Parents more frightened of GTA than porn

But violent ones are better than sexy ones.

Parents are more worried about exposing their children to videogames than to alcohol, violence and pornography.

That's according to recent polls on What They Play - "the parents' guide to videogames", which canvassed 3000 people on what they found most offensive.

"These poll results demonstrate that parents are as apprehensive about their children's media diets as they are about traditional social issues such as alcohol, drugs, violence and sex," said John Davison, leader of What They Play.

Two polls conducted by the site found that violent content was more tolerable than sexual content within games. Bizarrely, the 3000 participants also felt children watching pornography or drinking beer was better than playing certain videogames.

The results of the initial online poll showed that 37 per cent of the participants were most offended by a man and woman having sex, 27 per cent by two men kissing, 25 per cent by a graphically severed head and 9 per cent by multiple use of the F-word, F-word.

The second poll, which asked what parents were most worried about their 17-year-olds doing at sleepovers, revealed that 49 per cent were most apprehensive about marijuana being smoked, 19 per cent of Grand Theft Auto being whipped out, 16 per cent of pornography being watched, and 14 per cent of beer being consumed.

"Although these findings seem surprising at first, they hint at fears parents have about videogames," said Cheryl K Olson, co-author of Grand Theft Childhood. "To some parents, videogames are full of unknowable dangers.

"While researching for Grand Theft Childhood, parents we spoke with in focus groups often bemoaned the fact that they didn't know how to use game controls - and felt unequipped to supervise or limit video gameplay. Of course, parents don't want their children drinking alcohol, but that's a more familiar risk."

Dr Tanya Byron was commissioned by the Prime Minister to look into the effects of violence in videogames on children. One of her largest areas of concern was parental knowledge of the medium, which she asked the games industry and retailers to address.

Comments (67) Latest comment 4 years ago

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  • DFawkes #1 4 years ago

    At least it's not a Daily Mail article, otherwise the list of things better than allowing your kids to play GTA would include:

    Being killed
    Being assaulted
    Being shot
    Doing any of the above
    Doing any of the above with a swastica badge on
    Being Hitler

    Also, first.
    Edited by 1 at 14/08/08 @ 12:29
  • Robertfltn #2 4 years ago

    So some parents are more frightened of fake violence in GTA than the real thing?

    No wonder so many kids are screwed up.
  • bad09 #3 4 years ago

    The huge amount of young children playing GTA4 online tells me a lot of parents actually couldn't care less what little Johnny is playing......
  • Kryon #4 4 years ago

    But violent ones are better than sexy ones.

    Violent Porn is better than sexy porn? Wut?
  • Eraser #5 4 years ago

    "actually couldn't care less"

    You should receive a medal for using that expression correctly. Bless you.
  • Cappy #6 4 years ago

    Hardly a fair representation.

    A poll on a site called 'What They Play' would be unlikely to poll anything else as their top concern. It's a single interest website which happens to attract parents concerned about videogames. Surprise surprise, games are their most pressing concern.
  • BigJonno #7 4 years ago

    I think it just shows how many parents are uneducated (at best) or ignorant (at worst) about videogames. It's an issue that needs to be resolved, though I guess it will go away by itself in time, as more people who were raised on videogames become parents themselves.
  • spammage #8 4 years ago

    Kids playing 18 rated games? Kids having sex? Kids drinking alcohol?? Surely not!

    I blame the parents, i would certainly take a keen interest in what my children do in their spare time. Lack of understanding is no excuse. 18 rated movies and 18 rated games are aimed squarely at the ADULT market. Mums and dads PLEASE get a clue and stop this sensationist rubbish.

    Instead of plonking them down in front of a games console and ignoring them for 8 hours, take them out for christs sake. The fact you ignore them is more damaging than any videogame violence could EVER be.
  • bitesize #9 4 years ago

    parents we spoke with in focus groups often bemoaned the fact that they didn't know how to use game controls - and felt unequipped to supervise or limit video gameplay

    wtf?? here's an idea - how about you actually take an interest in your child's well-being, and LEARN to use the parental controls!! surely it don't take much beyond a quick read of a manual. unequipped to supervise gameplay? what more does it take other than sitting down with your child and watching them??
  • Zomoniac #10 4 years ago

    If parents' biggest concern is their kid playing GTA, then why do 95% of UK parents seem quite happy to go to the shop and buy GTA for said underage kid?

    What they need to do is make the law for media as it is with tobacco and alcohol; if someone attempts to buy an 18-cert game for a minor they are committing a criminal offence. For reasons I simply cannot understand, parents buying 18-cert games for 10-yos is allowed and encouraged by staff in game shops. I'm inclined to think if a clueless looking mother stands by the till and her 10yo son runs off to the shelf, picks up GTA and gives it to her with a cry of "I want this one" and she attempts to purchase it, it should be a £1,000 fine.

    Also what's wrong with porn? Anyone scared at the concept of their children discovering that there's actually a method behind creation is severely paranoid. If it's some kind of weird BDSM or 10-way bukkake then yeah, I can see that. But man-doing-woman? God forbid...

    Cunts.

    FROGGY!
  • skuzzbag #11 4 years ago

    Does this mean that parents are too busy watching porn to monitor childrens video game playing?
  • seffyroff #12 4 years ago

    What about Movies? Or Rock Music?
  • Darren #13 4 years ago

    I'm no parent myself but if I was then I'd certainly be more concerned about things that might affect my kids (like drugs and alcohol) rather than videogames. Of course, I would ensure that the games they are playing are suitable for their age group, something I'm sure most parents do NOT do - my own sister wasn't even aware that games HAD ratings yet she was the one who bought them! IMO, parents should take more responsibility instead of passing the blame onto videogames, movies or whatever just 'cos it's easier than them taking the blame. Games and movies are rated for a good reason.
  • TheTingler #14 4 years ago

    While I do agree with that final assertion that parents who are worried need to know more about the games kids are playing, it's the final comment "...which she asked the games industry and retailers to address" that disgusts me. That's called 'passing the buck', sister. You're in charge of a commission dedicated to combating this ignorance - it's your problem.
  • spammage #15 4 years ago

    It is a common misconception that all games are for kids, this ignorant bullshit peddled by the red tops is insulting. Would you allow a child to have access to your dvd collection with Disney movies next to Godfather, Natural Born Killers Pulp Fiction etc? Just because something is violent doesn't mean it should be banned or demonised. Control the content your kids have acces to, rather than look to increase the nannyist mantra peddled by governement and naysayers. It is black and white simple really if you have a clue.
  • CARL05 #16 4 years ago

    "...and 14 per cent of beer being consumed."

    strange, I remember100 per cent of the beer was consumed :p
  • spammage #17 4 years ago

    Turn the argument on its head.

    Would you

    a) Know your kids are home safe and sound in front of the TV where you can be a PARENT and ensure they are safe.

    b) Leave them to their own devices, probably drinking on street corners with their (PS3 owning) chavvy mates drinking and increasing the chances they will have underage sex and/or get stabbed/shot by some drug crazed videogame psychosis induced nutjob.

    Colour me paranoid if you like, but i'm locking my kids up, blindfolded until they reach that magic age of 18 where they are suddenly equipped to understand everything the world throws at them. Call the nurse, it is time for my medication............
  • number9 #18 4 years ago

    +1 Spammage.

    I don't think one can be called a kid at 17. Sleepovers? Come on!
    I know at 17 I used to drink beer, smoke pot and consume loads of porn. I also had a SNES by the way...
  • mingster #19 4 years ago

    I agree with bloodkult..
    I'd moved out by 18...
    no one does sleepovers at 17 and even if they did would you be worried about what your 17 year old got up to?
    Umm NO.
  • HyperShadow #20 4 years ago

    Just had a quick click through that 'What they play' site. To be honest, it looks like a good tool for the uninformed parent. It does break down a game to just what to expect within it rather than any type of review. It also clearly labels popular games and what intended age groups they are for.

    Its a shame that stupid headlines like this push parents away from games altogther rather than trying to educate them and push them away from buying an inappropriate game for whatever age their sprog is.
  • ZuluHero #21 4 years ago

  • Bealsy #22 4 years ago

    That'll be it when the Daily Mail get hold of this, I can see the story now:

    "Computer games to blame for knife culture, Madeleine disappearance and Jeremy Clarkson"

    Daily Express:

    "Computer Games Killed Diana"

    The Sun:

    "Page 3 Babe Yyvonne thinks GTA should be taught in schools"
  • BigJonno #23 4 years ago

    Zomoniac, it is illegal for someone to buy an 18-rated game for a minor. If some kid gave you £40 and asked you to buy GTA, you could end up in serious trouble.

    However, you can't stop a parent from buying a game and letting their kid play it at home and I'm glad it's that way. As much as I hate the way a lot of kids are allowed to watch/play whatever they like, I'll fight for my right to be the final arbiter of my son's media consumption.
  • chanderzz #24 4 years ago

    Before this article i had never heard of this website. Now i ive heard of it i commend what they are trying to do. What i did notice was that the comments posted on some of the games were not supporting the cause, filled with comments about how parents that use this site are psychotic.. goddamn it grow up.

    If this industry is going to become as acceptable as films and musis its needs people as responsible as the creators of this site. I commend them, they have an unbiased view and provide generally useful information for parents.

    ...unlike the idiots posting comments on there
  • Zomoniac #25 4 years ago

    Um, I'm 23, have my own place and still have sleepovers. If you lot think that there's something sad and immature about getting a bunch of mates round and staying up till the early hours with a fridge full of beer, a few spliffs and rigging up the N64 for an all-night rose-tinted (and weed-tinted) GoldenEye fest and eventually falling asleep on the sofa through exhaustion then I pity you. It's a fuckload more fun than trying to navigate a club full of chavs, screaming in ears to be heard and having to watch a lot of pathetic people trying to pull by 'dancing' to Ministry's 675th remix of 9pm Til I Come whilst seeing how many blue WKDs they can drink in 10 minutes, anyway.
  • Zomoniac #26 4 years ago

    Zomoniac, it is illegal for someone to buy an 18-rated game for a minor. If some kid gave you £40 and asked you to buy GTA, you could end up in serious trouble.

    Someone needs to tell the stores that then. When my gf started working at Game about three or four years ago, her training (and she was shown a BBFC video saying the same thing) involved being told that if a child attempts to purchase an 18, to tell them they need to have a parent to make the purchase for them.
  • kinky_mong #27 4 years ago

    Two polls conducted by the site found that violent content was more tolerable than sexual content within games.

    Ahh that brilliant double standard "I don't mind my kids controlling characters that beat the living crap out of others but how dare they witness a simulation of a perfectly natural act that brings joy to consenting people".

    I blame religion/ the right wing press/ Tony Slattery.
  • Zomoniac #28 4 years ago

    Also I think the 37 per cent of people that find sex more offensive than a severed head should be banned from sex, thus hopefully meaning the sad little fucktards die out. Likewise the 27 per cent who find two men kissing offensive. These people should be fucking shot. At the very least, for their own protection and to stop them being 'offended', weld their mouths shut so a member of the same sex can't kiss them, and have their genitals removed completely to prevent them having to indulge in the offensive act of sex.

    Cunts.

    FROGGY!

    etc.
  • skillian #29 4 years ago

    Hmm, well I actually agree. Excessive sex probably is less harmful than excessive violence. Why the article implies that is bizarre, I'm not sure.
  • SBfistfun #30 4 years ago

    No wonder twat kids are over running the place.

  • spammage #31 4 years ago

    Well I find combining sex AND severed heads massively offensive tbh. Shouldn't be allowed.
  • Doctor_What #32 4 years ago

    Ban all violence and sex. All it would take would be one generation and the world would be a lot more peaceful.
  • bengray66 #33 4 years ago

    So what if they get their kicks having sleep overs, then group masturbation over snuff porn whilst consuming bottle after bottle of tequilla?
  • FFS #34 4 years ago

    I think that you should be more scared of porn than violence.

    How do boobies and fannies hurt kids?
  • spammage #35 4 years ago

    "Ban all violence and sex. All it would take would be one generation and the world would be a lot more peaceful. "

    Unfortunately if you banned sex there wouldn't be a next generation! Good effort though, I'm right behind you on that one, not literally of course.
  • kangarootoo #36 4 years ago

    Was this survey multiple choice, with scaled ratings of each answer, or did parents just fill in their own blanks? If it was the latter, the survey is mostly pointless.

    Anything that just asks you to vote from your own imagination might just ask well ask you to "think about something that scares you, until you get bored of doing so, and then write it down".

    If you had asked said parents "what about them getting smoking meth in the park", any parent with an ounce of common sense would have said "Oh yeah, that is worse actually, I just didn't about that".
  • FooAtari #37 4 years ago

    Polled 3000 people that visit the site, not 3000 random people. So it's even more questionable than most surveys. Ars Technica has a better report on it than this.
  • Fab4 #38 4 years ago

    Some parents are idiots though.
  • Plughead #39 4 years ago

    Well I find combining sex AND severed heads massively offensive tbh. Shouldn't be allowed.

    A bit of neck stumpage action? Sounds good to me!
  • Nithron #40 4 years ago

    You ever get the feeling that the people responding to these questions are actually just taking the piss?

    Also,
    Ban all violence and sex. All it would take would be one generation and the world would be a lot more peaceful.

    Sarcasm, right? Because otherwise, that's one hell of a horrendous plan you've got there.
    Edited by 1 at 14/08/08 @ 14:42
  • spammage #41 4 years ago

    roffled at "stumpage" Love it!
  • bdc #42 4 years ago

    That's amazing... really truly is frightening how the media has managed to twist and alter people's perceptions of video games so much into thinking it's worse than pornography, violence and alcohol. Incredible. I have no words really.

    This is fear culture right there.
    Edited by 1 at 14/08/08 @ 14:51
  • ZuluHero #43 4 years ago

    As many others have said I think the actual issue here is ignorance.

    If little Jonnie asked his parents for Triple Anal Extreme II for Christmas I’m pretty sure his parents would decline, arguably games are more ambiguous to what their themes and content is. Yes i know the game is called "Grand Theft Auto" but that doesn't allude to all the other things that you can do in that game. I’m also certain that the banding about of the abbreviation (GTA) has helped matters either.

    I guess if one thing is to come out of the negative press for this game is that parents should be more aware about it.

    Although it baffles me how we can get to the eighth game in a series and still have this problem...
  • bdc #44 4 years ago

    By the way - where is the actual link to these polls? Not found anywhere on the site.
  • kangarootoo #45 4 years ago

    "Sarcasm, right? Because otherwise, that's one hell of a horrendous plan you've got there."

    Self extinction does have 'some' merit. If we just stopped having kids and died out, I think pretty much everything else on the entire planet would benefit tremendously (except us obviously).
  • Nithron #46 4 years ago

    @kangarootoo: You make a good point. On the other hand, the rest of the animal kingdom aint a particularly peaceful bunch either, are they?
  • paulf #47 4 years ago

    @bigjonno & Zomoniac
    afaik there is no specific offence of buying a 18 rated game for a minor, the only offence is for a retailer to sell to an under 18 this differs from alcohol though where there is a specific offence for buying alcohol for a minor
  • kangarootoo #48 4 years ago

    This is true, but everything else on legs tends to operate on a rather more limited scale and generally with purpose (some animals do appear to kill for fun, but not on the scale that we kill for pointless reasons).

    I'm not saying that violence can (or should) be eliminated, just that the human race can too often be the equivalent of some pissed party crasher that just makes everyone else feel uncomfortable and then breaks stuff before puking in the bath.
  • kangarootoo #49 4 years ago

    @paulf

    I believe it is also an offense for a retailer to sell an 18 rated game that they believe is intended for a minor. Again as you say, not the parent getting into trouble, but the retailer.

    My gut reaction is to suggest that it SHOULD be an offense, but then I wonder about the right of a parent to raise their own child as they see fit. I'm always on the fence on this one.

    On the one hand people talk of a nanny state and parents being the best person to decide what is best for their child... but then an hour later I sometimes find myself thinking "but you aren't the best person to decide how to raise your child, because you are a f*cking idiot. And you need a state nannying you because you can barely walk in a straight line, let alone raise a child properly".

    The problem is that so many of our principals and laws assume the best of people (democracy being a primary example), assume that they will act responsibly and courteously and apply a bit of common sense. The only problem is that the world is full of imbeciles and bigots. It just seems to be a core part of humanity to be emotive and reactive and greedy and downright stupid half the time.

    Hmmm. I think I am having what you might call a cynical afternoon :)
  • skillian #50 4 years ago

    How did we get from "Which is worse - GTA or porn?" to suggesting wiping out the human race for the benefit of trees and animals?

    This thread looks like a mountain range when it should just be a couple of molehills :p
  • madgerald Verified Studio Head of PR & Marketing, Colossal Games LTD #51 4 years ago

    I just polled a couple of youths (not some wierd sexual thing - no need to call Dateline NBC here folks). And their parents let them play games such as GTA; they don't see a problem with that. Like others have said, I feel they'd have a problem if sonny Jim asked for the complete works of Jenna Jameson in his Xmas stocking or the Saw trilogy unrated and extended with extra cutty bits in it.

    My 16yr old came to stay with me the other weekend and we played COD4 and GTA IV online (didn't find anything bad in letting him play online in a cartoon world) and had a great time all weekend. I don't have a problem with it. What made me laugh though was that when I went to bed I left him watching TV. When I looked through the last channels watched the following day, he'd stopped off at the playboy channel. LOL didn't have the heart to embarrass him with it; we've all been there. But some of us are better at covering our tracks than others it seems. He has a lot to learn LOL.
  • ukslim #52 4 years ago

    "parents we spoke with in focus groups often bemoaned the fact that they didn't know how to use game controls - and felt unequipped to supervise or limit video gameplay"

    The typical parent of 15 year old would be, what, 45 or younger?

    So they'd have been a kid in 1978. What's their excuse for not being able to operate a game controller?
  • ZuluHero #53 4 years ago

    @madgerald

    See now you sound like an informed parent :)

    People just need to take five minutes from day just to get to grips with technology or read a bit about what their children are in to in order to understand what their children are doing. You don't have to confront them with every little thing, but it just allows parents a bit of piece of mind and also gives children the illusion of their freedom.

    In the old days I’m pretty sure that most parents knew where their teenage sons hid their porn and never had to embarrass them. But now with the online revolution, and children are becoming more and more tech savvy, parents are falling behind a little. And I’m sure that scares parents a lot, so when an avenue opens for them to ‘blame’ -such as this whole GTA debacle- they take it.

    Maybe as we grow up and become parents ourselves (I have just become one myself) we'll become far better at tracking what our children are doing (just like madgerald has demonstrated), and be able to use our judgement to intervene if we sense real danger.

    Sir I salute you.
    Edited by 1 at 14/08/08 @ 16:03
  • kangarootoo #54 4 years ago

    Now I feel bad. I didn't mean you madgerald or ZuluHero when I was ranting about people and parents and so on.

    Turns out we aren't doomed after all \o/
  • Razorus #55 4 years ago

    They're worried about 17 year olds playing games, watching porn, drinking beer and smoking weed at sleepovers? I'd be more worried that they were having a gangbang.
    As a mother, and a fireman, I think it is within my rights to beat children and force them to play MGS4 to gain virtual battlefield experience and then GTA to teach them about crime, and how easy it is to steal their daddy a car for his birthday.
  • Nithron #56 4 years ago

    the human race can too often be the equivalent of some pissed party crasher that just makes everyone else feel uncomfortable and then breaks stuff before puking in the bath.

    +1 for best anthropological analogy ever.
  • oupe #57 4 years ago

  • php_penguin #58 4 years ago

    Sex is more offensive than a beheading? Something everyone is going to do compared to something almost no-one does?

    Parents are fucking retards.
  • BigJonno #59 4 years ago

    I believe it's illegal to supply an 18-rated game to a minor, so if a random guy off the street was persuaded by Jimmy Chav Jr to go into GAME and buy GTA for him, he'd be at fault (possibly the retailer too.) It's different if it's the parent though. Sorry if I wasn't clear about that the first time.

    I looked into all the laws years ago after my employer gave me completely bogus information in my "training." They claimed that PEGI ratings were the same as BBFC ones. I knew they were spouting crap then, so I made sure I checked up on everything.
  • NKSR #60 4 years ago

    where the fuck are these sexy games!?

    i want one

    i wanna hump some bint, whilst pressing X furiously.
    Edited by 1 at 14/08/08 @ 19:22
  • Ryze #61 4 years ago

    violence and drugs respectively are much more harmful than responsible sex.

    ...not that the sex portrayed in many porn films promotes responsibility...
  • YourMessageHere #62 4 years ago

    This so called survey is no more than a daily poll thing anyway, completely unscientific. Took me ages to find it, so here: [link url=http://www.wh attheyplay.com/polls_july/
    ]http://www.wh attheyplay.com/polls_july/
    [/link]

    I'm interested in the wording. Seems to me that it could be misread as if it were simply talking about likelihoods, rather than priorities, that is to say, some parents' answers may show that they are concerned about their kids doing all of the above things and simply feel that playing GTA is the most likely thing that they'd do.

    Anyway, some other germaine facts:

    - 81% of parents are therefore more worried about their kids doing other more traditional bad things than playing GTA, arguably all of which (depending on circumstances and the nature of the porn) and certainly 64% of which are frankly much more likely to actually be harmful.

    - This is from a US site, where they are even more credulous of media scares and historically scared of sex than here.

    - Given cultural differences, that website doesn't seem too bad, actually; articles about how a mother likes GTAIV, how GTAIV is recieved by teenagers (they fully understand it's not real - imagine that!), non-judgemental parent-centred reviews, and links to EG articles in their blog. A little conservative for my tastes but overall it seems decent.

    Oh, and if some kid outside HMV gave me £40 and asked me to buy them GTA I'd either take it and buy them GTA 1 for PC for the £5 it goes for these days and keep the change, or just leave by another door. That'd teach them.
  • Zomoniac #63 4 years ago

    They're worried about 17 year olds playing games, watching porn, drinking beer and smoking weed at sleepovers? I'd be more worried that they were having a gangbang.

    So what if they were? During my 16/17yo "sleepovers" (which, according to some people in here, doesn't consitute mates having fun at someone's house and staying the night as only little girls do it) that's pretty much what we did. It was fun and no regrets are had by any.

    During that period my house pretty much seemed to become a shagging house for my friends, they would stay the night, bring their girlfriends and do it in the spare room. Because their parents thought them having sex at 16 was terrible and if they didn't let them do it at home then everything would be fine, whereas my dad took the view that they were going to do it whether the parents wanted them to or not, and thought it would be better they did so in the safe environment of my house than going up to the moors somewhere and doing it in a bush.

    I think parents' ridiculously naive and archaic attitude towards sex, mostly involving being rooted in denial and burying their head, has a severely negative effect on society. What it does is drive kids away from the home, and with young, unwanted pregnancies and STIs going up, they've only themselves to blame. Perhaps if parents sat down with their children, discussed it with them and let them do it unintruded in the comfort of their homes, even provided condoms, then a lot of problems could be solved.
  • Gearskin #64 4 years ago

    Obviously these parents have never typed "porn" into Google.
  • amcd28 #65 4 years ago

    @ php_penguin

    I'm a parent

    I'm definitely not a retard (wife might disagree).

    You can be assured that my son will be taught the difference between right and wrong.

    Oh, and that sex isn't dirty and most times is goooooooooood.

    It seems that most of these parents have had that kind of 'enjoying sex/sexuality is dirty' mindset upbringing which they'll bring to their own kids.

    We want my son to be comfortable in his own skin and be the person he wants to be.

    That doesn't mean he's going to be one of those ridiculous long haired out-of-control children that you actually want to kick repeatedly; whilst shouting 'SHUT THE FUCK UP' when you're waiting patiently in a restaurant/at the airport/ well, anywhere actually.
  • Ryze #66 4 years ago

    ^ "ridiculous long-haired out-of-control children..." :D

    @kangarootoo

    Your post was perfect. No need for any guilt. Sane people living in the real world will understand every word.
  • djcool3005 #67 4 years ago

    LOL My parents bought me Grand Theft Auto 3 for my 12th Birthday and I turned out fine. In fact I'm still not legally old enough to play GTA for another 3 months. I've not got a criminal record, I've never had an ASBO, I don't hang round on a street corner intimidating people, I don't recreate things I've seen in a game, I've never been in a Fight with anyone, I don't drink excessively every weekend and I'm in college doing pretty well. If parents don't want kids playing a certain game then just don't buy it or confiscate the game from them. What's hard about that? If a child is influenced by a violent game to go out and be violent in real life then they should see a psychiatrist because obviously there's something wrong with them mentally.