Linkage

Blame the parent not the video game

One of my closest friends is called Jortal online. Jortal rents a house and in that house he lives with his boyfriend, his brother and rents out to a single dad with a 7 year old boy.

The dad is not up for dad of the year honors. He lets the kid stay up until midnight-1 am on non-school nights and play video games not appropriate for his age.

One of these games is my current favorite City of Villains. In the game you play a villain working your way up the ranks by doing various dastardly deeds. Gaining super powers (think Spider-Man but e-vile) and playing with others online. It is a violent game. One I would not let any 7 year old play.

Yesterday while he was playing the game Jortal notices he is fighting mobs (characters/monsters run by the computer and not another person online) that are below his difficulty level.

Jortal being the avid gamer automatically gives the kid advice not to fight the mobs that are so below his difficulty level they do not help you gain experience to gain more power as the game goes on.

The child doesn't understand this so Jortal made an analogy. He basically told the kid since you are in first grade would you want to go back to Kindergarten? The child said no so Jortal informed him fighting those mobs was going backwards like being sent back to Kindergarten.

Realization seemed to dawn on the young lad.

Yesterday Jortal walks in the house and the kid runs up to him and says,"I had fun killing kindergarten mobs yesterday!" Not exactly something you want the to say. No imagine if he said that in school...

Edit: Today while Jortal was at home recovering from knee surgery he was hanging out gaming online. In walks the kids dad he tells Jortal while driving down the road the kid turned to his dad and said,"Dad, I REALLY like killing Kindergartners!"

...this is why parents censor what games their younguns play.

~The Dad