23 replies to this topic

[NSS]

Hi Guys!

Just doing some research for my social sciences class. I basically want to know if you do/did begin to play M rated games if you are/when you were under 17 years of age.
Please vote in the poll. I'd appreciate your contribution, and if you feel like it, feel free to post about what positive or negative effect(s) (if any) you think your decision has had on you.

Thank you very much for your time.

[Noctourne Wonderland]

M rated games have never really appealed to me. I prefer a good story to excessive violence.

[Nemoide]

Of course I did! I got into video games before ratings existed -- when I was a little kid I remember playing Wolfenstein 3-D, Doom, Mortal Kombat, etc. and they have all been rated "M" years after their release.
My parents never cared/noticed ratings though. The only game they took away from me was Night Trap (the game which sparked the whole "ratings for games" thing) because it freaked out my little brother when he was in the room, causing my mom to take notice. By no means were my parents were fans of violent games, or ANY games, but I played them anyway.

As for effects, I don't think it had any serious ones. I do enjoy violent games and movies but I'm a nonviolent person and an ardent pacifist. I don't obsess with violent games, I'm just as satisfied playing "E" rated fare like Katamari Damacy. I'm strongly opposed to censorship as well - I would hate to play a version of Resident Evil that cut out all the blood/gore; it wouldn't feel right.
I've also never been attracted to games which are gratuitous just for the sake of being gratuitous, like Postal, Manhunt, GTA, etc.

And it's really weird that I could probably go to FYE and buy an R-rated movie and an M-rated game and they would ask for my age FOR THE GAME.

[Razer112]

Doom, Wolf3D, Halo, and Doom 3 just to name a few.

[viperxmns]

Hm.. yeah if games like MK and Doom count, then definitely, lol

[infractus]

Oh yes...

Started with Mortal Kombat... oddly, I didn't get into Street Fighter until ages later.

I was an avid player of HalfLife and Unreal Tournament by the age of 14-15.

[TORiAS_the_fallen]

Resident Evil and Devil May Cry, amoung others. I am also of the opinion that the rating system is bad anyway. Things like Final Fantasy VII should have an 'M' rating.

Anyway, my parents don't really care, and I still love games with plot, as evidenced by my love of all things even remotely RPG related. It hasn't really had an affect on me other than that I can withstand gore a bit better than alot of girls my age (in my town).

XD So... I hope that was helpful.

I actually got carded in this one place once for trying to buy an "M" gmae...

[Noctourne Wonderland]

And it's really weird that I could probably go to FYE and buy an R-rated movie and an M-rated game and they would ask for my age FOR THE GAME.

That's just...wow. I think a store should be worried more about, say, Brain Dead than Night Trap.

[charlie]

At first I thought no, because I don't like a lot of violence, horror, or profanity in games, but then I read the comments and I remember playing M rated games as a kid at my friend's house. We used to play games like Mortal Kombat, Doom, and Wolfenstein.

My parents would never have let me own those games as a kid so I'm guessing I never told them I played them, but to be honest they don't even interest me today so I guess they didn't affect me too much. Actually, the M rated games of today really turn me off because they are pretty offensive. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that my parents would always keep an eye on what games we were playing and wouldn't let us buy objectionable games.

[andersam]

M rated games have never really appealed to me. I prefer a good story to excessive violence.

Agreed. I tried playing COD (the latest one) And I coulden't even bring myself to move the avatar because the atmosphere was so realistic and..err..._{I was scared of getting shot even though it isen't real} Geez I'd make a terrible soilder XD


I'd prefer super mario galaxy any day : P

[Penelopi]

Since I have an aversion to excessive blood and none of the series I like have M-rated games, I've never played one. There was nothing to make me want to. Which is good, because my parents don't allow them in the house. They tried to keep us away from even T-rated games (well, Mom did), though that didn't work so well.

[iLLViLLAiN]

I played a whole lot of rated M games before I finally turned 17.

The Resident Evil series
The Mortal Kombat series
The Halo series
Shadow Man
South Park 64
The Grand Theft Auto series
The Turok series
True Crime: Streets of LA

I don't know if it was due to all of the violent games I would play but as a kid I would have some pretty disturbing thoughts. When I got bored in class I'd draw war scenes with stick men dying and their body parts would be everywhere. I remember one time in the 3rd grade we made some paper dolls or something and when I finished making mine I started stabbing holes through it with my pencil and then I ripped it in half. Sometimes when my family would go out of state I'd imagine people's cars exploding and people catching fire. I think I was just a generally messed up kid though. That, or... no I think I was just a messed up kid. I grew out of that stuff years ago though. It could have just been repressed rage or something.

[WATERLiLYCAT]

For reference, I am fifteen and obviously not seventeen.
Recently my Mom had someone at work start freaking about the fact that my siblings and I all played games like Legend of Zelda and Kingdom Hearts. She was all, "Have you ever PLAYED those?!" And Mum's like, "No but I've watched them play it, beeatch >=C" When she told me about that conversation my reaction was, of course, "What was SHE smoking?" It's really funny that people can be like that. There's really nothing bad about roleplaying/adventure games like those, they're standard bits of childhood for those in recent years. Children don't get any more violent from running around hitting plants with wooden swords in video games than they do learning about World War II in the classroom. Going by these standards, we need to pad our children’s lives. Nuclear weapons don't exist. Concentration camps were never operated. And cats don't hunt mice. In my opinion and experience, children don't get violent from games; they get violent from the people who influence them.
I checked 'No' in the poll and right after sending I remembered I bought Silent Hill 3 today, my first M game. But I haven't played it yet so technically that's an accurate answer. I'm not a fan of explosions and gore and other stupid human tricks designed for casual gamers, but this doesn't mean I hate M-rated game material. I've already watched Let's Plays and research on the Silent Hill series, and I'm quite a fan. So while I don't mind blood and scary stuff, if I see any games with that in it that actually look good I'll still play them, I won't touch games with sexual content. Bergh, not my cup of tea thanks.
I don't think I've had any negative reactions to M game content. I'd be no different if I hadn't experienced it. I don't go out looking for trouble, I'm always polite to strangers, and keep my feelings in my head when out and about. However I do have a great distrust of humans, friend or not, so I'm always very wary of others. Coupled with a mild mental disorder and a heavy mothering instinct, though, I am overly protective of animals (I am not a vegetarian, don't get me wrong) so even if I usually have a peaceful attitude I really would have no problem with beating a man's face in with a metal pipe if I saw him hurting a dog. These are all closer to bad experiences in school than anything having to do with video games, and as far as violent games go for everyone I think they provide an outlet for violence more so than promoting it.

[Dark Magician]

I can't really say that I have played any mature rated games when I was younger, but I did watch my aunt play games like Mortal Kombat and a few others. However, I would have to say that it was more of a preference thing since I preferred a good story over a lot of blood and gore (that and I was kind of a pansy).

[Zero-Shift]

I've played M rated games before I was 17 but I'm a slightly unique case in that my parents actually cared about what I was playing but would let me get Mature games on a case by case basis. When I would want to get a game they'd check out the box, rating, etc. and maybe get an opinion form the store and then judge if they thought it was appropriate for my age. Obviously they got more flexible as time went on until when I was about 15 when they figured I was old enough they didn't really need to monitor it anymore. I really don't think playing Mature games before being 17 has had any significant effect on my behavior. I think if anything effected me it was the way my parents raised me combined with the overall environment I was raised in.

Two things I just want to address for the hell of it. This is all opinion by the way so take it or leave.

First, this whole "problem" of Mature games being played by minors is a joke it's nothing but a scapegoat lawyers and politicians exploit to try and make a name for themselves. I'm glad there is a rating system beyond that there is no regulation or legal action I'm aware of to address the real problem, parenting. After working at a game retailer for over two years I can tell you that almost all parents getting games for their kids don't give a damn about what they're playing. The game industry can't do anything about that and to the best of my knowledge neither can the law outside of censorship which is something I staunchly oppose in all forms.

Second, I think people need to be more cautious when making broad generalizations about M rated games. If violence simply isn't your cup of tea that's totally fine, but just because a game is Mature doesn't mean it's just some big dumb gore fest. Some games earn their M rating almost entirely because of their story's subject material like the Shin Megami Tensei series of RPGs. On the topic of stories, M rated games are just as capable as other games of having good stories if not more so because they are free to explore more mature subject material. Silent Hill 2 and Killer 7 had some of the most intelligent and remarkably well crafted stories I've ever seen in games and they were both Mature. I may be ranting, but I have a particular beef with when people fail to acknowledge shades of gray in a topic.

At the end of the day though I go where the fun and the timeless experiences are. I hate Manhunt because it's crap just like I hate Barbie's Horse Adventure because it's crap. When I was a kid I was allowed to play both Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat. I rarely played Mortal Kombat because Street Fighter was the better game.

[sapphire]

I don't really own any M rated games. I have, though, played some over friend's houses, like COD and Halo, and I'm not 17. I can't really say I'm a fan of M games though. I'd much rather stick to games I actually enjoy, which happen to be nothing rated over E-10.

[Mr.Me]

I've been playing the genesis ultimate mortal kombat 3 since i was about 3 or 4 (it only works if you like the bottem of the cartrage)(It tastes TERRIBLE, so don't try it at home )

[Hypertreb]

I have, but most M-rated games I don't really care about.

[Chime]

You know.. I don't think I actually played M rated games before 17, unless mortal kombat was M or doom (unrated i think it was)... Or maybe I dont remember. Didnt pay attention to ratings. was silent hill rated M? (dont think it is, because if it is than rule of rose mustve been rated M too. creepy little game)

Recently I did play M rated games, because they were utterly and completely awesome. No more heroes series and Resident Evil 4.

I also tried GTA:chinatown wars. But got very bored.

[Nemoide]

Mortal Kombat and Doom were rated M years after their original release. Silent Hill was definitely M and according to Wikipedia, Rule of the Rose was too.

[Chime]

Doom M rated? I played that game when I was in elementary and didnt think it was too gore-y.

Rule of rose definetly appeals more to older me, but also surprised at the M rating since the characters are children. This is the sort of story I would have enjoyed in my pre-teens, and the cast thats most typical in the media for those ages.

[iVYRAVE]

I used to play house of the dead at Butlins when I was 4. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how I became a fan of SEGA...

[CROSSiNG]

M rated games have never really appealed to me. I prefer a good story to excessive violence.

I agree 100%, story trumps violence.

[The Exile]

I might have bought Doom 2 and one of the early Mortal Kombat games when I was underage, I don't really remember. When I was at the stage in my life where I thought it was cool to buy 15 and 18 rated products, I don't remember there being age ratings at all on many of the games I played, it wasn't a widespread thing at the time. I played mostly console games and I was usually a generation of console behind, so it isn't like I had much opportunity to play realistic games, never mind realistically violent games. by the time I was 15 and therefore could play whatever I wanted, I realised that Dark Savior was the greatest game in existence and that buying sub-standard games because they might have a shock factor is highly immature. I still played Doom 2 though, because it is genuinely a good game.