Grand Theft Auto Video Games.

[teachermum1]

I think that some people with ASD have real trouble distinguishing between reality and fantasy/ fiction and I think this article (even though it's the Sun!) sums up why that could be very dangerous.

[JsMum]

I think that some people with ASD have real trouble distinguishing between reality and fantasy/ fiction and I think this article (even though it's the Sun!) sums up why that could be very dangerous.

 

 

I think this was my whole reason to posting, my son with ADHD plus ASD, a child who can not distinguish between real and fantasy, its so hard to keep him away from these games, on and on he goes about but Jon has it, billy has it and hes not allowed to stay up past 8pm, but even he has it mum, its all I hear of, I was contenplating getting it and letting him play GTA in my presence but reading further into the games and the age J is emotionally and mentally he wont be playing it, I am flexiable with games but I know that some games J will struggle with the contents, I was nearly broken with his nagging, and there is zillions of children defo playing this game one way or other.

 

And that is what worrys me, how much damage it could be doing to kids with ASD or similair special needs.

 

AND J nearly was allowed this game.

 

JsMum

[Enid]

Well done you!!!! How did you go on at your school visit, am dying to know <'> Enid

[llisa32]

Hiya - I've not had time to read through all of the posts re this GFA game - but from my experience I will not let J anywhere near it - we took my nephew away with us and on hols he was letting j use his PSP - what I didnt know was that the game he had on it was GFA!!

 

Only when J very causally mentioned gangs and stealing cars etc like it was everyday norm and I wondered where he had got the idea from did I twig! - the game immediately got banned from sight until nephew went home - TBH...I'm amzed even he's got it although he is 12 and his mums not as strict as me re games.

 

There are wayyy to many bad things in this game, and j does have a lot of trouble telling fantasy from reality - no way do i ever want him to think that the characters in GFA are the norm.

 

I think you did the right thing <'>

[warrenpenalver]

Wow warren - you're really fighting GTA's corner there, ol' son, but i think you're on a hiding to nowt with those arguments, particularly the second one, given the nature of this thread

Im not fighting the games corner I just think its wrong to lay the blame on a computer game when according to the article the facts dont prove that.

 

OBviously people with learning disabilities or ASD's such games can have a greater impact as has already been discussed reality can be blurred.

 

Now you could argue these games are over 18 therefore over 18's only should be allowed access to them. In my eyes its that simple, but reality is some children still get access. Its the same with films.

 

Otherwise the only option is banning all violent games and films which is probably 1/3 of all games and films!!

 

Which begs the other question, if theres so many games with violence obviously there is a market for them based on what people want which implys people find a certain amount of violence entertaining when its not reality but merely film or game.

 

Then with ASD's its fair to say that there will be people with ASD's who also find a certain amount of violence entertaining but not in reality. The problem then is some of the kids with ASD's will find the games too realistic.

 

Thats when i guess we need some more healthy or simple easy to rationalise games that can fill the need some people have.

[Sooze2]

My 8 year old told me his freind had this game and funnily enough his freind told his mum that my 8 year old has it and plays it all the time. Neither of us beleived the kids and when we asked each other about it because the boys had both been nagging us about getting one it turned out that neither of them has got this game! But they were trying to persuade us it was ok to buy it.

 

I think you will find that all children whether NT or otherwise will tell their parents that "EVERYONE" has this or that or the other exept me sob sob - I know I did it as a child but still didn't get that thing. As soon as a child says "EVERYONE HAS IT" you know that they have made it up really, that just what they all do isn't it.

 

His Dad has GTA which he has rarely used and it's very well hidden away and he won't let DS near it. Dad says it's ok but prefers Need for Speed Carbon because the cars drive better,

 

DS won't be getting it, full stop. If he played it at freinds he wouldn't play it here, If his freind snuck it in here and started playing it at age 11 I would turn it off quite simply! We were at a freinds and they were playing the game in his Mums bedroom which we didn't realise I told them it wasn't suitable and turned it off - they didn't moan for long because they know it's an 18 and they aren't 18 yet - simple. But I am Bad.

[SuzyQ]

Hi #all, Not been on for a bit, life too stressful and getting me down!

 

My DD is 14 with aspergers and loves the new one, what ever its called and has an older one on her old xbox too, she is addicted to it, I can't stand it but my husband likes it too, it's his game and even though I would prefer her not to play it, it keeps her out of my hair for hours!!! Letting me get on with housework, and gives her and my husband some bonding time which they desperately need ( he is the step dad)

 

I know I shouldn't let her play it, but it gives me peace!!

Suzy

[Marion]

Dont know if it helps, I've asked my son who is 11 in November, none of the kids in his class (Yr 6) are allowed it but apparently the one they all want is Simpsons "Hit and RUN" he says its like GTA but less violent.Marion

[Kathryn]

My 11 year old son has Hit and Run. He has access to many of his sister's games which have older age ratings, but they are OK, I think. I wouldn't have bought them for him, but I can't really ban him from the room during the day when she is playing. Luckily she has never wanted GTA, or anything like it.

 

K x

[SuzyQ]

I think that some people with ASD have real trouble distinguishing between reality and fantasy/ fiction and I think this article (even though it's the Sun!) sums up why that could be very dangerous

 

I agree with this as I have trouble with my dd 14 as watching some programs, well infact nearly all tv programs, but she loves the game, and lots of other games too, she has to get my husband to help her and it's good bonding for them as they dont get on great.

I am always having to tell her things aren't real!!! It doesn't help that her older sister loves horror movies and thrillers...etc..!!

[Shayol]

As a gamer I don't really enjoy recent GTA games, they've been exactly the same since the third one. If you want to put a child off it, you could probably find a teenager or adult who could tell them that older people find them puerile.

 

The violence in them isn't ever really unpleasent. It's more the immature attitude towards women that I find offensive, there is rarely a positive female character and there is open drug use in the game, lots of missions revolve around cocaine. In general I don't see the appeal to younger kids other than peer pressure as most of the games charm would be lost if you weren't familier with the Pacino, Deniro and other gangster films it parodies. I think in general "No" would be the best answer because they're somewhat unsuitable and there are videogames they could appreciate properly as opposed to GTA which they probably won't understand any of the themes. The idea that playing them makes you go and rape women is ridiculous considering how popular the game is.

 

I've always thought as an AS that some people with AS have a very strong sense of inner morality and would easily understand that the actions within the game are wrong.

[barb]

i havent posted on here much cos im a newbie, but i was surprised to see that anyone regardless of whether a child has special needs or not would allow their child to watch or play a dvd/game with an 18 on it when they are not 18. as a parent surely it is down to us to teach our kids right and wrong, my children do not use a computor without supervision regardless of their developmental age. my son is autistic with adhd and he is 10 i make sure everything he sees or plays on is age appropriate and that emotionally he will cope with what he sees and hears. sorry but i think its totally irresponsible to allow a child to watch something with an adult content. also if a child cannot relate between reality and fantasy i would have imagined the effect of seeing something so inappropriate would do far more harm than perhaps we can imagine.

 

just my opinion.

[JsMum]

i havent posted on here much cos im a newbie, but i was surprised to see that anyone regardless of whether a child has special needs or not would allow their child to watch or play a dvd/game with an 18 on it when they are not 18. as a parent surely it is down to us to teach our kids right and wrong, my children do not use a computor without supervision regardless of their developmental age. my son is autistic with adhd and he is 10 i make sure everything he sees or plays on is age appropriate and that emotionally he will cope with what he sees and hears. sorry but i think its totally irresponsible to allow a child to watch something with an adult content. also if a child cannot relate between reality and fantasy i would have imagined the effect of seeing something so inappropriate would do far more harm than perhaps we can imagine.

 

just my opinion.

 

 

Thankyou for your opinion,

 

I understand totally what your saying about parents letting children have 18 games, I am guilty party but J has still accessed 18s behind my back too.

 

The thing is labeling a violent game an 18 is also a marketing ploy because they know kids are going to want it EVEN more, just because its an 18.

 

some parents are not taking notice of the 18 lable, its not like a parent is breaking any law so why would they be worried, nearly 98 percent of games are violent but not all of them are rated 18, so even if they are not rated 18 there is still a chance its going to be violent,

 

me and Jay are finding it really hard to stick to age apropriate games, his faviourates like Spiderman, and other hero games are actually rated 12+ so that means he is still too young to play it,(nearly 12) but I made the discresion that he could play it based on what else is available and comparing the violence in other games and came to a decision he could have the 12+ game because there is a lot worse out there.

 

Were going today to try and buy some Xbox 360 games age 3+ and age 7+ but they wont interest J for long.

 

JsMum

[barb]

well i hope jay finds some games that he will enjoy playing. im sure you fill find plenty in the shops. sometimes my legs go numb from standing whilst we are in the game shop but we always come out with something in the end.

 

barb

[clair]

I have had an issue with my son playing Grand Theft Auto. He acquired a copy with a 2nd hand PS2 and has been absoloutely glued to it, so much so I had to mention to the Clinical Psychologist about it. She said that there were quite a few ASD/ADHD kids that have been known to do this lately. She asked my son why he played it and his reply went like this," Oh its ok, I don't listen to the swearing, I just drive cars and there is a truck in it". I said how I had been trying to steer him towards a different game but to no avail. I just feel bad that he is playing this game at the age of 11 and a half. It does seem to be that they like the vehicles and not the violence after all.

[bid]

I have had an issue with my son playing Grand Theft Auto. He acquired a copy with a 2nd hand PS2 and has been absoloutely glued to it, so much so I had to mention to the Clinical Psychologist about it. She said that there were quite a few ASD/ADHD kids that have been known to do this lately. She asked my son why he played it and his reply went like this," Oh its ok, I don't listen to the swearing, I just drive cars and there is a truck in it". I said how I had been trying to steer him towards a different game but to no avail. I just feel bad that he is playing this game at the age of 11 and a half. It does seem to be that they like the vehicles and not the violence after all.

 

Why don't you just take it away from him if he is only 11 and it has an 18 rating?

 

Bid

Edited April 27, 2009 by bid

[Karen A]

I have had an issue with my son playing Grand Theft Auto. He acquired a copy with a 2nd hand PS2 and has been absoloutely glued to it, so much so I had to mention to the Clinical Psychologist about it. She said that there were quite a few ASD/ADHD kids that have been known to do this lately. She asked my son why he played it and his reply went like this," Oh its ok, I don't listen to the swearing, I just drive cars and there is a truck in it". I said how I had been trying to steer him towards a different game but to no avail. I just feel bad that he is playing this game at the age of 11 and a half. It does seem to be that they like the vehicles and not the violence after all.

 

Hi.I am not sure about the violence. We had similar difficulties with games although we do not let our lads use games at home that are above their age restriction.

Ben may not understand the violence.However he certianly gets caught up in games and becomes excited by the fast pace and action.It does not have a good efffect on his behaviour at all.He becomes fixated on particular games and more challenging the more he plays them.Karen.

 

[jon79]

i think choice is down to parents responsible for their child, it is there judgement call to make. Not to be influenced by sensationalist media and other groups parties with ulterior motives to promote and profiteer from. It is not for state to dictate. It is a game not real, it is not reality. Studies are arranged to find a pre-determined outcome that certain party wishes to find in order to promote there cause.

 

Edit that is good response for me, im "on"

Edited April 27, 2009 by jon79

[purplehaze]

 

Hello everyone

 

My 15 year old son with ASD would play this game if I let him, beacause thats what everyone does at his school-but there is no way I would allow this. He already tells me he is going to kill me.

 

The problem I have is my son would think thats what life is like (and yes it is in some places) and I don't want him to see the world as a dark angry place, where you can go around and beat anyone up, asociate with prostitutes etc.

 

It's bad enough he goes to school with a load of chavs and thinks their behaviour is normal

 

 

Yes I know I sound like a snob-but I want my son to have morals and it has been a big problem to teach something when he sees others doing another!

 

I think the trampolene is better for him to get his anger out.

 

This is only from my own personal experience-and I wouldn't condem anyone elses opinions.

[connieruff]

Jsmum,

I know where you are coming from! My son got hold of his brothers Saints Road 2 game, and not only learnt how to use the controls but how to use the Xbox etc. I must admit all I saw him doing was racing cars and lorries etc, he loved it, but my eldest son saw what he was doing and told me he should not have it, as it was violent, this is when the trouble started. I sat and watched him playing the game and he was getting real enjoyment out of it. He loved the fact that he could drive around in any vehicle he wanted.

As I could not moniter him with this game the whole time I had to bin it in the end, as I used to hide it and he would find it, or nag and cry the whole time. We bought him the Cars game but this was very boring and tame. My sons eventually bought him a game which has all of the car action in it but no violence, as soon as I can find out the name of it I will let you know Jsmum.

I think gaming is so addictive and it seems to calm my son down and let him unwind. Why dont they make these games suitable for children? They dont have to include the violence do they, they would certainly sell well.

[Mandapanda]

J already has a huge difficulty seperating reality and fantasy, so I understand your point, the thing is I like to discuss openenly with J why he enjoys the game and it is the same points you have described, its a whole new world is what he said, and its brilliant is how he ended the sentences.

 

Hi J's mum

 

If J likes 'whole new worlds' he might like games like Morrowind on PC. My eldest son loves wandering around that world. There are also totally non-violent games like Schizm and Schizm 2 which have complex puzzles in too (we had to use a walkthrough for Schizm, but it was still fun, Schizm 2's puzzles are a bit more logical). There are Hot Wheels games for Playstation 2 where you can just drive around, or the Simpsons games where you can be destructive but it is not as unsuitable as GTA. The Lego games are brilliant fun - both Star Wars and Indiana Jones, when you 'kill' a character they break up into little lego bricks.

Games my youngest son likes are Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War, Titan Quest (very mythological!), Lord of the Rings games and Star Wars games.

 

It does very much depend on the child. My 12 year old watched Aliens yesterday and was absolutely fine. He's fully aware it is not real and is only a film and people are dressed up/made up to look like that. It terrified me when I watched it - but then I had nightmares after watching the Hound of the Baskervilles .

 

I did find when my 12 year old was very down, he went on the computer to 'escape' and was very obsessive and irritable. Now his mood is better he is choosing to go on the computer less and comes off no problem. So it may just be a phase that will pass.

 

 

 

 

 

[connieruff]

I decided to stop my 7 year old using his brothers Xbox, as he was becoming fixated with it, and crying and shouting at the screen. I found that I was using it as a babysitter as well, I am ashamed to say. I decided to tell him it was 'broken' and took away the cables. When I found he could not hold a pencil properly as his hand was cramped, I thought enough is enough.

After the first tantrum, and crying he soon got back to his usual toys. Occasionally he asks 'has it been fixed yet?

Now I have my son back, and also as the weather improves I think they should be outside playing. Its the best thing I could have done.

[darky]

Hi J's mum, hope you are well. I just wanted to add my bit to this discussion. It is really interesting and I can see all points. I am lucky in that my younger two are not interested in video games much. My eldest son, 15 loves them. It is difficult as a parent to know whether you are doing the right thing. GTA is one game that is not open for discussion in this house, and not just because it is an 18, but because of the content. GTA to me is a game that shouldn't be made at all let alone even be sold as an 18 as the content involves illegal activity as well as a lot of moral issues. I am not a hypocrite, my 15yr old has some 18 cert games, but I scrutanise every game that he buys. He does love shoot em ups like Halo and resident evil, and I don't mind those as much, because whilst they are deemed "violent" the content is not "realistic" and could not be applied to the "real world" if that makes sense I also use my instinct as a mother. My son is as placid as a boy can be, he also has a very sensible grown up attitude, he does fantastically at school so none of the games have a negative impact on him. If they did, I would have no hesitation but to ban him from the lot, no question.

 

My fear of allowing a child on the spectrum to play games like GTA for one thing is echolalia. My youngest son (12) repeats what he hears, and if he was to be allowed to play on a game like GTA I am sure he would repeat some of the dialogue. I don't think I want to hear him say "smack ma b**ch up" to anyone! As for them playing games without consent, I would hope that, if any of my children were to visit a friend, the parent would seek my permission before allowing any of my children to play those sorts of games in their house. I know that even though my eldest son does have a couple of 18 games, I ALWAYS check with the parents of the child visiting to make sure they are comfortable with it. If there is doubt I won't let him play them. My younger two don't see the games my son has to play because my eldest has his own room and the others are not allowed in there.

 

I do wonder about the crimes we see on the streets. The stabbings, gangs, drugs etc. They are all on the up and a serious problem. I don't think the blame can lay entirely with a computer game, but part of me does wonder if it is in part to do with the much more relaxed parenting styles that are around today. In the past, 18 meant 18 to the majority of people. Even 12a movies can be violent, and in the past, would not have been passed for anything less than a 15. We seem to live in a society where violence has become acceptable in the form of these games. I would be happier if it was just shooting zombies or aliens rather than people! Maybe the problem lays with the classification. It is illegal to sell the games to under age children, but not to play them. On the other hand, like I said before, not wanting to spoil anyone's fun, but it would be a whole lot better if games like GTA were not made at all.

[Mike_GX101]

There is a reason they're classified 18 - because they're not suitable for those under that age.

 

That said - I absolutely love these games - they're probably my all time favourite video games and I can't wait until GTA V comes out.

 

There's nothing better after a long day than jumping onto the PS3 and having a good old bit of fun in the streets of Liberty City! Immersing yourself in this dynamic virtual world is an incredible experience. Just imagining how long each frame took the developers to produce and then thinking how many frames there are in the whole game. Then there is the detail - just absolutely amazing! Games like Liberty City are worth every penny!

 

Of course it is just a game and when you've had enough you switch it off don't you and get back with real life. That's the purpose of a computer game - it's for recreation only; that means it's for fun and unwinding only.

[assmerger]

I love these games...its related to aspergers???

 

Maybe as i have no real outside life these games give me one? they let me role play in an open world sand box?

 

Another thing I noticed i do is get in a car and do circles/rings for ages.

 

I then read people with aspergers like to look at spinning objects..haha mad

[darkshine]

There's nothing better after a long day than jumping onto the PS3 and having a good old bit of fun in the streets of Liberty City! Immersing yourself in this dynamic virtual world is an incredible experience. Just imagining how long each frame took the developers to produce and then thinking how many frames there are in the whole game. Then there is the detail - just absolutely amazing! Games like Liberty City are worth every penny!

 

Have to say I agree with that.