Call of Duty for a 5 year old - WTF?

I don't see the harm. You can set the parental controls on that game.

AS a teacher and parent, I can tell you that this is very common nowadays. Letting 8 year olds watch r rated movies, play COD, etc. There is a reason why we have movie ratings and ratings on video games. Unfortunately, we have parents today who think it is ok for young children to be exposed to all of this...no harm they say...yeah right.

I am 51 and what was r rated when I was a kid would only be PG now. R rated now is way beyond what any young child should be watching.

I am also a parent. I do not let my kids see anything above PG and even then with trepidation. They certainly aren't allowed to play COD or any of those kinds of games.

Being a parent means being responsible. YOu can not subject young children to gratuitous violence and sex and expect no repercussions.

I guess that's why dipshit parents take their babies and 5 year old to a midnite screening of Batman, or take 3 months old to a restaurant, or let their 2 year olds play with an app on their phone. These aren't parents.

I saw a woman buying The Hunger Games for her son, about 10. Really? People are crazy. There was also a 5 year old (totally traumatized, of course) sitting behind us way back when Revenge of the Sith was in theaters. Poor kids. :(

They're idiots walking themselves unconsciously towards more of the same. Even you can tolerate the violence to some extent you say.

Wannabe motherfuckers....all of you. Pathetic. Go test yourselves some other way pussies.

Get them started early, they,ll make better soldiers with more practice. (sarcasm).

I said I enjoy the odd game now and then, but not this type of game. I can not abide gratuitous violence. I like puzzlers, the nearest I've been to a shooting game is portal. That's part of the reason I asked the question but you only need to see a screen shot to know these games aren't fit for children.

I play board games with my children (3 and 5) and they show no interest in video games, phones, ipads etc which incredibly seem to be at the top of many 5 year old Christmas wish list. My daughter's wish list included pink slippers, a fairy candle and a snowman lollipop...

Last Edited by Level0 on 12/21/2012 04:18 PM

AC, you know, I was thinking exactly the same thing the other day regarding "R" rated or "18" thirty odd years back, now being certificated as PG or "15" on DVD.

I can only put it down to everybody becoming desensitized and needing stronger and stronger violence content to virtually make it worth their while watching (or playing).

It is very disturbing.

They said the same thing about the BEATLES and ELVIS back in the day.

Your kids will grow up just fine if you nurture them.

Its Midnight .. not midnite there teach.

I think your taking it a bit too far with that whole phone and a two year old comment.

To the OP. So in your opinion .. what should a 5 year old be playing? Do you think something like space invaders? Super Mario maybe?

I agree that COD is kinda a bit rich for them at that age. But where do you draw the line.

Just out of interest, why do they have to play computer games at all?

Don't kids like to play sports and run and jump about anymore?

My own kids have grown up and moved out now, but I remember them asking for a cycle for Christmas. Do kids even ask for cycles anymore?

they do
they can't be outside all the time, though

This.. it gives you option at the start of the game

This is true for sure.

I've been playing shooting and violent games since I was a kid. I am 22 now. I'm not a killer or a violent person.

as lotheit

I'm not sure what games kids should be playing as I've never given it much thought tbh as it's not been that relevant to me but I'm sure Mario, Ray man, Sonic etc.. are a lot more suitable than COD. Video games are big business and times have changed since I was young I'm sure but I can't accept it's right for them to play realistic, murderous, graphic video games. There's plenty of time for that later if that's their thing.

Childhood is a time of innocence and I think that should be preserved as long as possible. Play outside, ride bikes, go to the beach, explore rock pools, skip, run, play ball games, go to the park, read, dance, make music, make noise, play with friends, play dress up, these are the type of things I think a 5 year old should be playing.

I'm not anti video games, I'm sure they have their benefits but there's a whole world out there waiting to be discovered by the eager mind of a child that doesn't have to include sniping, shooting and head shots.

Bingo! was playing grand theft auto at such a young age, Do i steal cars or kill people? nop.

especially on winter evenings in canada

i wont say that its ok for kids that young to play stuff like that, but i will say that when i was a young kid i played goldeneye on N64 and watched george carlin all the time.

however, i always knew the difference between reality and fantasy. i knew right away i cant go around shooting people, and that it is just a game. and of course george carlin has a filthy mouth, and talked a lot of shit about god and the church, yet i believe in god.

so maybe i was just smarter than most kids, maybe thats dumb to say, but i think it depends on how the parents raise them. if i didnt watch george carlin at such a young age i would not be who i am today, i would not question and would not be awake. and if it wasnt for violent video games i wouldnt be so anti-violence today.

It influences their brains in a way that is not appropriate in the formative years. It basically is child abuse and neglect to allow a child that age to play COD. Period.

My sister lets my 12 year old nephew play Black Ops 2. I played it with him today and the experience left me worried. Within 15 minutes he'd gone from being a happy child to being quite agressive. Even to the point that he snapped at me for being shit at the game, I soon put him in his place and turned it off but it was shocking to say the least!

Last Edited by TheBridge on 12/21/2012 05:06 PM

Blinking winter evenings in the UK are none too nice either LOL.

Bring on the summer is what I say

me too
but i think when we talk about winter we're talking about two different things

my parents bought me all the mortal kombats and shooting games when i was young, never killed anyone

-_______-

im tellin you... you keep these kinds of things away from kids, then they grow up fuckin nuts.

Video games, movies and guns to NOT create killers or nut jobs.

I play shooter games, watch gory movies and would even fire a gun if i could (in england, illegal unless licenced)

That doesnt mean i wanna go and kill a load of random people in a random shopping centre.

While i'll happily mutilate someone or blow them to pieces in a game, i'll still hold a door open or help an old lady cross the road in the real world.

anyone with common sense can seperate fantasy from reality.

The minority who cannot seperate the two are not the result of violent games/movies, they are already screwed up.

that's adults
a fice-year-old has a very thin grasp on the difference between fantasy and reality

This is the technology era. My 5 year old nephew is getting tablet for Christmas and call of duty is his favorite game. He can work a computer better than my mother. Just how it is now...

i have nothing against the technology, but there are all sorts of non-violent games

Yeah, for being a 18+ game call of duty is really not that bad, just a little blood and some cuss words. Its not like its Grand Theft Auto. Call of duty is REALLY easy for the casual gamer thats why so many young kids like it.

meh. the kids is gona hate it anyway because it sucks.

only the brainwashed teenager and adult like those warmonger games.

The story is so so. Ive shown cod modernwarfare 2 and 3 to a 7 years old kid. i Wanted to proove his parents that he would hate the game.. And i won.

however i showed him cod 2 and 5. World at War.

The reaction was different! D'uh. becasue those are really awesome games. well coded and heart pounding.

Op, you're a bit more old-fashioned than me, but I do agree with you.

I've played all sorts of shooting games, didn't start till I was 14, and graphics were so poor and cartoony back then, it couldn't have the same extreme effect of desensitization as these new shooting games.

I'm 30 now, and playing one of the recent COD's I was alarmed for the youth of today, some of the scenes in these games, and with Hi-Def TV's and incredibly detailed and life-like graphics, I just can't imagine how much it fucks with children's emotional development.