"Gotta go, baby... This is no good for da kids." Image: RockStar Games.
Is there anything worse for a parent than learning that their child is consuming copious amounts of alcohol or frequently immersing themselves in the seedy world of pornography? Surprisingly, despite the severity of such potentially Earth-shattering discoveries, videogames have emerged as a more significant worry for concerned parents.
More pointedly, two recent polls conducted by What They Play, the self-appointed “parents guide to video games,” have revealed that parents believe the playing of certain videogames -- particularly Grand Theft Auto -- to be more objectionable than the quaffing of alcohol or being caught bent double over pornographic media.
The most recent poll, which ran from Aug 01 to Aug 06 across more than 1,600 respondents, questioned parents as to what activity they would be most wary of their 17-year-old child engaging in during a sleepover.
The responses revealed that while 49 percent would be concerned about their child smoking marijuana, some 19 percent would be worried their child would be committing acts of virtual crime in contentious videogame title Grand Theft Auto.
Beyond the surprise of specifically targeting Rockstar Games’ hugely popular sandbox series, the survey also found that only 16 percent of parents would be concerned about the consumption of pornography, while a mere 14 percent would be uncomfortable with the notion of their child succumbing to alcohol.
In terms of objectionable videogame content, an earlier What They Play survey conducted from April 04 to April 10 across 1,266 participants, found that 37 percent of those polled would be most offended by a man and woman having sex in a videogame, while 27 percent preferred to air their displeasure towards two men kissing.
A further 25 percent returned their repulsion at the prospect of viewing a graphically severed head in a videogame, and nine percent would be seriously offended by the constant use of in-game profanities.
The surveys also revealed that parents thought the actual viewing of real-world violence was more acceptable for their children than seeing virtual in-game content that depicted sex and sexuality.
“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, president of What They Like, Inc.
“When it comes to video games, parents should know that What They Play is a resource that helps demystify one of the most popular – and challenging – forms of entertainment their kids are into,” he added.
When it comes to videogames, it remains to be seen whether parents would really be more willing to suffer through the pains of pornography and alcohol rather than their own fear of the unknown.
Despite the survey results, it’s hard to see parents bouncing with glee in the event of their Grand Theft Auto-loving child suddenly dropping the gamepad, crashing mom and dad's credit card for an online subscription to BigSexyLand, and reaching for an ice-cold six pack with one hand and a sexual organ with the other.
What They Play is an online service that provides parents with a way of alleviating their videogame ignorance by appraising software releases based upon their suitability for children as opposed to the gameplay standards of their content.
Founded in 2007 beneath the What They Like umbrella, What They Play currently offers specific parental guidance on more than 16,000 videogames.
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