What's this ten-year-old doing in my M-rated game?

Over the past week or two, there have been some heated debates recently about children (and young teenagers) playing M-rated games. This is most likely due to the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and the realization of how many young children and adolescents were waiting in line at the midnight release. The arguments go back and forth—some with valid points while some are quite idiotic and stubborn—but there is really only one justifiable response to this topic.

You can shout out the ESRB ratings, the warped minds of young ones, and morality all you want; what this simply comes down to is the parent/guardian. He or she is the only one who can decide what their child plays; not you, me or anyone else with an opinion. This isn’t ideal when you notice a twelve-year-old child receiving a copy of Battlefield 3 (and it may make you want to yell “Get your kid out of my M-rated game”), but there is nothing you can do.

The ESRB ratings, while being statutes for employees, are simply guidelines for the buyer; which in this case is the parent, guardian or respective adult. The majority of electronic employees won’t sell M-rated games to children. I mean, I’m still asked for identification at times. Nevertheless, if an adult is there with the child it’s completely up to him or her. If a father or mother feel their offspring can handle slicing and dicing human enemies in MadWorld, that’s their decision. Is it right? Who knows? The parent or guardian may not have the slightest clue on how to raise these children, or care what game they “play on their Xbox” even if they own a Playstation 3 (apparently everything is played on an Xbox to those who don’t know much about video games). If that is the case, then the fault is shoddy parenting.

Then again, who knows how mature this child or teenager is. Maybe his or her parents/guardians have taught them more than you could imagine a “youngin” to know and feels they are mature enough to play these games. I know this explanation is very unlikely but I’ve seen rarer things happen.

As much as I dislike seeing immature children and teenagers in online multiplayer lobbies, I remember that I used to play M-rated games when I was younger. I also watched R-rated movies and read H.P. Lovecraft horror stories, but I like to think I turned out alright. Yet, I was only able to do those things because my parents felt I was mature enough to play, watch or read them. If I wasn’t, they simply took it away from me. I still remember the day I rented Mortal Kombat 4 and my mother ripped it out of the N64 when she saw my character rip out someone’s spine.

If you disagree with the idea of this, then there is only one thing to do and it starts with you. Whether you are a parent, guardian, soon-to-be either, or hope to have a family some day in the future you decide what your child plays. Your decisions and knowledge can influence other parents along with your own offspring when they get older. Employees must also be there to help out by giving as much information as they possibly can to the prospective buyer.

However, decent parents know what is right for their children; and hopefully, they fully research the product they are about to purchase for their kids. Either way, they are the only ones who can tell their ten-year-old child if they can or cannot wait in line to get the new Call of Duty.

Easy, Normal, or Hard?

I hear/read many gamers ask this certain question: what difficulty do you play on? Now, some are new to games or simply wish to enjoy the story so they play on easier difficulties. Others embrace the challenge and decide they want a more rewarding experience. In the end, it doesn’t matter what difficulty you play as long as you enjoy the game (and you feel awesome doing it).

Still, in case you’re curious (and I know you are), I thought I’d explain how I choose a difficulty when I play video games. I could easily tell you that I mostly choose harder difficulties because I’m super like that, but it wouldn’t be any fun; especially since there are several factors that go into making my decision.

Factor 1: The Challenge. As I stated earlier, some gamers like to embrace a challenge (hence the reason I torment myself with Demons’ Souls and Dark Souls). Video games offer an opportunity to test your senses and reflexes. After playing them for such a long time, there are moments when I want to see if my eyes and thumbs are up to a tough task (such as dodging six grenades thrown towards me at once in Call of Duty: World at War on Veteran difficulty).

Factor 2: The Story. While I love a challenge, sometimes I don’t want to bash my face into my basement wall because I can’t surpass one obstacle (I also don’t want to spend any more money on controllers). Sometimes, I just want to experience the story and, for a while, live as a character in another world (who doesn’t get killed every couple of minutes). For example, I have always played an entry in the Uncharted series on Easy or Normal for the first playthrough. Once I’ve enjoyed the spectacle, I’ll usually come back for another playthrough and amp the difficulty up to Hard or Crushing.

Factor 3: The Achievements/Trophies. Sadly, you can consider me a bit of an achievement whore. But, come on! I’m almost at a 100,000 Gamerscore (93,140 as of now)! If there is no achievement or trophy for beating the game on a harder difficulty (like Saints Row: the Third), I’ll play on Easy or Normal so I can have a good time. However, when I see that I can boost my score (or collection) by overcoming a tougher difficulty, I’ll usually accept the challenge. I don’t know why I do it, but receiving recognition for beating a game on Hard or Insane (I’m looking at you Gears of War) feels good. Also, I get to brag to all my friends. What gamer doesn’t like to brag every once and a while?

Factor 4: Co-op. If you don’t know, I’m a huge fan of co-op (especially couch co-op). The fact that I am able to play through an adventure with a friend/sibling (or the fiancée) is exciting. There are times when I will not play a game on Hard by myself (like Resistance: Fall of Man); but when someone I know is kicking ass by my side, I’ll change my mind and raise the difficulty. (Oh, and before I forget, damn you Resistance 2 for not having co-op campaign!)

Now wasn’t that fun? Okay, maybe not; but think of it as an eye-opener. These are the factors that run through my mind when choosing what difficulty I want to play on. Yes, I know it may seem like I’m overthinking the situation, but I’m only trying to figure out how to have the best gaming experience possible (in terms of difficulty). Maybe you’ll even have some of these thoughts next time you get your game on. Speaking of which, I want to ask you: what difficulty do you play and what helps you make that choice? Oh, and as always, thanks for reading!