85% of Parents Unsure About Game Content, Says Retail Chain
85% of Parents Unsure About Game Content, Says Retail Chain
November 27, 2006
Despite video game industry efforts to educate parents about ESRB ratings, a major retail chain has found that most lack confidence about game content. Reporting on holiday shopping trends, reporter Victor Martinez of the El Paso Times writes:A survey by Game Crazy found 85 percent of parents are not confident that they have enough information to select the proper video game for their child. And 53 percent of parents are sometimes uncomfortable with the game's content after buying it.
Speaking with holiday shoppers, Martinez spoke with a 14-year-old who told him:
I guess my parents just aren't hip enough. They try, but they like getting me stuff that they like. That's why I just prefer money or gift cards. They don't want me playing video games with a lot violence and with blood and gore. But those are the funnest games to play.
The boy's mother echoed her son's sentiments:
I never know what kind of video game to get him. He knows more about the video games then we do, so it's kind of difficult to get one that is safe for him to play.
A PUBLICATION OF THE ECA
SUBSCRIBE
LOGIN
Copyright © 2007 ECA. All rights reserved.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
i'm just not sure most people who procreate know how to do that.
The parent obviously doesn't want to spend the time to go online and look at the ratings, while the child isn't exactly helping his parent to begin with.
basically "because my parent is ignorant, I'll tell them whatever lies about the ESRB I can to get all the games I'm not supposed to have. If I have psychological problems and videogames might not be the best thing for me, oh well. Then we'll just blame the videogame industry" is the vibe I'm getting.
Parents: stop being retarded, spend some TIME on your KID doing more than just PLAYING WITH HIM.
I'm as guilty as anyone of bemoaning how parents evade their parental responsibilities. But here it's worth noting that there are also kids who lack any respect for their parents and will try to get around their decisions. Problematic, but perhaps this too is inevitable - think of the number underage teens able to get their hands on alcohol, cigarettes, playboys, etc. It seems to be the nature of teenagers to try to get a hold of these things in spite of the limitations on them, making the tough job of being a parent even harder. Maybe the parents realized this and just stopped trying.
But im Rambling, no parents will read this, they have the News to Listen to.(Hint Hint, We must take over the news)
Translated: " I am out of touch with what my child enjoys. He plays them more than I do but I am too lazy to get online and read something that could help me decide which games are ok, so I will blame someone else."
Really, any of these surveys are absurd. Essentially what these parents are admitting to is either bad parenting or illiteracy. Even the front of the box: Grand Theft Auto, Manhunt, Bully, Hitman: blood money all contain words in the title alone that should tip parents off on what the game is about. A quick flip across the back and you can see what it is about, and why it was rated. Still concerned.. www.google.com, BAM everything you want to know. If after all of this you will still buy a game named after a felony for a child, then anything that follows is YOUR fault.
The parent has every resource available to aid in making an educated purchase, but chose to ignore them. Sure an argument can be made about not having time in todays workworld to sit down and do this. If the parent can honestly say they have no time, ie works 2 work shifts and comes home to sleep, then yes there is a problem. But that problem is of a social and economic nature. However most of these parents who "Have no time" watch TV several hours a day, surf the web, or do something for themselves. If they took 5 minutes a day to read up on their child's habits, game ratings would be a non-issue.
I could be totally wrong and the other possibility of all these parents being illiterate could be the case. If this is true...yeah you're kinna boned
Parents who "can't understand" the ratings = ILLITERATE.
Despite a stormtrooper on the cover shooting at you, the RSAC "level 2 violence: Humans injured or killed; with small amount of blood", and several large screenshots on the back showing you shooting game characters with your blaster, he was clueless about the content until I popped it into the computer and started playing it.
After several rounds of arguing, he agreed that the next time, he'd read the RSAC label and look at the back of the box. The next christmas, I got a copy of Myst. ;)
I think more needs to be done to educate parents that there REALLY IS a tool to help them decide, because most are just so damn willfully ignorant of the system, and use it as an excuse. I like that stores like Toys R Us remind people that "you did read the ESRB label, right?" I laugh when they ask me, but then the next person in line is usually "dur, what? it's got a rating?"
"Oh I didn't know" (as they walk past 5 ESRB signs)
"Oh it's just too difficult, I'm not technologically adept" as they glance over the "Recommended for age 17 & up"
"Oh I didn't know it had violence in it" (as they buy a game named after a felony"
It wouldn't matter. From my experiences in fast food sales years ago, it doesn't matter how big the sign is, people will walk right past it and ask you whether you've got item "A" that is currently being advertised by the giant sign...
Just like even if the door has a huge sign saying "CLOSED", people will still try the door handle anyway...
it’s starting to form a sentence in my head: “You can lead a horse to water…..”
But you still need to hit him with a ClueStick™ in order to get him to realise that drinking, is in fact, a good thing to consider, now that he's at the watering hole. Otherwise he'll just assume it's all too complicated, and die of thirst just meters from the hole...
Anyone seen that Rogers Video commercial? I think we need bats like that, but instead of "No Fees", it needs to say "Use the Ratings". ;)
They're so un-hip it's no wonder their bums don't fall off...
Seriously, where did they dig up this kid? 14 year olds nowadays don't use "hip". Unless they went retro when I wasn't looking...
"Contains strong bloody gore."
"Mature 17+"
These labels are so confusing!
Mom: "I never know what kind of video game to get him. He knows more about the video games then we do, so it’s kind of difficult to get one that is safe for him to play."
Hey, don't worry mom. Those movies with an "R" plastered on them are also hard to understand. Just let your kid go check out "Saw III" or how about let 'em rent "American Pie Unrated".
I mean, if it's too difficult for you to grasp them there flashcard letters from the ESRB, then it musta been a strain on your brain to figure out the MPAA ratings or even the TV ratings.
Really, you want someone to do your job for you? Then go out and sign one of those Voluntary Revocation of Parental Rights documents and let someone else make the decisions for you. The rest of us intelligent Parents KNOW what the ratings mean and if we want more info, we know where to look or how to look for the resources (there's this amazing thing called a Search Engine on this brand new fangled device called the Internet. Personally, I don't think it'll catch on, but I'll use it while I can.).
Pathetic. Just Pathetic.
nightwng2000
NW2K Software
Well, it clearly hinges on what you mean by "violence" and "language", as well as "bloody" and "gore" and "17+".
I mean, since when has your average parent had time to learn what such words actually mean?
One of these days I'm going to hang out at the Walmart on my days off, and just start talking to parents. I suspect I'm going to have to pull out the ClueStick™ a LOT...
Remember though, I'll bet the reporter hung around until he could find the STUPIDEST parent there. You know, the one who's kid managed to convince them that the "M" on Grand Theft Auto meant "mild"... ;)
I'm sure this kid gets to go see R rated movies all the time, because the parent seems the type who really is that clueless.
Also, I thought that there's some existing statistics saying that parents trust the ESRB to a reasonable extent? If that was the case, then perhaps most retailers are properly educating their customers but GameCrazy isn't, and rather than fixing that problem they'd rather point fingers.
If there are such frequent complaints about the ESRB, it might be presumptuous to dismiss them out of hand as all from out-of-touch parents. But just as it's important to identify that there is a problem, so is it important to identify what the REAL source of the problem is.
I've done that. Sort of. It was one of those confused parental groups that you see staring at the shelves like they're trying to read hieroglyphics while working out which ones little Timmy (not present) already had. I overheard a certain game title beginning with "Grand" and they couldn't decide whether it was too violent. So I butted in and told them straight without overhyping or overstating the content.
To my surprise, they listened and thanked me. I left before they did so I don't know whether they bought the game or not, but I learned a few things that day.
1) The clueless parental types might need help but are afraid to ask. Gamers can be pretty scary to talk to, and even if not they tend to speak in jargon.
2) It sounds obvious, but the screenshots on the back of the box? They don't necessarily know what a "screenshot" really is. We can look at an image and deduce whether it's in-game playable, a cutscene, or some prerendered art. We can work out what a game looks and plays like from the shots on the back. They only know that the image will probably appear at some point while playing.
3) The shoppers don't expect a totally unbiased review from the people who work there. Even though in my experience staff are willing to say that a game is potentially unsuitable.
I think that more needs to be done to educate at point of sale. The clueless and just plain confused parents need help and advice but don't want to ask. I've noticed that shop staff have become more friendly and approachable, but it is sadly the way of the world that people don't want to talk to people they don't know. If they could be encouraged to actually ask the staff about Blood-Soaked Chainsaw Succubi from Hell, things would start improving.
There is nothing wrong with underage people playing violent video games constantly that are rated M. I did and I am in college. I turned out fine and I played violent video games that are rated M day and night. I practically lived in them and I have never done anything violent in the real world. That's what people need to understand is that these games don't cause real world violence and that Jack Thompson is full of crap not what M means. M should be F for fun and the ESRB should be gotten rid of and ever body should be allowed to play anything.
Either the parents are interested in what their kids do in their spare time, or they're not. There's nobody to blame but the parents.
It's not hard AT ALL to find out about games. There're so many avenues to find out more:
Ask the sales staff at the store. If they're not able to provide with information go to a store that is.
Research online. Come'on, all you need to do is put the game title in Google and you'll get so much information your head is gonna spin.
Check the ESRB rating on the box.
The story is, yet again, missing the bigger picture, which is why on earth is this even a story about video game ratings rather than the lack of parental responsibiliy that appears to be reaching epidemic propotions in this country.
You're probably right about the parents needing more prompting. Perhaps the ESRB should start producing signs which encourage parents to ask if a game is suitable at the time of sale. Most employees who work in game stores should have a working knowledge of the ESRB (though I imagine places like Walmart or whatever might not have these kinds of employees).
Then again, my sympathy for parents is limited. While certainly some M-rated games might be hard to judge based on the case (Rule of Rose certainly fits the bill), some aren't so hard. I'll trot out the oft-beaten horse and state that if a parent is so oblivious that they don't realize a game named after stealing a car is inappropriate (and can't be bothered to ask anyone), it's unlikely that they'll take the time to figure out the ratings system.
Right. Some just won't care, either because they know better for their kids or they don't think it through and apply a little earth logic to resolve that gun on cover = gun in game. This report suggests that a significant number do care but don't really know what to do about acting on it.
I've seen at least one poster informing confused parents to ask about ratings/suitability, but I can't remember whether it was ESRB, BBFC, PEGI, or store-made. I think they could capitalise on the idea by expanding it a little and having a gift ideas counter. Station a knoweldgable employee there and stick a big "wondering what to buy?" sign over his head. That could solve a lot of the problems you hear in game shops (Does he have this one? What's a GameStation 2? He likes racing games and there's this cartoony one with mushrooms or something...) as well as encouraging people to ask about violent content, parental control, and stuff like that.
My personal belief? They must really not care at all. It's no excuse at all for them to ignore it and then say "I'm not technologically savvy." Bull, you are, you just don't try to find the rating.
My personal belief? They must really not care at all. It’s no excuse at all for them to ignore it and then say “I’m not technologically savvy.” Bull, you are, you just don’t try to find the rating.
Remember rule #1. Always cover your own ass.
It's not "I'm too damn lazy to bother looking." It's ""... ;)
"I'm too damn lazy to bother looking, but now that you've rather publicly pointed this out, I'll come up with any excuse I can find to cover my own ass and prevent myself from being embarassed."
End result: "I found the system too complicated to use."
The best part is when you point out that they're covering for their own ignorance. It just makes them more flustered. And they start retaliating by being "insulted" that you think they're lying to cover their butts. And then you point out how only someone who was mad they were found out would be so PO'd, a truly ignorant person would just shrug and admit they'd never really thought about it.
If it were my parent or I that was disturbed by a game, it was usually me first. (well really it would be my mom, as they almost always seem to be disturbed by most things)
But you know we live in a world were a child can turn on discovery channel and watch a woman get a breast implant, liposuction, and a tummy tuck, oh but its okay because we blurred out the nipple. And yet we have topless men running amok, and they have nipples as well. However, we don’t need to blur them out because…?
It's not the kids job to help parent himself
Despite the fact that we remind users which option they are suppose to choose for their issue, they still get it wrong.
It sounds like you're part of the problem here because you seem to agree with the arguments of anti-game activists like Jack Thompson, which are that underage people shouldn't play these games. I said above that I got my parents to buy me many M rated games when I was underage and it never did anything to me at all. I turned out fine.
It's people like you who help people like Jack Thompson out. I don't see anything wrong with people doing what I did. I blew characters in video games up a lot and I don't have any violent tendancies in real life. That's why I don't think that the ESRB should have ever been created and that people should be allowed to play whatever they want regardless of age. They don't change a person's mantality or genetic tendancies and to think that they do is obsurd.
We just have to get this basic idea out:
Games to Movies
E=G
E10=PG
T=PG-13
M=R
AO=NC-17
Mature isnt vague at all, You compleatly forget it says MATURE 17+ right on the cover.
And lastly if that kid is hiding the ratings with his thumb, the parent should know that the games that the kid is playing HAS a rating system. Just like MOVIES do. Or is it when your kid brings you a movie you dont even have the common sense to check what the movie is about?
I know i sure as heck would NEVER by a movie or game unless i knew at least vaguely what it was about. Why should i waste my money on a movie call 'Condensation' when all i know of it is that its name is Condensation? First if it looked intresting at all, i would first look at the back, read the back stuff, look at ratings and such, mabey even look it up in the IMDB. Cause if i find i bought a moive were i just stare at a water glass for an hour and half, I am going to be very put out.
Or you can just go to this website to find out more... http://www.penisland.net/
The solution, in my opinion, is for parents and kids to communicate. Rent the game first and watch your child play it, set up parental controls on your games system or computers, which are already available and don't buy the game unless it's been rented first.
Finally, look at the damn box! There are screenshots AND ratings on it, learn what they mean, read the games description on the packaging, if it makes you unsure then waiting a few weeks and researching won't hurt little Billy, no matter how much he cries.
wheres the news here? ive known this because my parents were allways the 1/100 that actually kept tabs on the games i was playing and would not let me play the violent ones, though it seemed that all the other kids, boys and girls alike, had Mortal Kombat, Goldeneye,. Resident Evil 2, Turok, Conkers Bad Fur Day, and any other game that they probably shouldn't of had at 12.
and we just figure this out 6 years later: wow.
Solamente casino internet poker web...
...
Post new comment