My mom won't let me buy Call of Duty because it's rated M for 17+. Its kind of annoying because she's said before that she thinks I'm very mature. So whats your thoughts on 13 year-olds playing Call of Duty?
Show her the new Sun article about COD that will seal the deal
But personally I see no issues of kids playing "M" games because ESRB/PEGI doesn't always rate their games properly and of course I have been playing them all my life.
I doubt I'd let a 13 year old play Call of Duty. Then again, I'd probably discourage it for anyone. Especially a child, though. It's just not good entertainment... for anyone.
So wait, CoD is not supposed to be a game for thirteen year olds? I thought it was THE game for thirteen year olds. Like, everyone who wants to be MLG plays that.
I'm against it. Those things are M rated for a reason, and video games like that shouldn't be played at such an impressionable age. It's really all up to the parents though.
I doubt I'd let a 13 year old play Call of Duty. Then again, I'd probably discourage it for anyone. Especially a child, though. It's just not good entertainment... for anyone.
How'd I know that when I saw the thread title it would turn into COD bashing?
I'm not the biggest fan of COD either, but we could do without the predictable bashing of it every time it's even mentioned.
How'd I know that when I saw the thread title it would turn into COD bashing?
I'm not the biggest fan of COD either, but we could do without the predictable bashing of it every time it's even mentioned.
Woah, I wouldn't say I was "bashing" it. Merely stating that it's not very appropriate for many people. It glorifies violence, war, extreme patriotism, all the while demonizing and dehumanizing real groups of people and oversimplifying the issues surrounding the conflicts. It railroads players through a theater of massacre just for the thrill of killing, and not once does it stop and ask if its only offered solution is desirable or even moral. What is a child or naive adult to take away from this mindless bloody romp through real world locations killing real world ethnic groups in the name of a real world government?
No, it's not "bashing" to state that this series isn't appropriate for just anyone. It's just stating what should be obvious, even to its fans.
Woah, I wouldn't say I was "bashing" it. Merely stating that it's not very appropriate for many people. It glorifies violence, war, extreme patriotism, all the while demonizing and dehumanizing real groups of people and oversimplifying the issues surrounding the conflicts. It railroads players through a theater of massacre just for the thrill of killing, and not once does it stop and ask if its only offered solution is desirable or even moral. What is a child or naive adult to take away from this mindless bloody romp through real world locations killing real world ethnic groups in the name of a real world government?
No, it's not "bashing" to state that this series isn't appropriate for just anyone. It's just stating what should be obvious, even to its fans.
Ah ok. I thought you were just calling it bad entertainment because it for the usual reasons. (Over-hyped, too simple, Halo is better, etc.)
However, now I have something to disagree with you on here.
I absolutely agree that it's horrid entertainment development wise for kids, but it's good entertainment for those who are capable of seeing the difference between virtual reality and reality, such as most mature adults. For them, letting them have a little fun or vent their frustrations on killing of virtual people isn't going to hurt anyone.
I absolutely agree that it's horrid entertainment development wise for kids, but it's good entertainment for those who are capable of seeing the difference between virtual reality and reality, such as most mature adults. For them, letting them have a little fun or vent their frustrations on killing of virtual people isn't going to hurt anyone.
I agree with this statement entirely. I find it disappointing that the issue of whether or not someone can differentiate between reality and game exists, but once that separation has been created, I feel that age no longer matters.
OP, I suggest convincing your parents that you can indeed differentiate between reality and game. How you might do that, I don't know. But that may be why your mom might not want you playing the game. To be fair, those age restrictions are there for a reason.
As for my thoughts about 13 year old children playing Call of Duty, so long as they aren't telling me what they did to my mother last night, I'm okay with it.
Personally, I don't think it's the violence or blood that is the problem; any 13 year old would be able to separate reality from fiction well enough (unless they have some psychological problem). And if it is to the parent, they can just turn it off (I think Black Ops has that? Not sure now).
But the problem is the concepts. It glorifies war too much. Only teenagers that are very well taught about the issues of it, and can understand how it's all fake and how terrible it would actually be, then you can play it regardless of age (maturity doesn't come with age, it comes with education).
On a related note, you know a game that does the opposite very well? Spec Ops: The Line. The game is designed to make a critique as it holds a mirror up to the tropes, trappings, and issues with the modern military shooter theme and the moral implications of war. Of course, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone under 18 (search the White Phosphorus scene in Youtube to understand why), but it really does a great job of showing how war isn't a great thing at all, unlike what other games do.
Personally, I don't think it's the violence or blood that is the problem; any 13 year old would be able to separate reality from fiction well enough (unless they have some psychological problem). And if it is to the parent, they can just turn it off (I think Black Ops has that? Not sure now).
But the problem is the concepts. It glorifies war too much. Only teenagers that are very well taught about the issues of it, and can understand how it's all fake and how terrible it would actually be, then you can play it regardless of age (maturity doesn't come with age, it comes with education).
On a related note, you know a game that does the opposite very well? Spec Ops: The Line. The game is designed to make a critique as it holds a mirror up to the tropes, trappings, and issues with the modern military shooter theme and the moral implications of war. Of course, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone under 18 (search the White Phosphorus scene in Youtube to understand why), but it really does a great job of showing how war isn't a great thing at all, unlike what other games do.
Perhaps we should start implementing Spec Ops: The Line as the mandatory introductory test to M-rated gaming.
Perhaps we should start implementing Spec Ops: The Line as the mandatory introductory test to M-rated gaming.
Introductory test? Nah. If the kiddies should be buying any game, it shouldn't be the one with the incinerated mother shielding her child in the middle of people burning alive in a destroyed camp. The point is that it is greatly educational to those around 18, but doesn't need to be the very first thing they play.
Introductory test? Nah. If the kiddies should be buying any game, it shouldn't be the one with the incinerated mother shielding her child in the middle of people burning alive in a destroyed camp. The point is that it is greatly educational to those around 18, but doesn't need to be the very first thing they play.
That's like putting someone into a simulation of war, except it is actually a control unit for a killing machine, then waiting 5 years until telling them, "Oh, we lied to you. You were actually killing millions of innocent people. I bet you feel great now."
Games like CoD are made for simple-minded idiots--pacifiers to keep dull minds sedated and occupied in an effort to shield civilization from the stray thoughts that might spawn from their mental cesspools. These games should be rated 'I', for immature. Those are the morons clamoring to get their cheetos and mountain dew soaked fingers on the latest spunkgargleweewee.
Games like CoD are made for simple-minded idiots--pacifiers to keep dull minds sedated and occupied in an effort to shield civilization from the stray thoughts that might spawn from their mental cesspools. These games should be rated 'I', for immature. Those are the morons clamoring to get their cheetos and mountain dew soaked fingers on the latest spunkgargleweewee.
Short answer: no.
Personally, I think CoD is pretty fun as a casual shooter. The gratuitous achievements that pop up every time you kill someone is strangely satisfying.
Games like CoD are made for simple-minded idiots--pacifiers to keep dull minds sedated and occupied in an effort to shield civilization from the stray thoughts that might spawn from their mental cesspools. These games should be rated 'I', for immature. Those are the morons clamoring to get their cheetos and mountain dew soaked fingers on the latest spunkgargleweewee.
Short answer: no.
With all the respect, not only is that a gross overreaction, it also shows a severe case of close-mindness and disregard for opinion. I myself am not a following "fan" of the series, but I find it very enjoyable. It indeed doesn't require as much thought as, say, Fallout, but that's exactly why I consider it a valid form of entertainment. I can just sit down with some friends and relax, you know, have fun. A lot of people forget that the point of video games is having fun.
Here's the absolute truth, guys: Hating on Call of Duty is trendy. It makes you cool, and it makes you same-minded with the rest of the internet. It doesn't matter if your argument is invalid, it's accepted. You don't need to like CoD, you can even cricticize it a lot if you want, and there's really no problem with that as I am one of the biggest defenders of free cricticism - but you need to have a valid point and an open mind. You need to understand not everyone has the same opinion as you do.
Yet what a lot of people prefer is to bash on everybody who has a different opinion. Like Call of Duty? Bam, you're called an idiot. Your use of repeatedly agressive terms and offense to gamers who think differently is not only insulting to the forums. It's pathetic way to argue.
It's been a while since I played a CoD game, but I'd say it's pretty tame as far as shooters go. I mean, they aren't dropping f-bombs like in Bulletstorm. The violence is pretty downplayed as well. I don't think heads explode and stuff. As a gamer and parent, I'd say it's fine for most thirteen year olds, unless they have really ratcheted up the violence in recent years.
Of course, I'd want to preview it before my kids played it just to make sure but I'm guess that's not something many parents want to do if they aren't gamers.
I absolutely agree that it's horrid entertainment development wise for kids, but it's good entertainment for those who are capable of seeing the difference between virtual reality and reality, such as most mature adults. For them, letting them have a little fun or vent their frustrations on killing of virtual people isn't going to hurt anyone.
I agree that violent video games can be enjoyable for mature adults. Fallout 3 was a great example. It takes place in the real world, but you're fighting imaginary power groups, mutants and monsters, and generally detached from the world. Games like Skyrim, The Witcher 2, the God of War series, or the Darksider games are all ultra-violent, but they're pure fantasy. Even Halo is pure fantasy. Many of these are excellent games.
The problem with the Call of Duty games is that you're killing Arabs or Russians in the name of America without much thought into how or why it's done. Brown people come at you in droves and you gun or bomb them down. Even a mature gamer, over time, is going to be affected by this imagery. Games in the real world which attempt to portray real people reacting to real events cannot be like Skyrim or God of War. There needs to be something in there to show that this kind of excessive violence is a terrible thing to promote here on Earth. The Metal Gear Solid series kind of does this with scenes that punish you either psychologically or mechanically for killing others. Someone mentioned Spec Ops: The Line which brilliantly shows why games like Call of Duty are fundamentally sick.
It's because of this that I don't think the series is all that appropriate for anyone, much less a 13 year old. What makes a game like Minecraft so amazing is that it allows you to interact with a virtual world in more ways than just swinging or shooting a weapon at everything you see. Games like Call of Duty don't allow any other kind of interaction, and as a result, teach that kind of way of interacting with the world to the people who play them. It's something that should be discouraged across the board, but especially with children.
Everyone keeps talking about how it's "cool" or "trendy" to bash Call of Duty and games like it. Perhaps it's more than that, though. Perhaps people are just becoming ashamed that something like this has become such popular entertainment, like that episode of South Park where people suddenly realize that Honey Boo Boo isn't entertaining, it's embarrassing. Call of Duty is the Honey Boo Boo of video games right now, and criticizing it doesn't necessarily means that you're trying to look "cool". It means you might just have better standards.
I don't come across many annoying 13-year-olds on Call of Duty, because I come across annoying people of ALL ages on Call of Duty. I've been in games where the teenagers remained calm while 20 to 30-year-olds start spewing out crap over pure anger. You'll find annoying kids/adults on any game, but Call of Duty seems to have the highest "molarity" of this.
But personally I see no issues of kids playing "M" games because ESRB/PEGI doesn't always rate their games properly and of course I have been playing them all my life.
My DeviantArt, so sexy
How'd I know that when I saw the thread title it would turn into COD bashing?
I'm not the biggest fan of COD either, but we could do without the predictable bashing of it every time it's even mentioned.
Woah, I wouldn't say I was "bashing" it. Merely stating that it's not very appropriate for many people. It glorifies violence, war, extreme patriotism, all the while demonizing and dehumanizing real groups of people and oversimplifying the issues surrounding the conflicts. It railroads players through a theater of massacre just for the thrill of killing, and not once does it stop and ask if its only offered solution is desirable or even moral. What is a child or naive adult to take away from this mindless bloody romp through real world locations killing real world ethnic groups in the name of a real world government?
No, it's not "bashing" to state that this series isn't appropriate for just anyone. It's just stating what should be obvious, even to its fans.
However, now I have something to disagree with you on here.
I absolutely agree that it's horrid entertainment development wise for kids, but it's good entertainment for those who are capable of seeing the difference between virtual reality and reality, such as most mature adults. For them, letting them have a little fun or vent their frustrations on killing of virtual people isn't going to hurt anyone.
I agree with this statement entirely. I find it disappointing that the issue of whether or not someone can differentiate between reality and game exists, but once that separation has been created, I feel that age no longer matters.
OP, I suggest convincing your parents that you can indeed differentiate between reality and game. How you might do that, I don't know. But that may be why your mom might not want you playing the game. To be fair, those age restrictions are there for a reason.
As for my thoughts about 13 year old children playing Call of Duty, so long as they aren't telling me what they did to my mother last night, I'm okay with it.
But the problem is the concepts. It glorifies war too much. Only teenagers that are very well taught about the issues of it, and can understand how it's all fake and how terrible it would actually be, then you can play it regardless of age (maturity doesn't come with age, it comes with education).
On a related note, you know a game that does the opposite very well? Spec Ops: The Line. The game is designed to make a critique as it holds a mirror up to the tropes, trappings, and issues with the modern military shooter theme and the moral implications of war. Of course, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone under 18 (search the White Phosphorus scene in Youtube to understand why), but it really does a great job of showing how war isn't a great thing at all, unlike what other games do.
Actually, that was a horrible analogy.
Short answer: no.
Here's the absolute truth, guys: Hating on Call of Duty is trendy. It makes you cool, and it makes you same-minded with the rest of the internet. It doesn't matter if your argument is invalid, it's accepted. You don't need to like CoD, you can even cricticize it a lot if you want, and there's really no problem with that as I am one of the biggest defenders of free cricticism - but you need to have a valid point and an open mind. You need to understand not everyone has the same opinion as you do.
Yet what a lot of people prefer is to bash on everybody who has a different opinion. Like Call of Duty? Bam, you're called an idiot. Your use of repeatedly agressive terms and offense to gamers who think differently is not only insulting to the forums. It's pathetic way to argue.
Of course, I'd want to preview it before my kids played it just to make sure but I'm guess that's not something many parents want to do if they aren't gamers.
/[Current meme]
I agree that violent video games can be enjoyable for mature adults. Fallout 3 was a great example. It takes place in the real world, but you're fighting imaginary power groups, mutants and monsters, and generally detached from the world. Games like Skyrim, The Witcher 2, the God of War series, or the Darksider games are all ultra-violent, but they're pure fantasy. Even Halo is pure fantasy. Many of these are excellent games.
The problem with the Call of Duty games is that you're killing Arabs or Russians in the name of America without much thought into how or why it's done. Brown people come at you in droves and you gun or bomb them down. Even a mature gamer, over time, is going to be affected by this imagery. Games in the real world which attempt to portray real people reacting to real events cannot be like Skyrim or God of War. There needs to be something in there to show that this kind of excessive violence is a terrible thing to promote here on Earth. The Metal Gear Solid series kind of does this with scenes that punish you either psychologically or mechanically for killing others. Someone mentioned Spec Ops: The Line which brilliantly shows why games like Call of Duty are fundamentally sick.
It's because of this that I don't think the series is all that appropriate for anyone, much less a 13 year old. What makes a game like Minecraft so amazing is that it allows you to interact with a virtual world in more ways than just swinging or shooting a weapon at everything you see. Games like Call of Duty don't allow any other kind of interaction, and as a result, teach that kind of way of interacting with the world to the people who play them. It's something that should be discouraged across the board, but especially with children.
Everyone keeps talking about how it's "cool" or "trendy" to bash Call of Duty and games like it. Perhaps it's more than that, though. Perhaps people are just becoming ashamed that something like this has become such popular entertainment, like that episode of South Park where people suddenly realize that Honey Boo Boo isn't entertaining, it's embarrassing. Call of Duty is the Honey Boo Boo of video games right now, and criticizing it doesn't necessarily means that you're trying to look "cool". It means you might just have better standards.