blame themselves). There is no excuse for a parent to claim they didn't know when there are even FREE WALKTHROUGHS of the entire game available on YOUTUBE on top of google answering whatever question you have about it with a thousand forum threads on whatever subject.
We all laughed!
But more surprisingly she stayed in line and bought the game.