http://kotaku.com/i-sold-too-many-copies-of-gta-v-to-parents-who-didnt-g-1371011511?utm_campaign=Socialflow_Kotaku_Facebook&utm_source=Kotaku_Facebook&utm_medium=Socialflow

What do you guys think?

I think it's fine.

http://venturebeat.com/2010/06/05/my-four-year-old-son-plays-grand-theft-auto/

Don't blame the game, blame the player.

Wrong, you blame the parent. If you're buying a game like GTA for your 8-9 year old, I'd be willing to bet you're a svcky parent resorting to video games to babysit your kid.

Playing games with those graphics at 4! I can't even imagine what that is like.

But yeah, interesting. I think the author of your linked article has a point. But then again, saying that his kid isn't completely amoral at the age of four is kind of cheating. I wonder what the case would be at age 13.

Not that playing the rough parts of the game would be bad. I don't think there's much wrong with it at all.

OP, one time I went to my sis house and I found my niece who's 18 playing GTA SA while my my nephew(5 years old)was watching her beating up a pedestrian with a bat. I told her to stop playing that game in front him. This kind of influence at an early age is like playing with fire. Sure, everyone knows that not everyone who watches violent stuff is going to turn out like a serial killer, but not everyone is the same. Parents who don't care about what their kids watch are setting themselves for a big surprise---and I'm not talking about staying late watching the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

advlts can buy whatever they want. And if they want to buy GTA V and give it to their kid, well you can't do much about that. Wish they would take some time to make sure their children are mature enough to handle that type of game. But games are art (so they say). And all art should be available to people of all ages.

But for my hypothetical future children, I won't be buying them any violent games until I have one of the many "talks" with them. I won't let them play until they know the difference between real violence and pretend violence. And if they start to act up or imitate the actions of the games, then I'll take them away.

Sounds to me like that pansy needs to find a new line of work. The ESRB is a joke and just goes to show that society can no longer make decisions for themselves. I've been playing games since before the hand holding, babysitting ESRB was created. I am ultimately in charge of my own decisions and the decisions of my children. Will I allow my daughter play GTA V? Nope. But my 14 year old son can sure as hell play it. I was 8 playing Wasteland and giving my Rangers STDs. I don't need some [censored] ratings agency telling me what I can give to my kids to play.