Rated M for Mistake: Why Parents Are To Blame

I was about 10 years old the first time I played a gory, violent game. That game? Mortal Kombat, at the arcade of a Tampa Putt-Putt. It was my best friend's birthday party, and the group of us was amazed at the blood, the weaponry, and the sheer brutality taking place. We couldn't get enough. Quarter after quarter were dropped into that cabinet, and we talked about MKII for weeks on end.

In the ensuing 17 years, I've played countless more M-rated titles. Killer Instinct, Turok, Gears of War, God of War, Halos left and right, Calls of Duty high and low. Even abominations such as BMX XXX and Leisure Suit Larry. And let's not forget hundreds of hours spent playing various Grand Theft Autos on three different platforms.

So what happened to me? Did I become a drug-addicted criminal, unable to keep a steady job? Have I smacked women around, stolen cars, and become a cultural degenerate? In a word, no. I graduated college, got a full time job, my own car, my own apartment, and have spent zero, count 'em ZERO days in jail. I have my mother to thank for that. She made sure school came first, and checked in on me once in a while, to make sure I wasn't getting out of line. I was raised right. I learned the difference between the real world and Vice City.

Parenting in America is getting worse and worse each day. Blame a number of factors, from bad education, unplanned pregnancies, the economy, technological distractions, whatever you like. Parents are not the same in 2011 as they were in 1981, and you could say the same for every generation. These parents are begrudgingly buying mature games in hopes of shutting up their whiny brats. The kids go home, hop on Xbox Live (since the PSN is borked) and spend weeks shooting other teens from around the country and world.

These days, parents aren't always there to check on Timmy to make sure he's playing nice. Enough time spent alone in a bedroom, shooting up aliens and terrorists, will take its toll on a young mind. Then, one rough day at school is all the spark that's needed to ignite the fire. Little by little, they get more angry at n00bs and teamkillers. There's only so much anger that can be taken out online. Eventually, it trickles into the real world. It may be something as little as a 7-11 robbery or stolen car. But often, it becomes a violent attack on an animal or person, or much worse.

I support legislation that has been proposed to ban the sale of M-rated games to those under 17. But that won't solve every problem. Some parents will buy the game, either ignoring the ratings sticker on the back of the box, or hoping to shut up Timmy for as long as possible. Until parents are properly educated, through television and magazine ads or in-store displays, this problem will persist.

There's a double standard in the entertainment world. Hollywood can keep churning out bloodbaths and borderline smut films, with no repercussions. Well respected actress trots around naked for two hours? OSCAR. Soldiers stab and shoot enemies, stacking them into bloody heaps? $70M OPENING WEEKEND. Evil mastermind tortures teenage victims for six consecutive movies? BLOCKBUSTER HOLLYWOOD FRANCHISE.

Arnold Schwarzenegger played a killing machine in at least three different movies, and California elected him governor! How quickly we forget...

Recently, a stat came out saying one in eight homes in America have a copy of Black Ops. So that means we have a country of murderous teens on our hands, right? Wrong. What we have are millions of kids having fun in fantasy worlds, escaping the real world. And if they don't have a strong parental figure keeping them in check, reminding them that it's all just a game, then it's not the game designer's fault when things go bad. That's mom and dad's fault.