Violent video games aren't necessarily as bad as some people think. The thing is, it's what you do in the video game, not the violence itself. For instance, I could give a kid a puzzle game where you were trapped in a cave with a bunch of horrible creatures everywhere and blood splattered all over the walls, where you have to solve puzzles to get to the end of the each level, or I could give a kid a game where he runs around throwing pies at people. He would be doing something more productive with the violent game. I know a brilliant kid who is a whiz at math who plays BioShock, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and Fallout 3. The thing is, those games and others require logic. Now, not all violent video games are productive (Left 4 Dead, Grand Theft Auto). So, you should play the game before giving them to a kid. Think not only if it's productive, but if it might scare them. Half-Life 2 is productive but might scare young children. I*****ame is rated M, don't take that seriously. See, if the ESRB gives a game an underrating, they're in serious crud. Grand Theft Auto is a very bad game that you might not want some teens to play, but I would be more worried about alcohol and drugs, because they can have a massive effect on a teen's life. So, in the end, don't be too worried that your kids gonna say "I'm gonna do stuff that the bad people in Grand Theft Auto do," but keep in mind that it can cause bad thoughts in his mind that can lead to criminal activity, but I wouldn't be as worried as some people are about it.

I highly suggest this follow up to the story: Sex, Drugs, & GTA: The Failure of Parents http://www.gamer20.com/features/345

Of course video games willl effect behavior..........if the parent is disfunctionally dense and already uses the TV, video and Games and every other means of neglect such as going to bars, partying, drug use, violence, dropping the kid off with anyone who'll keep it, ect.. as a substitute for a nurturing environment........Without proper parenting, a child will act inappropriatly. Sadly a lot of adults act dysfunctional every day of thier lives, which doesn't give thier kids much of a chance at learning a new way to behave until it's too late for behavior modification to take hold. ......the reality is we are all to be held reponsible and accountable for our actions and parents should be responsible for their children's behavior. Does that mean you should not let your kids play games? No, it doesn't. Combined with proper parenting, age appropriate games are okay and not harmful. A little common sense is all that's required.

People games are not to blame for every problem that occurs with our kids. I am a bigger gamer than my kids and the games can reduce your sensitivity to actions. For example one day when sitting in traffic it crossed my mind to pop over on to the sidewalk go past the traffic and get back on the road. Did I actually do this? NO. However, before GTA the thought would have never occurred to me but after playing GTA it was just one of those random thoughts that went through my mind. Violence has always been part of entertainment. For heavens sake, just look at the cartoons including some of the old classics. Elmer Fudd was always chasing Bugs Bunny with a gun trying to kill him. The coyote was always attempting to kill the road runner. Today the biggest problem we face is laziness not games. Parents have become to lazy or too busy to actually raise their children. Time out got invented for kids who’s parents were too lazy to get off their rump to go spank the kids. Parents using the games as a babysitter and letting their kids sit there for days, weeks, or even years instead of making them get off their backside and interact with other real live humans (heard the same thing about TV’s and they were right). Parents are failing to teach their kids to respect their elders and others. You don’t show respect because it is owed to anyone. You show respect to others because it is just plain good manners. Even the government with their no kid left behind program lets kids know that is ok to be to lazy to learn we will pass you on to the next grade. With the decline of the society is it any wonder that there is almost a whole generation of kids that are being turned out that are lazy, under educated, larger percentages are over weight and unhealthy, lacking basic morals and manners. Games are not to blame it is just what the people use to point at that were too lazy to raise their kids and need somewhere to place the blame other than at their own feet. For all the kids that read this and think I’ve sat on the couch for years and I’ve turned out just fine I’ll leave you with one example. My daughter who is a senior in college came home for a week in-between classes. She actually thanked me for the way I raised her. She said I was tough on her and she certainly didn’t like it at the time but appreciates it now. She is watching the majority of the kids on a major college campus that are overwhelmed and many failing because they were both academically and socially unprepared to be able to deal with taking responsibility on their own for their own fate. For the parents that say I don’t have the time because I have to work too many hours to make ends meet. That excuse doesn’t fly either. If you make the decision to have them then you have to make the time to raise them. My husband and I are 5 years for finishing raising 3 kids and we had to work 100 weeks. As a parent you don’t have to be present every second their eyes are open but you do need to know where they are, what they are doing and who they are with. As a parent it is not your job to be the kid’s friend or even make them like you. It is your job to teach them right from wrong, morals, manners, the tools they will need to be able to function as a productive member of society and be self supportive. In conclusion, games and their content is not the root of the problem with the upcoming generations. The root is that each generation is becoming lazier than the one before it and that generation does not realize to what extent they have been affected or to what degree.

JESUS CHRIST!!!!!!!!!!!! people really need to stop bringing up the hot coffee mod!!!!! every time i hear about violence or sex in video games the gta:sa hot coffee mod comes up.developers like rockstar games need to stop being blamed for the actions of modders and hackers!!!! all you terrible parents who blame games, movies, and t.v because your little HELL SPAWN is a ****ing brat or spoiled ***** listen up. ill let u in on a little secret. EVERY TIME A PC GAME COMES OUT A NEW COMMUNITY OF MODDERS FOLLOWS! ever heard of the elder scrolls series? no probably not!. why? because its a medevil fantasy game with a t rating. now let me tell you why i brought it up. elderscrolls 3:morrowind and the more recent elderscrolls4:oblivion are also for the pc which players to download mods for the game from various modding websites. these mods can range from better weapon looks, to new places to explore, to FULL NUDITY!!!! oh i bet you parents are steaming mad now! infact i bet your kids are playing or have played one of these games i talked about.are you mad now? having read this are you going to sit down and talk to your kid about violence,drugs.and sex?probaly not because when this topic needs to be discussed in order to raise a normal child now parents can blame video games and get way with it leaving your child unknowing right from wrong and mentally unstable to be what ever he/she wants to be as an adult(by what ever he/she wants to be i mean a rapist, serial killer, murderer, child molester or any other waste of life you can think of) the truth hurst i know but parents need to talk to their children and teach them right from wrong. stop blaming games like grand theft auto for troublemaking brats. video games are no less art than the mona lisa. kids and teens will make bad choices but parents need to be there to GUIDE them though life. not run it entierly of stay out of it completley. now the whole mentallity twords games is to look for content kids shouldnt see at like age 7 make a big deal and sue companies like rockstar gmaes and **** as much money from them as possible. god forbid "little billy" hears words like **** or sees a gun or people having sex. oh wait he could be reading this right now or playing violent games. seriously talk to your kids instead of leaving them in the dark if u dont ROFL @ U N00B!!1!11!!!!!