A 5-Year-Old Just Beat 'Bloodborne': An Interview

A 5-year old has just beaten the notoriously difficult souls like, Bloodborne. We spoke with his father.

[ArchangelMike]

Hmm... I can't even... I don't even know where to begin with this one.

Congratulations to the kid I guess. Zero points for the dad.

I would be majorly surprised, and concerned if the kid's mom knew he was playing bloodbourne. I'm not one who belives that violence in youth and young adults is because of video games. That's just very poor scapegoating.

However, there are things that do affect the development of children and their psyche in other ways; and you cannot tell me that a 5 year old child should be exposed to bloody-gore and horror for a protracted period of time - for the sake of anything. Much less, the bragging rights of a dad who thinks they are somehow doing the kid a favour.

The fact that the dude posted this on a social media platform in today's climate, tells me that he is just reckless. How long until the social service get wind of it. I'm sure they won't see the "cool-gamer-dad" side of things.

[Eamon]

Yeh I agree that was reckless. Kids can get a lot of serious trauma being exposed to scary and/or violent media. Especially kids who haven't reached teenagehood. BB can be a very scary and violently intense game. I still remember the chilling experience of Upper Cathedral Ward. Can't imagine that location being in any way suitable for a kid to experience.

[goldwyncq]

The kid wouldn't have lasted that long if he was scared. Don't tell me you guys never played M-rated games when you were kids. Sure, 5 might be a bit on the young side but as far as M-rated games go, it's actually one of the tamer ones.

[Eamon]

When I was kid, it was the era of SNES, N64, Dreamcast, PS1. Don't think any M-rated games would have been nearly as scary back then as today just because of the technological limitations.

[jwillj2k4]

@Eamon technology is a factor, but hand drawn images can be just as gruesome. I was playing an snes emulator with my kids and picked a random beatem up game. It starts out with images of a guy being split at the torso with a sword, followed by a woman’s head being sawed off from behind with a sword. Had to turn it off ASAP but the damage was done. Now my son always brings it up like “remember when!” 🤦‍♂️

[goldwyncq]

I was watching gory horror films by the age of 8 and I turned out fine. Don't presume that all kids are the same — some can handle scary stuff at a much younger age, some can't, so it's ultimately up to the parents to determine what their children can consume.

[ArchangelMike]

Don't presume that you turned out fine. It's the people around that can tell you if you turned out fine or not.

[goldwyncq]

And you know nothing about what the people around me think of me so...what exactly is your point?

[ArchangelMike]

My point is straight forward. Of course you're going to say it didn't affect you. Everybody does. Unfortunately it's the people around you that can see the truth in your behaviour. I used to be a probation officer for many years. I've met the worst psychopaths. They also all think they turned out fine.

Funny that.

[andy85]

Been playing violent games since I was a child, never so much as hit anyone. It's upbringing that shapes a person not games

[goldwyncq]

So in your eyes, everyone who's ever consumed age-inappropriate stuff when they were children somehow ended up as damaged psychos even if they wouldn't admit it to themselves?

Any studies to back up that claim?

[ArchangelMike]

You're extrapolating what I said to reach a false conclusion. No I don't think "eveyone who's ever consumed age inapropriate stuff when they were children somehow ended up as damaged psychos.

But here's my point - the ones that actually DID end up as damaged psychos, all think they turned out ok.

[marioJP87]

Get your lame ass out of here dude.

[Fntastic]

The reason adult games have ratings is because little kids can't handle it, same as horror films. I mean you wouldn't let a child play an adult anime game like Senran Kagura since you may as well hand them a playboy magazine instead. They just don't have the mindset to understand it.

On top of that it's extremely inappropriate unless you want to be known for teaching your kid about porn and filthy language, seems kinda backwards tbh.

[goldwyncq]

Nah, the main reason why games have age ratings is to protect the gaming industry from angry parents who would sue them if their children get exposed to things they deem inappropriate. It's less about protecting kids and more about protecting the entities creating mature content. Content ratings are mere suggestions, not the law. A parent could buy GTA for their kid and they wouldn't be arrested for it.

[lodossrage]

@Fntastic and Goldwyncq

You're both right.

The ratings ARE meant to make parents aware of what's "appropriate" for their children and what isn't. But the issue is more along the line of what goldwyncq is saying. The ESRB only came about because parents were crying about games like Mortal Kombat and Night Trap in the 90's. So the ESRB was made to rate what was "safe" for kids similar to the movie industry.

The real issue is though parents STILL buy these games for kids and STILL say it's the game industry at fault. Despite having the ratings VERY CLEARLY on the box of these games.

The big issue is that you have parents that want to pass the problems and responsibility of how their children are raised onto someone else rather than doing their damn job and doing it themselves.

[Kran]

Sorry but why the hell is a 5 year old allowed to play an 18+ game?

Impressive sure, but what parent is even allowing that?

[SpinalRemains138]

Hes allowed because his father doesn't see issue with fantasy destroying a child's brain.

[BlaqMagiq1]

I mean while it's a cool feat, why is the parent letting them play this young?

[SullysCigar]

Mad skills, if true, but a 5 year old playing an 18+ game is just plain bad parenting and there's no excuse for it.

[SpinalRemains138]

Bloodborne isn't exactly the uncut version of the Exorcist. I think you're being a tad dramatic.

[SullysCigar]

Lol the kid is five years old. Your quip amused me, but it's hardly the point.

[BrainSyphoned]

Just the tip of the iceberg for millennial parenting skills.

[Graey]

I remember playing Resident Evil on the playstation. Scared the crap out of me. No way would I let me son play this game. I even stop playing when he wants to know certain games. It just depends. You have to be the responsible one and let them develop at a suitable pace. It's like letting your kid watch certain scary movies. For instance the new "It" series. Can you imagine letting your kid watch that thinking it is okay.

[Rambokind]

He should be playing with trucks and cars, not playing video games and gruesome, horror ones at that. What kind of father does this to his child? Good grief.

[Inverno]

I love all the back seat parenting. Act like most of you weren't part of the generation raised on mindless violence depicted in cartoons. I also find it hilarious that most now don't want their kids playing M rated games even though they played M rated games when younger. Good parenting isn't disallowing kids from doing things. Good parenting is sitting down and talking to them. If he wants to let his 5 year old play Bloodborne I see nothing wrong. The responsibility is HIS to then deal with whatever issue HIS kid has assuming the kid ever has any in the first place.

[ArchangelMike]

Unfortunately, the problem with kids that grow up with issues... society as a whole has to deal with their nonsense.
Kids with issues, become adults with issues. If they then have access to guns for example... not just their parents problem anymore aye?

[Inverno]

not sure what guns have to do with any of this? There are many kinds of issues that kids develope that aren't inherently violent, but a lot of times it has to do with how they are raised. A lot of individuals are unfit to be having kids, but we can't exactly prohibit them from having them. If not parents it's the systems put in place for kids that don't have parents. People don't stop being impressionable after growing up, but the media that we consume is often taking the blame for mental health issues they have no control over.

[goldwyncq]

Everyone's a parenting expert nowadays apparently. That's the internet culture for you.

[ArchangelMike]

Spoken like a true non-parent.
Give yourself a pat on the back man.

[ArchangelMike]

Dude, you're coming back again with false equivalents. No! I am not equalting a dad letting his kid play horror games to domestic abuse or neglect. You're jumping into my conversation with Inverno and wrongly conflating it.

Inverno's point was that bad parenting becomes an issue that just the parents will have to deal with. I'm saying that's not true. Bad parenting becomes an issue that other's in society have to deal with.
For example, when kids are subject to abuse of any kind, those kids grow up and have issues that affect others in society- not just their parents.

You will notice that in the specific comment, I never mentioned video games, or linked them to abuse or neglect. But in actual fact, whatever we think of a dad allowing his 5 year old kid to play an 18 rated horror game, I'm pretty sure if the social services department became aware, and it went before the family courts - straight up the dad could lose custody of the child. From a legal point of view, he's no hero in this story. That's why we have laws, so that there's a legal standard by which we judge right and wrong for everyone.

[ArchangelMike]

@Inverno

Bad parenting leads to problems that affect everyone down the line. When you have kids you'll understand.
It's completely disingenuous to say "the responsibility is HIS to then deal with whatever HIS kid has...

It demonstrates a serious lack of maturity and a complete lack of understanding of sociology.

Generally speaking, a kid who because of bad parenting becomes dysfunctional for whatever reason - abuse, neglect, domestic violence etc etc. That kid grows up to become a problem for others in some way or another. If you can't understand the cause and effect of bad parentig, then it simply demonstrates that you are not a parent and have no idea what you're talking about.

[goldwyncq]

Are you seriously equating a dad letting his kid play a horror game to domestic abuse and neglect?

Maybe get off your high horse and realize that the definition of "bad parenting" is not the same for everybody. Just because a parent would allow their kids to indulge in something other parents won't approve of doesn't automatically make them bad parents.

[jznrpg]

A little too dark for a 5 year old imo . Actually a lot too dark and gory . I wouldn’t let my younger kids(4&5) play anything like it or anything close . They play racing games like spongebob racing Cars3 and Super Mario Brothers and paw patrol stuff like that . Maybe I’d let my 12 year old play it maybe but I doubt her mom would let her . You can expose what you want to with your kids but you won’t know the consequences until much later .

[djl3485]

/doubt