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Survey: Parents more concerned with kids' exposure to videogames than alcohol, porn, and violence |
Listed in: Tags: Rockstar North
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A recent survey from What They Play, a parental advisory website, revealed that parents seem to be more worried about their children's exposure to videogames than alcohol, pornography, or violence. Furthermore, a second survey by the group showed that parents considered content showing sex and sexuality as more offensive than depictions of violence.Here's an excerpt from the What They Play press release, courtesy of GamePolitics (external link):
Nearly 3,000 respondents in two separate What They Play polls concluded that drinking beer and watching pornography were less objectionable activities for children than playing certain video games. Further, viewing violence was more acceptable than seeing content involving sex and sexuality within games.
The first survey What They Play took was conducted from April 4-10, 2008, and asked 1,266 participants what they were most offended by in videogames. Here's the breakdown, according to the poll:
- a man and woman having sex (37%)
- two men kissing (27%)
- a graphically severed head (25%)
- multiple use of the F-word (9%).
More than 1,600 respondents revealed theyÂ’re more apprehensive about their child smoking marijuana (49%) and playing the video game Grand Theft Auto (19%), than watching pornography (16%) and drinking beer (14%).
While the usual social issues (alcohol, drugs, and porn) are all present in many a parents' list of worries, it seems videogames are slowly emerging as a social issue that many parents fear can be detrimental to their kids. While it's probably a good thing that videogames are becoming more emergent in the social consciousness, the representation of games in the public eye (especially if Rockstar North's GTA is the only game people can remember) leaves much to be desired.
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parents, get more involved with your children, for gods sake..
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Maybe I'm missing something, but to me it seems just another pop at games and gamers, I know for a fact my mum would be more worried if I was getting drunk and into fights on a regular basis, but back when I played games she wasn't really bothered, and I played some of the more violent games of the time (PS1 and PS2 era, I stopped playing recently).
Heres some food for thought though, while kids are playing games, and not roaming the streets, parents know where they are, surely that should mean more than having a kid who is game free? And as said many times before, if someone goes out and kills because of a game (Thailand fresh in our minds) then there must be something wrong with that person in the first place, its not games faults that some people are messed up and broken.
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Parents are concerned with video games BECAUSE OF the exposure to alcohol, porn and violence INSIDE the videogame. NOT instead of....
Idiots!
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Was the sample size good enough? Was the sample group diverse enough? Were the questions appropriately worded? Were there even questions about the supposed factors of exposure to drinking, pornography, and violence or was it just about these activities in video games?
Always question the results.
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parents are more apprehensive about video games than they are about pornography. the study shows that.
the study ALSO finds that parents are more concerned about the sexuality in video games than they are about the violence. do you see any crossed wires?
the message here is simple. . *****ed up, but simple.
parents dislike virtual sex more than the real thing.
they would rather their children watch john holmes and ron jeremy plowing jenna jameson or linda lovelace, than see kratos givin it proper to two digital chickenheads. you go figure.
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This survey is a epic fail. Let the Rating and The Parental Control do the work for you (parents) and stop worrying about how your kids will grow up. It's Life and they gotta learn one way or another.
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the reason parents are worried about these things in video games is because they might have to get off the couch for 15 seconds to read the box the game comes in, thats what theyre worried about.
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hey I not in jail yet. LOL
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Kid needs to explore some how.
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I was in a Togos a couple years back with my daughter. All of a sudden I heard Korn over the speakers inside the store. I didn't think much of it since those speakers did nothing to properly reproduce the sound from the song. But then Eminem came on.
We left, I called the corporate office and demanded to get in contact with the district manager equivalent for Togos. There wasn't one but I got a hold of a PR guy. I asked him if Togos was going to be the first instance of my daughter (4yo) hearing an entire string of fowl language why should I ever return their again and NOT call my local TV channel about the incident? He apologized up one side and down the other. They are only allowed to play authorized music. I got a $100 voucher good at any store. I think that was a bribe or maybe I blackmailed him? Either way I was happy!
That's how a NON LAZY parents controls the real world. Sadly too many peopel are too lazy to take control.
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I'm reminded of an article I read a while back, where a newspaper had the headline: 'Nintendo Killed My Son!'
Apparently, some child was running about looking for coins, and ended up getting killed; I can't remember if they fell down the stairs or something or if he got run over by a car.
Either way the mother put Nintendo at fault, rather than her own bad parenting, which is misguided and immoral.
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Its not just parents though, notice how everyone wants a scapegoat, the government at the moment is blaming games for a lot of things because its easier than actuallying trying to find and sort the real problems.
I think an awful lot of people need to stand up and act responsible for their actions. I was brought up to be responsible for what I did, and not to push the blame on to others, all something coming from good parenting and not lazy parents who want an easy life.
Out of interest and humor I found this which I found rather ammusing, and I have to agree, what would the media do? http://www.cad-comic.com/sillies.php?d+20080804
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In trying to stay REALLY brief, I will state again; given my own, personal, research and peer reviewed documents, I have proven by irrefutable proof that there is absolutely NO CORRELATION between violent/sexual increases of behavior after having been exposed to any such acts via tv/movies/video games.
If all the doubting parents and worry prudes want my conclusive evidence, you bastards can find me.
It is the REALITY BASED exposure to violence/sex that causes our young to turn into the monsters that the media blows out of proportion. Not that the acts are heinous enough, but to point the blame at something other than yourself... Well, it just doesn't take a Freudian expert to figure out the real truth.
The family home should be sanctioned more than entertainment by current statistical points. Sadly, there is something to be said for sending a 12 year old out to work for his/her living if they refuse to take education seriously. You only have to look back into our US history about
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I'm really surprised that playing GTA got more parental apprehensive responses than children drinking beer and watching porn. That's kinda funny in a twisted way. I think I saw a comic about it somewhere. Perhaps at My Extra Life.
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