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I went to a 7-year old's CoD themed b-day party

ahoyhoy

Unconfirmed Member
Played Resident Evil 1 at around 7
Golden Eye around 7
Metal Gear Solid at 8
Grand Theft Auto 3 at 11


I'd probably be playing COD at that age had it existed as it does.

Guess we're the same age since all of those were true for me too.

And to this day I've never picked up a real gun.
 
...

And yes, I understand your original point. I'm telling you it's contrived bullshit.

All right I'll make it simple.

The Sith in Star Wars are evil, it's expected that they do bad shit.

Player in COD is supposed to be a good guy, not expected that he do bad shit.

Edit: oh and both those post doesn't contradict one another.
 
Youidiots can't compare Wold 3D and the newest gore porn!!!

Look the difference in graphics and what actually is happenin in the games.

I really, really hope that you won't have kids ever.
 

LogicAirForce

Neo Member
Why were you going to a 7 year olds party?

When I was little I loved playing war with my brothers.. don't most kids love that stuff at that age?

I mean kids at that age would also eat nothing but ice cream and donuts if you let them. Just because its something they like doesn't mean its good for them. And imaginary play is different than graphic games IMO. With the amount of school shootings, and mass shootings in general, I'm not so sure that its a good idea to have kids that young play games like that.
 

bosseye

Member
Worth reiterating again for the legion of posters writing "Well I played mature game X when I was 5 and I'm fine" this is not an argument, this is not a defence, this is not proof that no harm is being done.

I mean I'm not even I'm the camp that thinks there is a great correlation between violent video games and real world violence, but I firmly believe there is a type of content that 7 year old children should not be consuming and I find parents glorifying mature content via the medium of birthday party themes to be inappropriate.
 
I wasn't allowed GTA IV for a period of time when it first released. I was 14.

Was gifted it by mistake.

Yeah 7 is too young for violent games imho. When i was 7 it seemed fine due to how lame the graphics were back then. Right now though, as we near photorealistic graphics, it is inappropriate imho.
 
I'd say it's probably a little too much at that age. Granted I was playing a few shooters around then, but they were sci-fi games like Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, which can be easily distinguished from the life like brutality of COD games
 
Worth reiterating again for the legion of posters writing "Well I played mature game X when I was 5 and I'm fine" this is not an argument, this is not a defence, this is not proof that no harm is being done.

I mean I'm not even I'm the camp that thinks there is a great correlation between violent video games and real world violence, but I firmly believe there is a type of content that 7 year old children should not be consuming and I find parents glorifying mature content via the medium of birthday party themes to be inappropriate.

There needs to be a class in middle school dedicated to sophistry, anecdotal evidence being a big part of it. Anecdotes are a scourge on discourse.

And the problem is that a correlation between violent video games and real world violence is not the end of what we should be looking at. No, playing violent video games does not mean you're going to go out and murder someone tomorrow, but why ignore literally every other possible consequence like increased aggression, decrease in attention span, decrease in empathy? Why is not murdering someone the standard?
 

Inuhanyou

Believes Dragon Quest is a franchise managed by Sony
The glamorization of the American military industrial complex is one of Americas issues yes. Its even worse when its done to young kids instead just by adults who are able to parse between the facts of Americas policy and actually shooting at digitized terrorist brown people who have no real empathy shown in the COD games, WW2 games notwithstanding
 
I find this as disturbing as getting a gun for opening a bank account or buying ammo at Walmart, but then again I'm not American, you guys do you. Just don't act surprised when people with macho militaristic rethoric like Bush or Trump get elected.
 
Am I wrong for thinking this is a little...inappropriate? The cake had a grenade and gun and bullets on it with a little 7 on it. The kids were clamoring over eating the pistol and the bullets. When I asked what to get the birthday boy, I was told he is obsessed with the CoD games this year. And I'm like...wtf is he doing playing CoD at 7? I got him a Lego Marvel game instead.

From a non-American foreigner: I don't think that 'inappropriate'. It's just what the gun-filled culture of the United States has been creating for generations. To some of us, outside the US, the reverence some of your countrymen give to weaponry, arms and all that kind of stuff is both common (on you) and very unsettling. But not surprising at all.

That's what the US has been cultivating for generations now.
 
My parents wouldn't let me throw a Duke Nukem, Doom, or Quake birthday but I totally would have.

Yeah, military fetishism as a theme for a 7-year olds party is kinda weird.
While we may view it this way, a lot of people would not. Not saying it's right (lol war is totally not funsies) but there is a large amount of the population across the globe that is proud of their military and military service.

I would push them towards nature's monsters- dinosaurs! Or black holes!

CoD is the new GI.JOE. GAF clutches their pearls at the weirdest shit.
Well put. Reagan era children entertainment was so patriotic they straight up bled red white and blue.
 

Lonnie413

Member
I played Mortal Kombat growing up, and now I'm strangely addicted to ripping various people's limbs and head off. If only my parents made wiser decisions in the early 90's about what they allowed me to play!
 

Greedings

Member
Is there any research to suggest that the more realistic the game is, the more effect it has?

It's all well and good to say "cod is worse than mortal kombat because it's more realistic" but without any facts to back it up, it's meaningless.
 

Marker007

Member
This thread has devolved in to white knighting. You guys are giving the parents a hard time to make yourselves feel high and mighty. Half of you probably snuck into R-rated movies or played games thst were just as violent as CoD if not worse at that age or a little older.
 

Rush_Khan

Member
I don't understand why people keep bringing up that they played graphic games at the same age. Just because you turned out alright doesn't mean every kid will turn out alright. The ratings are there for a reason, otherwise there would be no point.
 
At the end of the day, it's the parents' job to decide what is appropriate for their kids. If they feel he could handle it, so be it.
That being said, there's no way in hell I'd let my 7 year old play COD. I even minimize it when he comes into my office while I'm playing because I just don't want him to watch.
 
I played all sorts of inappropriate stuff and watched things I wasn't supposed to watch. I understand your concern but frankly, it's none of your business and I know I wouldn't have been grateful if I hadn't been able to do some of the things I did as a child that would be deemed inappropriate.

I cannot say for sure how an early exposure to guns, war and violence in videos shapes a human being but I honestly don't believe in a meaningful impact. It had none on me or anyone I know of, for what it's worth. Although I understand you need a bigger sample size to draw conclusions.
 
I don't understand why people keep bringing up that they played graphic games at the same age. Just because you turned out alright doesn't mean every kid will turn out alright. The ratings are there for a reason, otherwise there would be no point.

That is why it is up to a parent to decide.
 

Not

Banned
Leaning between "this kind of repetitious glorification of realistic violence is bad for EVERYONE" and "don't shelter kids"

So I guess I don't have an opinion
 

Gasian

Member
I played all sorts of inappropriate stuff and watched things I wasn't supposed to watch. I understand your concern but frankly, it's none of your business and I know I would haven't been grateful if I hadn't been able to do some of the things I did as a child that would be deemed inappropriate.

I cannot say for sure how an early exposure to guns, war and violence in videos shapes a human being but I honestly don't believe in a meaningful impact. It had none of me or anyone I know of, for what it's worth. Although I understand you need a bigger sample size to draw conclusions.
I was raised similarly, my parents never cared and I turned out fine. But I don't believe that is an absolute for everyone. I think it depends on the kid personally, how mature they might or not be but that of course is up to the parents.

I personally don't believe in judging what a parent lets their kids play or not. As you said, It is none of my business in the first place.

Basically, OP, if it's not your kid, it's not your place.
Agreed
 
Really shocked at all of the hand-wringing in this thread from people who seem to be under the impression that there's a correlation between violent video games and real-world youth-related violent crime. But youth-related violent crime has decreased since the mid-90s, in spite of the rise of violent shooters like CoD and even GTA.

Basically, OP, if it's not your kid, it's not your place.
 

massoluk

Banned
The racist fuckwits talking on mic are far more damaging to little kids than the shooty bang of COD. Still, 7 years old is pretty damn young.
Where I stand on this. Also, please , don't compare GoldenEye and UT that you played as a kid to today's extremely realistic graphics
 

boiled goose

good with gravy
The glorification of war and violence definitely makes me uncomfortable.

A 7 year old shouldn't be watching war movies nor playing violent war games.
 
Every kid is different. It's up to the parents to recognize what their kid is able to understand and differentiate from reality. I put more 'blame' on the companies putting out birthday themed party items of this series than anyone else.

I saw Das Boot and The Last of the Mohicans when I was 8. I think games are more detached and easier to discern from reality than living and breathing people on screen.

I have a young daughter so these type of parenting decision hypotheticals enter my mind more and more and thinking about how I'll handle them when the time comes. I think as we get older we can tend to forget how young we were when we learned about adult things and adult themes. Intentionally or not.
 

SledGod

Member
It really depends on the kid. I was playing GTA at literally age 9, and I turned out fine. But I know other kids who were into Call of Duty and now spend their time posting violent and disturbing memes on Facebook

I would play GTA at a friend's house when I was around 10, but it was his dad's copy and we had to hide the fact that we were playing it. The fact that it was taboo is kind of what made it so exciting, but I think that's also kind of what kept it from being damaging?

Kind of like how finding your dad's porn stash probably isn't a big deal, but having pornography casually on the family television on the regular would likely have a negative effect.
 

jrDev

Member
OP should just update post the fully point out that the themed party is more disturbing for a 7 year old and his peers. How did the other parents react, I sure as hell would've said something to the parent if I had a kid there? I'd judge the shit out of them...

PS Stop posting your stupid anecdotes, has no use in this thread and are poor arguments...

Also, some of you should start making your kids play porn games and watch porn tv, I would like to see news stories on that.
 

StayDead

Member
They sell guns, real guns specifically for children and let children go to a shooting range in America. COD is nothing bad in comparison.
 

TBiddy

Member
Where I stand on this. Also, please , don't compare GoldenEye and UT that you played as a kid to today's extremely realistic graphics

The graphics were extremely realistic back then. At least, it felt like it. I honestly thought we were way past the whole "video games makes murderes" thing by now. I remember how all gamers united against that dimwit, Jack Thompson. Apparantly, that's no longer the deal.
 

SledGod

Member
The graphics were extremely realistic back then. At least, it felt like it. I honestly thought we were way past the whole "video games makes murderes" thing by now. I remember how all gamers united against that dimwit, Jack Thompson. Apparantly, that's no longer the deal.

A lot of people in this thread seem to feel that it's either going to program kids to be violent or have no negative effects whatsoever. I have a feeling it's probably not so black and white.
 

ElNino

Member
I don't really let my 10 year old play COD, so I don't think you are out of line regarding a 7 year old (although probably best to keep it to yourself).

I wouldn't necessarily punish my son if he plays it, because he's certainly watched his cousins play it, but he would need to ask permission to play at home. If he really wanted to play some of it, I might let him play with me but not on his own. Even playing online games of Madden/2K/MLB The Show/etc, I like to monitor him periodically.
 
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