I doubt Ghost Recon is the gib-fest that a game like Doom or something is. Chances are, it’s just a simple FPS+strategy game that got rated M because there’s blood in it. There’s plenty of games out there with just as much or more violence (Medal of Honor Frontline for example) but are only rated T because there’s no blood.
Simple regarding the game, find out about the game yourself. Check out the game’s website, check out sites like ign.com and gamespot.com, and then decide.
I think someone else said it, but Ghost Recon is more a simulation of small squad tactics than an in close and personal shoooter. Half the time, I didn’t even see the other guys when a member of my squad fired and knocked em off.
I guess this might be the time to step in and say folks may differ in terms of exactly how much simulated violence we feel is appropriate for a 6 year old.
Some folk do not even want their kids to have squirt guns, let alone toy pistols.
Others have no problem with the kids running around the neighborhood playing cowboys and indians, or cops and robbers, but would prefer that the kid not spend hours in front of a screen playing a game where the object is to kill the opponent. Even if the level of gore portrayed is minimal.
And others are careful to screen PG, PG13, and/or R movies before letting their kids watch them.
Every parent has to draw their own line. And I doubt any absolutes can be said about the validity of different lines.
But 6 year old and relatiely non-gory M vid game seems pretty close to a clear no-no to me.
During and after my divorce I was in therapy. One thing I remember the therapist saying to me is that even if I’d stayed married I’d have to come to terms with the fact that ex and I had different thoughts about child rearing, or more simply Moms and Dads are different.
So what? When my blood statrs to boil and I’m sure he’s just doing it to piss me off I remember that conversation with her and can calm down enough to say “I dont’ think Dumb and Dumber is the right thing for a 4 year old to watch.” instead of “You unbelievable --------! What the ---- is the ------- matter with you???”
I’ve ben reading a pretty good book called “Taking the High Road” about dealing with an ex who doesn’t want to be easy to deal with.
Yours sounds like a higher end jackass than mine, and frankly that’s not easy to be. If our son had invited him to dinner my ex would stay and be critical of the food. I hope you kicked yours in the shin when he said he had to take Mike trick or treating.
When my parents split my dad just disappeared. I’ve spoken to friends who grew up with weekend arrangements though and they all seemed to have figured out how to manage their parents at very early ages. Sad but true.
I let this kid play with his folks permission, some violent video games & also watch the Teenage Ninja Turtles & one time the school called & told us he was waving his sword at the other kids. Eventually he did turn out rather violent.
Hmmm… Personally, I wouldn’t let a little kid play Ghost Recon (I think it’s rated M 15+ here) not because it’s too gory (though I wouldn’t say the gore’s good for them) but because they wouldn’t enjoy it and probably not understand it.
GR is an extremely realistic war/squad simulation game and a child of that age would probably just get in then die off. Not a child’s game, it’s too complicated to start with.
My (a bit of the old) ultra-violent cousin of 4 years plays Halo and I still shudder everytime I see him smash a monster’s brains into the wall. Then again, his dad let him watch “Blade” at three years old. Gave him nightmares for weeks.
Also, I find this “my dad got me gory films” funny because I used to bother my mum to get me violent films, who’d let me watch pretty much anything I wanted (with the execption of some of the really gory ones).
Just to add a little more confirmation: I checked with my 12 year old, who has played an x-box version of Ghost Recon. He definitely feels it is too violent for a 6 year old. He said the terrorist sequences would be too realistic. As a protective “mom-type,” I think it’s too much for a 12 year old–but we compromise after discussions. He’s reading this while I’m typing and just said “good one mom.”
He wanted me to say 13-year old son, but he’s not 13 yet. Will be soon, though. 
I have a 6 year old and the most violent computer game I let him play is “Learning to Read with Sesame Street.” Occassionally we go wild and play “Clifford the Big Red Dog”
Eh, I played and watched pretty much whatever I wanted when I was a kid and didn’t turn out too violent. I certainly wouldn’t reccomend the approach though.
Your son may have thought this up on his own. In his eyes, Dad moved away, got involved with some other woman, and would rather play with Mike. He’s probably worried you’re going away somewhere with Sauron.
A child of 6 SHOULD NOT be playing Ghost Recon any more than he should be watching a movie like Black Hawk Down. It is filled with gun related violence and adult (non sexual) situations. I am an avid adult gamer and I love these games, they appeal to me as an adult rather than as generic entertainment. Therefore I really, really hope to see a solid rating system which parents can use reliably. In this case they nailed it right on, it is rated M for a good reason. My fear is that foolish legislators will insist on trying to ban my games because they will claim the rating system is not enough to protect children against being exposed to violence.
Yes!!
No worries, cuz. The First Amendment protects games from being banned completely, and two U.S. circuit courts have overturned laws banning the sale/rental/etc. of violent games to minors.
I’ll go out on a limb and disagree. The real problem here is not that the kid is playing Ghost Recon. If the PS2 version is anything like the PC version, it’s less violent than G.I. Joe and probably far less interesting to a 6 year old.
The problem is also not that the kid is playing games with realistic depictions of violence. I would much rather have my kid see realistic “guns cause dismemberment, bleeding, and screaming” violence than the cartoony “guns/swords/lasers magically make bad people go away” violence they see on TV.
The problem is that the kid’s father knows the kid is uninterested in the game, but makes him play anyway. Doesn’t matter if the game is Ghost Recon, Grand Theft Auto, Ape Escape, blackjack, or Battleship.