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Do you know what your kids are playing The South Texan |
 Jeremy Martinez / The South Texan |
Since 1992, the video gaming industry has faced scrutiny for adding mature content in games that have attracted many kids to the arcade.
After people had their fill of Pac-Man, Pole Position and Galaga, gaming companies Capcom and Midway created two of the most successful video game franchises ever with the Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat Series.
Parents were outraged with these games that included violence. Although Street Fighter II ended games with knockouts, Mortal Kombat took it one step further by killing their opponents.
Back then, those games were very controversial, but the gaming industry has taken it to another level.
One of the most anticipated video games of all-time will be hitting the store shelves on April 29 as Grand Theft Auto IV is released exclusively for the XBOX 360.
Ever since Grand Theft Auto III made its debut for Sony’s Playstation 2 in October 2001, the game has caused quite a stir among concerned parents.
The game spawned two sequels: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Combined, the three games have sold over 41 million copies worldwide according to the New Product Development (NPD) figures. In the U.S. alone, San Andreas is the biggest selling video game of all-time with 8.6 million units sold.
The game includes fighting, prostitution, wreckless driving and killing anything that gets in the way, iincluding the police.
The worst part about the game is not the content, it is who is playing it.
There are ratings from video games that range for C for children to AO for adults only. Rarely, will a game be given such a restricted rating.
The game is rated M for Mature by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, yet there are kids that find a way to get a hold of these games.
Many retailers such as GameStop, Wal-Mart and Toys R’ Us do carry the game and although M rated games are meant for the 17 and older crowd. It is not illegal for these games to be sold to minors.
In 2007, the San Diego-Union Tribune did a survey with the National Institute on Media and Family and concluded that 46 percent of all retailers studied did not restrict minors from purchasing M rated games.
It is the parents responsibility as well as the retailer to be aware of who is purchasing and playing these games.
It’s time for retailers to check ID and parents who go with their kids to the stores should look at the back of the box to see what content is included in the games.
Unfortunately, there are times when the parents do no really care about what their kids are playing, which puts them at blame.
According to gamedaily.com 5.8 million copies are expected to be sold when Grand Theft Auto IV releases in its first week. With a retail price of $59.99, the game is expected to gross more than $360 million.
It is time for parents and retailers to enforce responsibility. Children these days are heavily influenced by what they see and if the “responsible” adult is not supervising, there is no telling what consequences can occur.