Allowing kids to play 18+ games

[Bizdustry.com]

Some parents and guardians to pay attention to the age restrictions and guidelines provided by video game rating systems. Some parents believe that they are in place to make sure that their child is safeguarded from harm. What do you think about allowing kids to play 18+ games?

[Shortie]

18+ games are something that I am very cautious about when it comes to allowing my children to play them. My two eldest are old enough now to make that decision themselves but my younger two I tend to not allow unless I have played the game myself and I am happy that they can play it without running into issues.

For the most part, though, I tend to avoid 18+ games for my younger two. 

[Uncrowned Guard]

I have always felt like there is an odd disconnect between game ratings and movie ratings.  I have seen firsthand many parents that at set on not allowing their kids to watch an 18+ movie but Call of Duty is perfectly fine to play as a game.  I'm not sure if this results from a mindset that all video games are like Super Mario or something, but it does seem fairly common.  Personally, I try to limit our kids based on ratings, but generally I feel that most ratings are slightly too high.  

[Excommunicado]

You haven't lived life if you haven't played an 18+ game as a kid. It's character building, you have to let nature take its course. I will not be restricting my kids to that extent; of course I will not be exposing them to indecent or inappropriate material but on most games, it is a minimal part of the game.