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4 Year Old Plays Grand Theft Auto

BrianSBailey
Posts: 1
 Joined: 2010-05-24
 Dad Points: 5

I am an expecting Stay At Home Dad. I work for a company at home and my wife is expecting our first child in December. So I joined this site to see what other SAHDs do and get some information.

Someone forwarded me this article and I read this. As a former youth councilor, avid gamer and expecting father for the first time. I am appalled by this article. I believe this is a fake but the ideas that a video game made for adults is played by a 4 year old sounds kind of fishy to me. Regardless the exposure of this game to a kid and then the writer's justification that the rating system means nothing just does not sound right.

http://www.bitmob.com/articles/my-four-year-old-son-plays-grand-theft-auto

 

What are your thoughts?


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Submitted by BrianSBailey on Thu, 06/10/2010 - 11:08am.

daddy_says
Posts: 14
 Joined: 2010-06-10
 Dad Points: 18
Supervision vs. Exposure

I don't think the author is kidding. In fact, I know someone that had a similar experience with their four year old boy. The child believed they were playing a racing game. I'm not sure what I think. If a parent is able to strictly observe their child's actions in the virtual environment, then no harm done I suppose. But familiarity with a game that is known to encourage active participation in violence and agression seems negligent. I suspect inevitably, and probably a decade younger than the age recommendation, the child will find parts of this game that the gaming parent would not want the child exposed to.

_______________________________________

Daddy Says: Parenting from a Male Point of View.

Married Father of twin three-year-old boys.


Fri, 06/11/2010 - 9:14am

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