I'm a gamer of 16, and I've recently had my eye on a number of M rated titles. The problem is, my parents are pretty resistant to violent games; I had trouble even covincing them to get me CoD MW. It's not like they've got a ligitimte reason to prohibit M games; I've t good grades and don' get into trouble, but they remain steadfast. To convince them once and for all I'm mature enough to play all the great M games out there like Bishock, Assassin's Creed, and RE4, I wrote them an essay,defending my position. I figured I should try to get a mature game by being as 'mature' as possible. Here it is:

(I don't actually have anything about GTA, but I had to make some of the milder games look tame by comparison)

Mature Rated Games

In today's world, video gaming is becoming an increasingly prevalent pastime, popular among an ever increasing demographic. Because of rapidly advancing technology, video games are able to deliver faster, sharper, more realistic, and often times more violent experiences than ever before. But at what point does the content matter of video games become unacceptable? Under what circumstances is this content matter acceptable for a teenager? Some people are of the opinion that some video games, specifically mature (M) rated ones, cross the line, exposing teenagers to disturbing amounts of violence, gore, and swearing. Others are of the opinion that under the right circumstances, the content matter of most video games is acceptable, and generally speaking, harmless. The answer is a mixture of both opinions. While most video games, including M rated ones, are no more detrimental that most contemporary films of comparable ratings, there are video games that endeavor to replicate the most brutal violence possible, with no purpose other than to give players an excuse to be violent (*cough* Grand Theft Auto *cough*). Ultimately, most M rated games are acceptable for teenagers under some circumstances.

So, what are the circumstances under which a teenager should be allowed to play M rated games? First of all, the maturity of the teen in question is of paramount importance. The person most apt to gauge the level of a teen's maturity would be his or her parents. Maturity is a very important factor in allowing a teen to play a mature rated game, because it will largely determine how the teen will react to the game's content matter. A mature teen will understand that the game he's playing doesn't necessarily have any base in reality, and as a result, the actions taking place before him are not in any way fit for the real world. He will not be influenced to change his lifestyle in any radical way, because he understands that the game is only a pastime, and not linked to his real life. Some people argue that actions taking place in a video game, like violence and intense swearing, will eventually manifest themselves in the behavior of the one playing the game. While this concern may not be entirely groundless, it certainly does not pertain to an individual able to discriminate between behavior appropriate in a video game, and behaviors appropriate in the real world. A mature teenager should have at least enough sense of identity to know what is acceptable of him and what is not. One very important aspect of a teen's maturity that is very apparent is his preference to video games. There are acceptable video games, and there are video games which a mature individual would not play because they only engage in violence and profanity for the sake of said violence and profanity. Such an unacceptable video game is 'Grand Theft Auto'. This series of games puts the player in the role of a gangster, and no matter the arguments made to support it, the basic premise of the game is to act like a gangster – to shoot people, steal cars and generally complete such violent objectives. There is no underlying theme or atmosphere anything other than anticipated violence, and absolutely nothing akin to a moral. This is not the case with all M rated games. Many M rated games use visuals such as blood only to increase the emotions felt by the player, to increase the overall emotional investment in the game. Such a game is 'Bioshock', in which the player explores an underwater 'utopia', where calamity has struck. The only brutality in the game serves only to increase your emotional attachment to the overarching mystery of what has caused such tragedy to befall the fallen metropolis. The most comparable medium would be cinema. Often some of the most poignant and moving films forsake a larger audience in favour of exposing some of the more controversial aspects of the story, including violence. The violence in most 'credible' films isn't there to elicit screams of bloodlust from the audience, but to make the audience develop, as before, an emotional investment in the story. Many films, such as 'Blood Diamond', couldn't achieve their desired message without the shock of the realism that blood or violence simulates. This doesn't make the film any less of a medium for expressing art or an idea or message; it just means that squeamish people or immature individuals might not react to the content matter appropriately. Many parents allow their teenagers to watch these movies, because the movie isn't about the violence, it only uses the violence to enhance its message, but prohibit them from playing similar games. Another example of a video game that uses mature subject matter to enhance its message is 'Fable'. In this M rated game, players are forced to make morally based choices that influence their future. For example, if the player chooses to steal or murder as a young adult, the imaginary world in which he lives in, as well as his appearance, will reflect those choices when he grows up. The city will be dilapidated and corrupt, full of thieves and prostitutes, and he will have a sickly glow about him, and he may even have horns. Similarly, if he made good choices when young, then as an adult the city will be a bustling metropolis. Other games use mature subject matter to portray historical accuracy, such as 'Assassin's Creed'. The player plays as Altair, an assassin during the Third Crusade in the twelfth century. Many games use it to establish a desired atmosphere, that can be used to set the tone for the game in order to make the player feel something, such as fear, apprehension, mystery, etc. Basically, mature subject matter isn't always an indicator of a lowbrow piece of media (although it can be, as evidenced by the 'Grand Theft Auto' series). Ultimately, violence in video games can't be judged any differently than it would be in another media, such as cinema. A good indicator of the maturity of a teen wishing to play an M rated game is whether he or she wants to play the game just for its violence, or whether he wants to play the game for its story or gameplay, which the game simply uses mature subject matter to enhance.

Another circumstance under which teens should be allowed to play M rated games, is when they are willing to play under the conditions that their parents set for them. Because the teen is living in his parents' house, and possibly sharing the space with younger siblings who might not be mature enough for the content matter of the video game, the teen must be willing to compromise. He must be willing to play only when such siblings aren't in danger of being exposed to the mature subject matter, or else in moderation, at the discretion of the parents. He must be willing to only play games approved by his parents. This responsibility must reciprocate to the parents too, however. They must to some degree have trust in their teen's judgment, and be willing to compromise to some degree in order to accommodate their teens, just as they would expect their teens to understand and respect their wishes. This definitely doesn't mean that parents must forsake their morals just to accommodate their teens; it only means that they should try to reasonably compromise where they can.

The final condition that teens must meet to play mature rated video games is that the game must not compromise the atmosphere of the home. First and foremost, the home is a living space, a space for the whole family. At all times, all members of the family must feel comfortable and secure in their home, and if a teen playing a video game is preventing someone from doing that, he must be willing to stop, and play only when there is no danger of this. This category is the most integral of the three, and incorporates components of the preceding circumstances. For example, if the mother of the family is constantly worrying about what her teen is being exposed to, even while going about her normal activities, the video game has made her feel insecure even in her own home, and this is unacceptable. In order to achieve a good atmosphere in a home with mature rated games, there has to be trust, and understanding by both the teens and the parents of what subject matter is in the video games, and what the subject matter is used for. The parents must have trust in the teen's judgment as to what he is mature enough to deal with appropriately. There must be trust that the teen has properly communicated the subject matter in the game. There must be trust that the teen will take care of himself; that he will not overplay the game to the extent that his schoolwork is compromised or that he becomes overly antisocial. There must be trust and communication so that the teen is not resentful, and understands the restrictions his parents set for him in terms of the game. There must be trust and communication so that the parents do not feel like they have been taken advantage of, or that the teen is not properly acquiescing to the terms they have set for him. Achieving this trust between both parties ensures that neither feels insecure, and neither must worry about the other. As far as subject matter, the parents must have a clear idea as to what kind of violence or swearing there is in the video game. They must be aware of whether or not this violence is just there for the sake of violence, or if it's there to heighten the game's message or purpose, whether it be realism, historical accuracy, a moral, an atmosphere, or to evoke an emotion. On that note, the parents must approve of the game's purpose. Many would feel that violence in movies is justified, because it is an accurate portrayal of real events, or because it is used to establish an emotional connection between the audience and the story. In order to be unbiased in their judgment, parents should compare the subject matter to other media, like films that they approve for their teens to watch. They should try their best to remind themselves that video game developers consider their work an art form, and the subject matter in their eyes is there only to enhance the art. Of course, this is by no means always the case, and parents should by all means prohibit teens from playing video games like 'Grand Theft Auto', which appears to have been developed by people who can only barely restrain themselves form becoming criminals themselves. By establishing trust and mutual understanding, parents and teens should be able to collaborate on a way that the teen can play the video games he wants, without compromising the atmosphere of the home, assuming he is mature enough.

Acceptable mature video games can be safely enjoyed by teens. They should only be allowed, however, if the teen is mature enough to deal with the content matter, if the teen is willing to compromise and play only as his parents wish him to, and if the video game can be played so that it doesn't jeopardize the atmosphere of the home for other members of the family. Video games are such a new form of media that there still exists with the older generation a stigma about them, usually because that generation doesn't have any experience with the new kind of media. This doesn't mean that was once unacceptable should now be universally embraced, it only means that ideas are being presented in new and, to many, alien ways. It falls to the younger generation, as it did with the generation of film and television, to convince their predecessors that the new media is acceptable and multifaceted.