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Rockstar: "Terrible Parents Buy Their Kids Our Games"

May 21, 2010 in Interview comments 20

Rockstar is known for their very violent games, from Red Dead to the GTA series. And they have received a lot of backlash from it, with people claiming that their games are making our youth violent. Rockstar has responded by saying that it's the parents fault, and if they buy adult games for kids they are terrible parents.

Our games are not designed for young people. If you're a parent and buy one of our games for your child you're a terrible parent. We design games for adults because we're adults. There's a lot of kids games out there that we're not interested in playing. Just like you enjoy watching movies and TV shows with adult themes and language and violence that's the kind of thing we seek to produce.

I think that Rockstar has pushed a lot of boundaries to be able to make the art that that we believe we should be able to make. If you tell a gritty crime drama with violence and profanity and call it The Sopranos you're handed a load of awards to put up on the shelf. You do the same and call it a video game and you'll have certain organisations up in arms. I think ever since GTA IV came out and there were such rave reviews by major publications saying that this is actually art the restrictions about being politically correct have largely fallen away.
Sayyed via news.bbc.co.uk »
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Most recently commented on by on May 28, 2010

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  • 1
    redneonfish May 21, 10
    Disagree. I'd say that most kids who watch films and play games which are deemed 'unsuitable' are completely fine. R* are only responding toa tiny minority of incidents, in which the media have found a 'link' between violence and video games.
  • 2
    Zero and X May 21, 10
    Violence has been around since the dawn of man, blaming violence nowadays on video games is moronic.
  • 0
    Dragoshi1 May 21, 10
    I just got done doing a freeroam in RDR where a kid named TheHobosomething(?) was asking how to;
    A)shoot
    B)Join a posse'
    C)Why there is blood everywhere
    D)Why we killed him
    E)and most importantly; Is there any motorcycles in the game)

    We all(the intelligent mature teens) *facepalm*'ed



    Kids should not be touching this game or any rockstar game
    • 2
      RaidenXS May 22, 10
      That games doesn't have motorcycles? Damn
      • 0
        Dragoshi1 May 22, 10
        Listen Junior, I told you this is 1911, Your closest thing to a Motorcycle is a 2 Legged Horse. If you can ride that, send me a Pigeon and a Pictograph showing you did it.
        • 0
          RaidenXS May 28, 10
          where do i address it to?
  • 1
    Ready Start L_Arc May 22, 10
    I think this is the first time I've ever heard a game company say that

    Good stuff, Rock Star.
  • 1
    Aussie Legend May 22, 10
    Good on you Rockstar.

    25 words
  • 1
    reaver11 May 22, 10
    Rockstar trying to create more publicity? Yup

    Are they right? Well...yeah. I guess they are.
  • 0
    Guugley May 22, 10
    Kudos to Rockstar. The only people who should be playing the related games and with a right to complain about it are those old enough to buy it and play it for themselves.
  • 0
    Onvacation May 22, 10
    I wouldn't say Terrible, just ignorant and naive
    • 3
      Hideo1 May 22, 10
      If a parent is that ignorant and naive, they're probably a terrible parent
      • 0
        Miss Razz May 23, 10
        I'd say a lazy parent is one who buys violent games for their kids.

        But a terrible parent is one who doesn't recognise the effect said game might have on their kid, then blames games when their kid ends up violent themselves.
  • 0
    Onvacation May 22, 10
    Well i was playing GTA3 at the age of 11-12, and i wouldn't call my parents terrible by any stretch of the imagination, so whatever floats yer boat i guess.
    • 0
      Ech0ez May 22, 10
      Yeah but that's down to how much a game affects an individual and how easily influenced they are. If a parent lets a kid who isn't capable of handling such an experience play the game; then they're a terrible parent.
    • 0
      Hideo1 May 22, 10
      But were they ignorant and naive?

      I was playing GTA3 at twelve, because my Dad played it too and knew I'd be able to handle it because I was mature enough. Which is probably the same case with you. However if they're letting them play it when they shouldn't be playing it out of ignorant and naivety, yeah, they're bad parents, like exactly how fat Americans blame McDonalds for their kids being fat instead of blaming themselves
    • 0
      ShadowJ May 23, 10
      I find it amusing. back in 1980, Evil Dead was banned because it depicted a woman being raped by a vine and someone getting a pencil stabbed into their ankle. The movie was then unbanned 20 years later.

      Several years after that, The house of wax, depicted the same ankle scene but with a combat knife

      and Silent Hill depicted the rape scene but with barbed wire.

      These movies weren't banned and in fact were applauded for their idea stealing ways all across the world.

      But because you don't see them done in real life, whereas you see gun crime, gang shoot outs etc. GTA and rockstar games are pinned as the reason for things.

      Not to mention in this day and age, everyone is being told to sue..."you had an accident in the last 3 years? Call us and we can sue the ass off that person!"

      Along with the fact that we humans have "rights" and those "rights" can't be denied...yeah go figure

      So while they are terrible parents for buying the game and blaming their kid's actions on the game...the actual society is to blame for allowing them to blame video games in the first place
      • 0
        Star of Spurs* May 25, 10
        People blame the nearest possible authority/hate figure, it's easier than blaming themselves.
  • 0
    Star of Spurs* May 22, 10
    If they buy them it and then go mad, then yeah, they're bad parents because they bought them it knowing it wasn't suitable, and only blame themselves.

    However, if the parent buys the game for their child that they know can handle it, it does not.
  • 0
    ShadowJ May 23, 10
    Parents that buy these games for kids aren't terrible parents

    Parents that buy these games for kids and let them play unsupervised or blame incidents on said games are terrible parents.

    I was watching 18+ movies and playing +18 games when I was 11, my parents were the best parents around...why? Because they joined in with my activities, they played the same games, watched the same movies and the only rules I had to abide by was:

    1) If it gets too much, just say

    2) If you want to be treated like an adult, act like an adult. If you want to be treated like a kid, act like a kid.

    The second one I have abided by all my life and I'm just fine...crazy, insane and random but just fine

    Today's society is all about getting things for free and money....people state that EA and Activision are greedy for trying to make a profit in the games industry...well the average person in the world is guilty of that too, especially when they try and sue a games company for an incident their kid committed and knowing full well of the consequences.

    So while I think R* are aiming at the wrong kind of parents, I do applaud them for telling their consumers straight and saying "hold on a second, it's not us.."

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