Ok, so, why has this turned into a political and racial response? "North America" and "White America" when this report doesn't even say it was taken in America, and infact claims issues in Australia? Thanks for being ignorant retards who are probably too young to even vote yet, and deferring from the point. As both an adult and a Marine I'm appalled to see such ignorance here. Race and nationality has NOTHING to do with parents lack of responsibility or reasoning to raise their kids. Growing up I was an avid gamer, fell in love with the Halo and Call of Duty series. I'm sure some people think because I played those games I joined the military - Wrong. I joined so people could enjoy the freedom to both A - play those games and B - to live their lives without judgment or prosecution. However lately all I've seen is just more ignorant people getting to spew their filth and stupidity via the Internet, so I guess it's a double-edged sword. Playing Halo did not make me want to run up on someone and smack them with my M16 and scream "DOUBLE KILL!" or playing GTA doesn't make me want to steal cars. It didn't make me want to do it as a kid either. I was raised by parents who taught me right and wrong, and I did a lot of wrong not because of a game. It's called life experience. Parents: You can't protect them forever, and the more you shield them the more they are likely to do something dangerous later on. They will want to experiment. Follow these THREE simple steps: Research the game in question, check its ESRB game rating, compare it with your childs maturity and age. Frankly I'm tired of trying to play a nice game on Xbox Live and hearing Timmy the retarded 12 year old scream **** or f**got every five seconds, because the wh*** of a mother (you) doesn't have the time to step in to see what he's saying or doing, let alone smack the s*** out of him and take him off the game. If my kid were to ever act like that (Then again he wouldn't be on a game rated M for mature at age 8) I would mud-hole stomp his a** for a week straight. The point is stop turning this into an "ITS AMERICAS FAULT" or "WHITE PEOPLE" all the time, when clearly this problem exists in Australia, The U.K., and Africa too. It's a global situation, morons. Quit blaming all your problems on a country who has founded most of the standards for gaming, which is respectably understandable, and learn to be better parents. Honestly if you're under 17, your a** should be either studying or out with friends, not on a game that is rated M. Thank you.

It all comes down to parenting. My kid 15 and 18 play GTA. Am I worried? NO! I taught my kids morals and human empathy. They know the difference between reality and fiction. It all comes down to the fact that sadly some parents don't put their children first. It takes a lot of time and energy to raise a moral child in this day and age. Are my kids perfect no way but they know right from wrong. I put them first and me last. I'll be first when they graduate college and start be productive adults which they will be, because I parented them not GTA.

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas deals with real life in the hood!! all the game is doing is showing the people who play it, what happens in the hood!! Basically if you have a problem with the game then dont let your child play it!! The game is rated M for mature!!! I have the game and the game doesnt make me want to go out and shoot people or have sex or do drugs! This video game lets you do things that you wouldnt do in life if you were raised the right way! Video games are just games, you cant blame the game for what your teenager does, you have blame yourself for the foundation you left for your kids!!!

honestly...
video games have nothing to do with what teenagers do.
if a teenager does drugs,it's their choice OR something in REAL life lead to it.
not because they saw it on a video game.
same with violence.
and all of this coming from a teenager.

i don't see why everyone says video games lead to the behavior of teenagers.
okay so what about the adults who do the same things?
do video games lead to their behavior?
oh but of course that wont be looked at as much as this has.

well there's just my little input on this subject.
not that it really matters(:

Nahhh... that's glorious and patriotic!

Well, personally, I think it's all just ridiculous. I was an avid gamer when I was twelve or something (I've just turned nineteen), and nothing was wrong with me: I didn't kill, I didn't take drugs or whatever (and I don't do it now). I was quite a regular kid. Everything depends upon a particular person, that's my point of view. If someone has a sort of mental disease or, to put it more exactly, a heart that is decaying inside, he or she will one day break the law regardless. And, the most important thing is that reality is far more cruel and terrifying than any video game your child may play...

As Heather and Casim pointed out, I also agree that this is nothing more than just parents forcing their assumptions of a near-futured failure in their children because of video games, when really it is the fault of the parents for not at least talking to their kids about the content of such games and telling them why and why noy you shouldn't do such things.

I'm 16 and I've played more violent games than a little, yet am I in jail? Do I do drugs? Am I a killer? Hardly. As a child of African descent I only find this as another poor scapegoat for America to use for their own failures in respondsibilty.

-William

I love how somehow, even though this talks about it being world-wide, it turns into an "American" problem. Yay uneducated politics.

Where's your moral standards? Just as we have lost God in our schools, He seems to be missing from our homes too. Would you rent an x-rated movie/video for your teenaged/under-aged kids? My girlfriend's 14 year old grandson just tried to commit suicide with an overdose of some prescription drug! Parents...take responsibility. You gave birth to them, now raise them!!!!

If you dont know your kids on the verge of suicide then where the hell are you. Speak to your child in depth EVERY DAY. That is what I have done. You should know your kid. No locked doors. Their room is your room you can dig anywhere you want. I do it on a daily basis. My kids are 15 and 18 they don't hate me for they love me all the more because they know they are # 1 in my life!

Hello,

I'd like to start off by pointing out that I am a 16 year old. I am an avid gamer as well. And also, I'd like to point out that you, Casim, had a very good point. Actually, you had several. Basically, it all boils down to what you are teaching your children, how well you discipline them and how well you monitor them.

Now, I'd like to point out something to all you parents who have been burying thier heads in the sand that no matter what they do, if said child is determined to view/play that crap, they will. If they want to smoke marijuana and kill all thier brain cells they will and if they wanna drink until they get wasted - they will. IF you have not taught them morals. You know, right from wrong.

REMEMBER THAT?

Some parents just aren't as concerned as others and other teens, unlike myself, just don't give a damn. My parents brought me up right. I've seen the damage drugs and liquor can do first hand though my friends and other family memebers. And while I do like the gory and violent stuff you see in some games, I'm no serial killer, so no harm done. Then again, some children are more easily influenced.... As for the whole in-game sex thing, Casim is right - CHECK THE RATING BEFORE YOU BUY IT!!! It's ridiculous for you to be blaming the game you bought for the child!

Ok, I have to admit that some teens just go out and do what they really want to do sometimes, even IF thier parents HAD tried to instill some values and morals.

It's a two-way thing.

It's not just teaching them right from wrong, its following the process up as well. Be a parent and pay more attention to what they're doing. We may hate it now, but we'll thank you later.

` Heather

Stop blaming it on other's... blame it on your parents... No.. blame it on your government... No... BLAME IT ON YOURSELF... all of us have brains we all know what is right and what is wrong... if we ended up evil when we grow up it's not our environments faults it's our choices... because how hard this may seems "SOME PEOPLE JUST WANT TO SEE THE WORLD BURN"

Hello,

I am an avid gamer, and have been for the majority of my life. From what I've come to understand about parents and video games is VERY simple. I shall start by listing them.

1) Parent's get so obsessed over what types of cause-effect relationship that video games hold over their children, but they fail to check the ESRB rating on the back of the game before they purchase it for their child. Why? Because it's fairly obvious that little Jimmy who they never have to yell at, and feel the need to buy whatever he requests for them, without researching said item being bought, would NEVER think to do anything 'bad' behind their parents back.

This is a fairly simple reason. In the current times, parent's are being much less responsible when it comes to proper child rearing, and fail to instill values, morales, and do checks on their own mental maturity. If your child doesn't know right from wrong, and you buy the child a violent game like Grand Theft Auto (GTA) or Gears of War (GoW); and they go out into the world and replicate said action in a video game on another human being, it is NOT the video games fault. Instead, it falls on the parent who bought the game, which their child was not mature/smart/ enough to handle it, and understand that it is just a game.

2) The path and controversy that video games is currently under-going, seems to be a repeat of what happened to music, a good ten~thirty years back. Hmmm, a child goes out, smokes weed, and kills someone. It must be musics fault for them singing about drugs, rape, and violence. Sound Familiar? Current entertainment seems to be the communities favorite scape goat for when a child acts up and lashes out at society for something. Look at Columbine High School for example. The two shooters went in, murdered a large number of people, then commited suicide. What was the original and IMMEDIATE blame for this? A game called Doom. But once they investigated the actual cause, it turned out to be something much different than what they had originally pinned it on. A game.

I have many more examples if you wish for me to list them, but I think that these two would suffice in going to show that if a parent isn't comfortable with their child playing a game, then they should do research on it, and not buy it for them.

If their child does something and gets into trouble, buck up. It's your kid. It's your responsibility. Stop trying to blame it on something else, and pay for your own mistakes of not properly raising your child. Punish the child, and ensure that it never happens again.

Joe-

a man and woman having sex (37%)

- get over it, prudish North America. It happens else you wouldn't be here. Check out Despeerate Housewives lately? Hypocritical, as usual.

two men kissing (27%)

- get over yourselves, tight-assed North America. It's OK to let black people and women vote too now.

a graphically severed head (25%)

- This one's REALLY funny. Check out your evening news lately especially on that hack network known as Fox? Stop the hypocrisy.

and multiple use of the F-word (9%)

- Not good manners, is indicative of poor self-expression (as well as potentially poor command of the English language) and common on the streets, in schools, in homes... from parents. Unpleasant but not a show stopper and hardly to be lumped in there with severed heads.

As to the drug thing, if you've done your jobs properly as parents, the chances of your kid being swayed are minimized. However, if you're a typical North American parent who expects the government and everyone else BUT you to indulge in faux political correctness and do your parenting for you...

Pretty funny all round, as far as I'm concerned.

BTW, for the record, I have three kids ranging in age from 15 to 21. Been there, done that, saw the movie, bought the T-s***.

Wow. Your holier-than-thou attitude (Canada vs. USA) never ceases to amaze.

I suppose Canada doesn't have to deal with those big scary headlines, eh?

Oh! Canada!...indeed.

Seems that the headlines aren't all that different, after all.

Shootings, teenage slayings, whining about gas, computer breaches...and that's just today's headlines.

It is completely absurd that you would try to equate BLACKS and WOMEN voting, with same sex kissing. Completely different on all levels. Although we do thank prudish WHITE AMERICA for it being just OK and allowing us the luxury!!!!!!!

It remains bizarre how generally - and in the US especially - sex gets lumped in with violence.

I agree with PC_Tool that human biological (and possibly part environmental) tendencies towards violence can, and are, moderated by reason. Hence civilization. But others may argue that not all humans are capable of equal amounts of reason. We see that here all the time.

I wouldn't necessarily take that line, but I would say that although exposure to violence may not breed violence, it certainly desensitizes the viewer to violence, and that may not be a good thing, especially in those who struggle to contain their own through reason.

However, I certainly agree with Tenoq. Although exposure to graphic sex may desensitize the viewer to that too, graphic sex is fine, unlike violence, so I see no problem there whatsoever. The issue is with the parents, and society in general, which has been culturally brainwashed for centuries by outdated religious bunkum that links sex with sin.

But others may argue that not all humans are capable of equal amounts of reason

This is true, but for the most part, barring insanity/mental illness, right vs. wrong is pretty basic stuff.

Although exposure to graphic sex may desensitize the viewer to that too, graphic sex is fine, unlike violence, so I see no problem there whatsoever.

Thanks for representing the swinger/pervert lobby.

Thanks for calling anyone not bound by the moral left perverts.

Is it now?

I do believe some witches burned at the stake in Salem as just one example, would beg to differ with that painfully simplistic statement.

Right and wrong are negotiable and have been through time. Social mores have changed CONSIDERABLY over time and will continue to do so.

For me (and consequently my kids), right and wrong boils down to a relatively straightforward equation that can be pretty universally applied, regardless of timeframe:

If you wouldn't like it done TO YOU, then don't do it TO SOMEONE ELSE.

That's right up there with the other dose of reality I gave them from Day One:

Life Is Seldom Fair - Get Used To It And Learn To Deal With It.

The rest is rhetoric, subject to greed, repression, social injustice and religious claptrap.

Your philosophy Roj, is personalized; it only applies to what YOU do. This is a tenable position but says nothing about what others can do or not do. If you try to expand "do unto others as you would have done unto yourself" into a moral guide, it falls, because not all people/cultures like the same things.

For instance, we may witness some ceremony where an individual is put though something we would find very unpleasant, only to discover that for the individual, it was the best or proudest day of their lives.

A more tenable philosophy (a logical moral imperative) is: "every sapient being is free to do what they will, so long as that freedom does not impinge on the freedom of another sapient being".

As for psycros' comment, the mere fact that you use the term "swinger" or "pervert" in a negative context points to you being sexually repressed, and not understanding morality as a concept.

The brainwashing is deep!

PS: I don't swing, but if anyone else wants to, go ahead. And I regard "perversion" as generally a good thing, as long as it's moral. See above.

I do believe some witches burned at the stake in Salem as just one example, would beg to differ with that painfully simplistic statement.

Just because they believe it is OK or justified in *no* way makes it right. The same goes for the moral relativist BS below that.

BTW: I heartily agree with:


If you wouldn't like it done TO YOU, then don't do it TO SOMEONE ELSE.

That's right up there with the other dose of reality I gave them from Day One:

Life Is Seldom Fair - Get Used To It And Learn To Deal With It.

To this day, I still don't understand why any person who is interested in sex is automatically regarded as a pervert. A pervert is someone who deviates from the norm. Interest in the opposite sex is completely NORMAL, isn't it? Just because a person has sexual urges, does not mean they are a "pervert".

I have to agree with roj on this one, right versus wrong is not as basic as you might think, just as common sense is anything but common.

*facepalm*

Clearly viewing a couple having sex is more damaging to their childhood development than gratuitous violence.

I know which I'd prefer to show to my kids... :/

And this is what pisses me off. Parents "CLAIM" they dont want thier kids dealing with this crap in video games. Then why do they go out and buy thier little kiddies these games?

Bunch of idiotic half-brained (well maybe no-brained) parents (if you can even call them that).

"The fist poll, conducted on April 4-10 of this year, asked participants to select from a list of choices which item would they find most offensive in a video game. The responses were: a man and woman having sex (37%); two men kissing (27%); a graphically severed head (25%); and multiple use of the F-word (9%). This survey had 1,266 participants."

Now i am curious as to whether two women kissing was on the list (or why it wasnt on the list if the case). :P

Parents fear in-game sex, real life drugs

Nope.

That's not it at all, Tim.

What parents fear is responsibility. They want a guarantee that their kids aren't going to grow up to be mass murderers, rapists, drug users, or a complete idiot like Program86.

They can't, won't, or simply don't care enough to take that responsibility upon themselves and see governments across the globe all too eager to take up that responsibility *for* them, apparently blind to the fact that government raised kids *rarely* end up being more than fodder for the streets.

This is the problem, and all of the "Save the children" legislation, ratings, censorship and social welfare in the world ain't gonna fix it.

I couldnt agree more.

the majority of parents try to remove themselves from a position of of responsibility or blame. hands on parenting is nearly dead and thats really a shame. if you really want to make a difference in your kids life and have them turn out to be responsible well rounded human beings, then its up to you to get in there and be a part of that. dont jsut sit back and wait for things to happen and point the finger of blame. by not acting in the first place the blame falls on you, the parent.

You are so right and its sad. Alot of parents want to be bad parents, they don't want to have much to do with their kids. They figure "the seed is planted we don't have to do anything more". Thats bull, its up to the parents to say "this...game, album, tv how, movie isn't for you" and not leave it up to the government or entertainment companies.

If we didn't have violents in entertainment parents would blame their kids bad behavior on something else...or someone else.

A kid will be bad because

1) their parents let them get away with murder.
2) their parents don't pay attention to them. Either their out with their friends or working so hard they have to have a sitter or nanny raising their kids.
3) the kid just has a mental illness or gets into drugs.

Games, music, movies, TV, cannot make you take drugs, cannot make you drink, cannot make you kill someone. You have to have these things in you already. The government just has to say "take care of your kids yourself."

If parents would research what they are buying for their children (or what their children are buying) and make informed decisions, then many ills that are blamed on games would be a non-issue. Then again...

Want to fix public/private education and hold kids accountable for their performance? Get the parents involved.
Want kids off the streets and away from dangerous areas? Get the parents involved.
Want to monitor the garbage going into kids' heads and filter content? Get the parents involved.
What's the one thing that can't be legislated? Parental involvement.

I teach. I see my kids an hour a day in each class. I see many of my students more in a week than their parents. Do the math.

Agreed. I'm a parent and it's really hard work to stay involved at school, at home, and still get work done, time for wife and self, etc. However, it's important enough to make sure my kids grow up right.

And...yes, I know parents who let their kids get away with anything. When I was younger, my dad would say that if we got into trouble that they would love us, but we would have to pay the consiquences. They paid my car insurance while I was in high school...only if I stayed on the B-honor role and used their car. If I wanted my own car (which I didn't get until 2nd year of college) I would have to pay for the payments, insurance, upkeep, and gas.

Responsibility.

However...I also believe that the violence in games does affect kids. I'm not saying that playing a game of Doom III will turn a child into a mass murder. However, agressive tendancies will act out in other ways. Maybe not even physical ways, but more agressive tendencies then they might otherwise display.

If a child has been taught responsibility for their actions, I doubt too many of these games will cause them ANY problems.

...my $0.02 worth...which, taking into account inflation and current economic growth, doesn't mean as much anymore...

LOL loved the comment about Program86.

"What's the one thing that can't be legislated? Parental involvement."

Attempts have been made. Legislation here has been discussed for fining parents for truancy and graffiti. Seems like a fair idea to me, except at the same time we've been removing the rights of parents to raise their kids. A smack on the bottom is now child abuse - just like locking kids in their room.

It's a crazy world.

I heartily agree. I am appalled by the nanny-state society we are becoming, where it is a cardinal sin to be a stay at home parent.
When I was a child divorce was the exception not the norm. Today children think it is normal be from a broken home.
Yes, the word is BROKEN... and broken homes have a negative impact on children.

I also believe that the violence in games does affect kids. I'm not saying that playing a game of Doom III will turn a child into a mass murder. However, agressive tendancies will act out in other ways. Maybe not even physical ways, but more agressive tendencies then they might otherwise display.

Excellent wording. The "believe" bit specifically. I'd argue the lack of any hard evidence to this otherwise, but no need.

I personally believe such tendancies are more biological than environmental in nature, but your last point;

"If a child has been taught responsibility for their actions,"

Pretty much covers where I'd be going with that anyway. We can overcome such biological or environmental tendencies through reason.

A smack on the bottom is now child abuse - just like locking kids in their room.


Crap...

Locking kids in their rooms?

Really?

Abuse?

Some people have *way* too much time on their hands...or need kids of their own...to teach them why "time outs" and waving your finger at them just doesn't work sometimes. Only took my sister 3 to get to that point. Her first two are now almost completely out of control thanks to her complete lack of enforced boundaries/meaningful consequences.

I completely agree with this comment.

I was raised with video games, and granted, it does expose you to a hands on feel of violence and can bring out certain aggressive tendencies, but I've always been able to determine when I should stop myself and what is reality over fiction.

While growing up my parents emphasized the difference between the reality of things, and what is entertainment. Gaming was something that, no matter how involved a story was, it was fiction and not supposed to be taken seriously. But they did their homework, and checked the labels or read reviews on what I wanted to buy until I was 13. By then I had earned their trust and felt that I was responsible enough to understand and know the difference.

Unfortunately, I see so many parents nowadays who don't pay attention to the ratings of these games, and just buy what their kid wants w/o giving a damn. Then when something horrible happens, they point the blame at the game creators when they should have payed attention in the first place.

If I ever have children, I'll be the first to look and review these games like my parents did, and be responsible enough to teach my kids the same values as my parents.

Or, maybe, the reason kids like these violent video games, is because they already HAVE violent or aggressive tendencies, and the video games allow them to act out these tendencies. Where did this whole ADHD disorder come from all of a sudden?

There was no ADD or ADHD when I was growing up. You were either well-behaved and attentive, or you were not. If you weren't, most people assumed you had bad parents who either didn't teach you any better, or who never paid any attention to you. These kids would act out to get attention, and because nobody had ever taught them the discipline to sit still and listen and learn.

We love to blame kids' problems on disorders, or music, or video games, etc., but it still comes down to what kind of environment they were raised in. Of course biology plays a role too, but generally most kids are not born with the "serial killer gene". For the most part, kids only become violent if they experience violence in their homes, or from other kids at school, or if they harbor deep anger and resentment over some tragedy in their lives.

Video games do not MAKE anybody violent. Though you do also have to realize that males in particular, upon reaching puberty, are suddenly raging with testosterone, which can be inductive to violence in and of itself. Before there were video games, boys would play "war" or "soldier", and run around pretend-shooting each other. Are you also going to argue that capguns and squirtguns and sticks shaped like guns will influence kids to be violent as well?

Let's get real, here. Sometimes, boys are just violent. Sports are violent, wars are violent, and both capitalize on this inherent male tendency (and both are also born of this tendency). It has been this way for thousands of years, and it is not likely to change anytime soon. Let's not try and blame any of this on video games, which have only been around for the past few decades.

I wholeheartedly agree, though violence should be used sparingly and only when absolutely necessary. There is a difference between spanking your kids and beating your kids. The former will teach them that what they did was wrong, the latter is more likely to actually make your kid violent.

Trust me, I know this from experience. I'm well into adulthood now, but I still harbor anger issues. Some would be quick to blame it on the video games I play, I'm sure, but the blame lays squarely on my parents. More specifically, one stepparent in particular. Ah, stepparents, the wonderful biproducts of a broken home. About the only thing worse than bad parents are bad parents who aren't even really parents to begin with.

I, too, grew up playing video games (and I still play them), and yes, I was exposed to violence in them. But I was also exposed to violence on TV and in movies, a great deal of it in fact. So much so that I got BORED with it. Seriously. None of my games, none of the R-rated horror movies I saw, none of that stuff ever made me actually want to go out and DO any of those things.

The biggest problem is not that parents don't check the ratings, it's that parents never bother to teach their children anything in the first place. If you raise them right, you can let them watch and play virtually anything, and none of it will ever actually influence their behaviors. All I'm saying is, it's a bad sign if your child's VIDEO GAMES have more influence on their behaviors than YOU do.

who the fck cares...

Nice...

Um all the parents that are actually BEING parents maybe?

Thanks for proving their point...

who the **** cares?? well let start off by saying that we, parents, we care you youngster, you think you are invincible and that nothing is gonna happen to you, you teenagers think you're the s*** by being cool and all that but you aint s***

I care.

Stay home and raise your kids like I do. Two parents ..preferably the biological ones and one that stays home to greet the kids when they come home....thats the key. I should know as I have three that are 13,15 and 17 and things are very good in our home. Dont pay someone to raise the kids you gave birth too. Its just wrong!!!!

Wow, nice example you're setting for your children there. I suppose you're going to blame their use of profanity on the video games they play? Way to lower yourself to their level. This proves the point that everyone has been making, that parents don't want to take any responsibility for setting a good example for their kids, so they blame society instead.

"Boo hoo, the bad video games made my kid do bad things. It's all their fault. My kid has no mind of his own, he just goes out and does what he sees on TV and in his video games. I'm a victim, wahhh. Now I'm going to sue Rockstar Games."

And you wonder why kids these days have the "who the **** cares" attitude.

but, cescam66, i don't think he/she's saying we're invincible (17 here) but I think what he/she's sayin' is that it doesn't matter if its patriotic or whatnot, its still not right that we are literally forced to die for our country, even if we don't register to vote they try to arrest us for draft dodging or whatever, I believe thats his/her point