Are these games appropriate for my child?

[PilzFTW]

Hello, I was wondering if these games were appropriate for my child to play. He is 12 years old and frequently plays Call of Duty and Battlefield 4.
Would these games be appropriate?

Grand Theft Auto V
Far Cry 4
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Watch Dogs
Assassins Creed: Unity

Thanks!
Nick

 

[PilzFTW]

Just a reminder, League of Legends will have him and his friends hooked in no time! 😀

Thanks! Seems like a fun free game, that he and his friends will enjoy greatly for PC. Looked up, low PC requirements so he can run 1080p 60FPS on his PC! Thanks so much!

 

[Novuake]

Just a reminder, League of Legends will have him and his friends hooked in no time! 😀

Thanks! Seems like a fun free game, that he and his friends will enjoy greatly for PC. Looked up, low PC requirements so he can run 1080p 60FPS on his PC! Thanks so much!

If he turns into a rage monster, it wasn't me 😀

The community can be quite toxic at times, but that is pretty much in any online game, once again, your parenting will be needed if you notice he is hitting tables while gaming.

PS : I HAVE done this in LoL out of frustration. Almost broke my wrist in the process too.

 

[chimera201]

Portal 2 is a nice game to play at that age

 

[Novuake]

Portal 2 is a nice game to play at that age

A very good game, but not sure how a kid that is used to action games will react to a puzzler.

 

[chimera201]

Well I always believed gameplay-wise Portal 2 is a very mature game and GTA is a very childish game. Sad part is Portal 2 has zero mature content and GTA is filled with it

 

[RCguitarist]

I personally would say that GTA V and Dragon Age I would be nos and the rest would be yes. But...if all of his friends have GTA V...you know they have already shown him the worst parts, that is just what boys do, try and shock eachother, so you might as well get him that. But Dragon Age, you just need to tell him no.

 

[Frag Maniac]

NO.

Please read the age restrictions. Specially GTA and Watch Dogs are NOT suitable for young kids.

My kid is very mature, and age restrictions don't really bother me. It's more about the content, you see this stuff on the news all the time. Since he is very mature, I let him play COD. If you give your kid some stuff but not everything, they get that feeling that makes them trust you.

If your kid's being mature for his age is a product of yourself and his upbringing, you should know that age restrictions are directly related to content.

Get to know the rating acronyms and what they mean, simple as that.

 

[PilzFTW]

Well I always believed gameplay-wise Portal 2 is a very mature game and GTA is a very childish game. Sad part is Portal 2 has zero mature content and GTA is filled with it

I have finished Portal 2 with him, and he always asks me if there will be a sequel. Thank you for the suggestion though, the game is pretty funny and he enjoyed it.

 

[Slavegamer]

Yah even battlefield 4 is a bit harsh , the knifing especially not to mention all the cursing .

I have played the game myself, he can handle it. Kids aren't stupid, they know when enough is enough, and he is not easily influenced.

Really ? a 12 year old is not easily influenced? then why you asking if these games be ok ? Maybe the question should be .. will these games give my kids nightmares..

 

[A_Goat]

If he has access to the internet, i'm sure he has already been exposed to worse things than what he will find in videogames.
Though, for what it's worth...
Far Cry 4 exposes your child to sadistic characters who publicly mutilate corpses and take selfies while covered in blood.
Ass creed makes your child question religion (if he has any, some adults don't like this). and lets your child take countless lives without question.
GTA lets your child run free in a world where he can curb stomp anyone he meets, I'm pretty sure that one is self explanatory.


If you don't allow your kid to play the games he/she wants, they will find access to that type of content elsewhere via friends, the internet, books, etc.
If he plays CoD i'm sure all his buddies at school already have most of the games in question anyways. Most likely already played them at their house.

 

[PilzFTW]

If he has access to the internet, i'm sure he has already been exposed to worse things than what he will find in videogames.
Though, for what it's worth...
Far Cry 4 exposes your child to sadistic characters who publicly mutilate corpses and take selfies while covered in blood.
Ass creed makes your child question religion (if he has any, some adults don't like this). and lets your child take countless lives without question.
GTA lets your child run free in a world where he can curb stomp anyone he meets, I'm pretty sure that one is self explanatory.


If you don't allow your kid to play the games he/she wants, they will find access to that type of content elsewhere via friends, the internet, books, etc.
If he plays CoD i'm sure all his buddies at school already have most of the games in question anyways. Most likely already played them at their house.

Thank you for your input, this will help me make a further decision about the games he will get for Christmas. I also believe that his friends will own the game and he will go to their house, so you are very right. Thank you for explaining these games and the content that is in them.

 

[chimera201]

Well I always believed gameplay-wise Portal 2 is a very mature game and GTA is a very childish game. Sad part is Portal 2 has zero mature content and GTA is filled with it

I have finished Portal 2 with him, and he always asks me if there will be a sequel. Thank you for the suggestion though, the game is pretty funny and he enjoyed it.

Then here are some other suggestions:
Bastion
LIMBO
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
The Stanley Parable

 

[PilzFTW]

Well I always believed gameplay-wise Portal 2 is a very mature game and GTA is a very childish game. Sad part is Portal 2 has zero mature content and GTA is filled with it

I have finished Portal 2 with him, and he always asks me if there will be a sequel. Thank you for the suggestion though, the game is pretty funny and he enjoyed it.

Then here are some other suggestions:
Bastion
LIMBO
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
The Stanley Parable

Thank you for these suggestions! The Stanley Parable is a funny one and he said that he would like to play it now. I hope for the best! I will try the other suggestions after.

 

[gman24]

I played all kinds of video games as a 12yo kid; Mario Kart and SSB Melee to things like Resident Evil, all the GTA's, Half Life, and many others. I turned out alright lol. It's all up to you to decide how mature your child is, and if you want him to be addicted to those great games you listed instead of doing some other hobby.

 

[Ludogorets]

If you want you're child to grow good,and become a great men,tell him to watch Naruto from episode 1 to the end. Trust me

 

[iamlegend]

The best way is you play together. That is the best thing a kid could ask that he and his dad are killing people/zombies together.

I watched naruto from beginning til end.
I played Call of duty when i was 8 on play station.

 

[JAGAMER]

Ah some of these people giving you advice have no clue as to what they are talking about, i wont mention names but im sure they know who they are very pessimistic in their views and maybe they should stop watching things themselves instead of trying to go over the top on other people.

If you want some real advice i suggest you find out subtly in light conversation (while making dinner, food etc) which friends own which games, then you may find out only one friend has all these goodies this will help with negotiations.

If you want a straight forward answer, id suggest to start with assassins creed then watch dogs. Creed is an adventure more then mindless killing while watch dogs is the tamer version of GTA with story focus on technology.

Now Dragon age will have afew "Adult Themes" so you will have to go with what you let him watch in terms of adult conversations. However Dragon age RPGS come with alot of choices you make, alot of the time this teaches kids morals, to stand up for those morals and to be the better person so this game is again not just about killing things. Fight scenes are just flashy/fast paced moves... hardly true violence.

I dont have much experience with Far Cry so i cannot comment

If you hold out on one id suggest it be GTA V only because its got a little bit of everything. Everyone gets effected by something, you know, that makes them cheeky or tweak and GTA will just be that game that has all bases covered and may be abit much.

Hope this helped and please dont listen toxic or whoever that foolish person is called, those comments were ridiculous lol. They either have no experience with games, kids or more likely have been reading waaay too much gossip. Your the parent, you know your kid go with your instincts.

 

[Tank36]

Hello, I was wondering if these games were appropriate for my child to play. He is 12 years old and frequently plays Call of Duty and Battlefield 4.
Would these games be appropriate?

Grand Theft Auto V
Far Cry 4
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Watch Dogs
Assassins Creed: Unity

Thanks!
Nick

No, honestly GTA has strip clubs and horrible swearing ect.

 

[Madmaxneo]

NO.

Please read the age restrictions. Specially GTA and Watch Dogs are NOT suitable for young kids.

My kid is very mature, and age restrictions don't really bother me. It's more about the content, you see this stuff on the news all the time. Since he is very mature, I let him play COD. If you give your kid some stuff but not everything, they get that feeling that makes them trust you.

I agree with you in some ways as I have kids of my own. Sometimes it isn't how mature they act or react to certain games it's what they are learning from them, or how they mold their understanding of the world around them. Every kid is different. IMHO I would stay away from GTA V, as that is the most realistic game out of all of them and can (incorrectly) teach a child that you can get away with doing bad things. The other games are much easier to separate from the real world and real life situations (even watchdogs). I'm not saying your kid can't tell the difference between a video game and reality nor am I saying video games cause violence in our children. But as a parent I would prefer them to stay away from the more life like games.

Bruce

EDIT: Someone mentioned Saints Row 4 being worse in language and it being unrealistic. Being unrealistic is a point in the positive direction for me, but the language is something I would also try to keep them away from. At least in my house. If I can't keep them away from all the violence and bad influences there is one thing I'd like them to learn from me other than the obvious like trying to make the right decisions and that's being respectful of others. Which apparently is something a lot of parents don't teach their kids nowadays.

 

[iamlegend]

Is staying away from bad things bad? How can your child develop his understanding with those things if he cannot see/experience it? I played lot of games my whole life but the main thing I knew was it`s just a game. Shooting people in a game to reach a certain objective is different from what other sees it. Although I can agree with GTA games which I found to be useless.

Logic and reasoning develops in playing games and I am the living witness to that.

 

[razamatraz]

AC Unity is still Broken on PC, so although I think it's the least mature of the games I wouldn't buy it for PC unless you have a 6 core with SLI 980s.

The rest are probably fine except GTA5.

 

[Blastoise24]

NO.

Please read the age restrictions. Specially GTA and Watch Dogs are NOT suitable for young kids.

My kid is very mature, and age restrictions don't really bother me. It's more about the content, you see this stuff on the news all the time. Since he is very mature, I let him play COD. If you give your kid some stuff but not everything, they get that feeling that makes them trust you.

NOT GTA, but if he does OK with Watch Dogs you might want to consider it, Idk about Far Cry and Dragon Age though

 

[jafrankl]

Really depends on HOW THE GAME IS PLAYED. Even GTA doesn't have to be a dirty game, it just depends on the player's choices. There are firetruck missions, you can assist police, do various things, but you can also beat hookers, rob banks, etc. Most of these games have blood/gore/violence, which has been shown to not increase physical violence tendencies in their players, but everyone is different. I discourage online gameplay for younger gamers due to the community encouraging poor sportsmanship and behavior, generally. If you do allow your child to play online games, just make sure voice communication is turned off for everyone's safety. More than once COD players have caused real life problems for their fellow gamers.

 

[Boyling460]

I think Just Cause 2 is perfect alternative to GTA5.
Has little swearing.
No sex scenes (at least not that I have seen).
Honestly not sure why its MA.
Also i prefer it with the grappling hook and all.
Btw its like $15 preowned at EB Games and on steam.

 

[dnoloco]

Well I always believed gameplay-wise Portal 2 is a very mature game and GTA is a very childish game. Sad part is Portal 2 has zero mature content and GTA is filled with it

I have finished Portal 2 with him, and he always asks me if there will be a sequel. Thank you for the suggestion though, the game is pretty funny and he enjoyed it.

Then here are some other suggestions:
Bastion
LIMBO
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
The Stanley Parable

Thank you for these suggestions! The Stanley Parable is a funny one and he said that he would like to play it now. I hope for the best! I will try the other suggestions after.

Not trying to be rude here but, your kid is 12. GTA V is rated M for a reason 17+. It has full on nudity, very strong language, and I am sure you know about the violence. Not to mention the drugs and alcohol, which isn't that bad but still.