What They Play tours parents through Liberty City

by Xav de Matos { May 12th 2008 at 1:00PM }

Two weeks later and it seems Grand Theft Auto IV has yet to lose its luster.

What They Play has become a well known source of information for parents that strive to involve themselves in their children's favorite hobby. While the site has been an important voice against gaming detractors for some time, its cause has become even more relevant since the release of Rockstar's epic journey and subsequent tar & feathering.

In a continuing series of written facts and video examples, What They Play has compiled everything parents will need to examine before they allow their children near GTA IV. Videos outlining the extent of gunplay, language and sexual content found in the game are a handful of examples that can be found on the parent focused website.

While the feature and site has proven to be an important source of information, we hope the future of What They Play includes expanding into other languages to keep the parental knowledge base on an even "playing field" across the globe.

Tags: grand-theft-auto, grand-theft-auto-iv, gtaiv, rockstar, what-they-play

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

AnOffday @ May 12th 2008 1:17PM

This is fine as long as they provide truthful information, rather than flat out lies. Let's hope Fox News isn't in charge of the site.

Xav de Matos @ May 12th 2008 1:19PM

What They Play is co-founded by former 1UP.com site director John Davison.

Bucfann @ May 12th 2008 3:16PM

What they are trying to do is great. Really, it is. But the fact of the matter is, parents that care, already know enough to not let their kids play this game. The M rating says it all and is enough for some parents to say NO, and if the parents are already involved with their kids and REALLY care, they know and monitor what games they are playing. They dont let their kids lock themselves in their room, with no clue as to what they are doing. Also, the sound of "Hooooly shit!" and "F$ck!" coming from pedestrians would be hint.
This is great, but it doesnt do much good. The parents that need to be aware of it and check it out wont do so. Because they dont care. There what you call BAD and CLUELESS parents. Matter of fact, its safe to say that the percentage of parents that fall into this category is massive. You know it, I know it. Heck, someone reading this, your parents may be this type.
Part of the reason we have so many screwed up people in this country is do the simplest thing. Parenting and the lack of it.
So sure keep up this project but I am not expecting any results from it. Like I said, good parents dont need this, they already use common sense and are good enough of raising their kids and caring. Bad parents, this has no impact on because they suck and just dont care. Theyd rather raise hoodlums that will do more harm than good to this society.

James @ May 13th 2008 3:34PM

You need to read some more GamerDad. The fact is, there's no bright line in the sand. This isn't made to help people with 8-year-olds, it's to help people with 14, 15, 16-year-olds who *might* be ready to play a 17-year-old rated game. The ESRB descriptors can only convey so much, and there sure won't be context or descriptions of counterbalancing artistic merit.

Say that your kid is in their mid-teens and has watched Aliens and some "mature" action movies like The Professional or Pulp Fiction. They might be ready for BioShock at age 15 or 16, even though it's rated M, and the artistic merit of the game might offset some of the negative impacts of the graphic violence or mature moral choices. Or, your 15-year-old could be an ADHD fuckup who would just run around trying to stick a power drill into his little brother. Only you, the parent, know the difference. And you can't make good decisions with just the information you get off the back of the box.

D Boy Flex @ May 12th 2008 1:41PM

Personally, most people by now have heard of the GTA series, and really, it is not going backwards in terms of content. If you look at the ESRB ratings for all the GTA games, including the original ones, each subsequent game has a longer and longer list of markings against it. point is, who cares anymore? It has been come to be expected the games are gonna be violent and bloody and sexy and all that, so get off it. The game hasn't changed. I guarantee that when the sequel to 4 comes out, on whatever console it may be on (360 hopefully), it is gonna be rated just the same, with likely something more tacked on top, yet people are gonna go A wall over it, just like now. People just need to get off it and move on. We have all heard your opinions 50 times now and saying it one more time on Fox is not going to convince me otherwise.

Don't know, I am just sick of hearing all the bad rep it is getting. We know what it is like, things have not changed and they are not going to change, so get over it and find something else to report on (aimed at Fox and CNN and other mainstream media, not at X3F, FYI. You guys do great.).

Goobzilla @ May 12th 2008 2:16PM

Isn't this an M rated game? Perhaps parents should do the responsible thing and not let their kids play it instead of complaining how bad it is for kids.

Puntachu @ May 12th 2008 3:53PM

I agree, but it's at the parents discretion what bahaviors their kids have access to. Every kid is different. I think thats the intent of the site, letting the adults see exactly what is and isn't there, so they can make a better informed decision about the games their child plays.

I always played whatever I wanted, but some things were obviously more or less appropriate (even within the same ESRB rating and content warnings). It really needs to be taken on a per child or per game basis, and this helps to that end.

Boff @ May 13th 2008 5:34AM

My thoughts exactly. GTAIV carries an 18 rating in the UK.

Why are parents even letting their kids play it? And if they are letting them play it, then what's the point of that website?

It has an 18 rating for a reason. It's not fucking rocket science.

Not having a dig at the What They Play website, just annoyed at ignorant, hypocritical parents.

jaybird1905 @ May 12th 2008 1:59PM

People here in the US of A only care about one language ...

AMERICAN!

:)

ZEBRA NINER @ May 12th 2008 2:31PM

Damn straight! USA! USA! USA! ;)

Trekster_Gamer @ May 12th 2008 2:08PM

I am all for peoples right to enjoy this game and play it, I just think that so many parents have no clue about this game and let there children play it. It's not the game companies fault, this is America and they have every right to make this game. Parents need to wise up and take a bigger interest in what there kids are playing.

dylan @ May 12th 2008 2:51PM

Will they warn parents of the dangers of carpal tunnel syndrome from having to tap A to move anywhere in the game?
What developer thought that was a good idea? "more tapping = more fun!"

Cass-D @ May 12th 2008 2:54PM

I'm a gamer and have two boys 6 & 7. I don't let them play anything over a E10 rating and even the E10 I have discern what is causing this rating. I would never let my boys play GTA4, Halo3 or COD4. Any parent not paying attention to these ratings and what their kids want to play. Well.. I hate to say it but are they really being a parent or just a knee jerk reaction parent, "Oh Shit Timmy don't do play that! - oh and don't repeat mommy okay?"

Funny thing is my oldest son one day just starting saying damn for no reason, like it was just part of his vocabulary. I had a talk with him and later that same day I found out why. He was playing an E10+ game, Sonic Dark something and the character was saying damn. Needless to say My judgement was that it was sonic the hedgehog how bad would E10 be? I figured it was cartoon violence. Turns out I was wrong the game is no longer in my house.

I would love to smack the shit out of those parents that buy their kids GTA4 and then complain about it. Wake up!

RollTideRoll12 @ May 12th 2008 3:01PM

My father-in-law bought San Andreas for his girlfriends 16 year old twin boys.

I told him those games weren't for them and he's part of the reason GTA gets such a bad rap.

Parents not using their head in what they buy childen.

his response, "well they wanted it"

whoopty freakin do, now you're an numbskull who gets walked all over.

He got mad

James @ May 13th 2008 3:37PM

I've met a few 16-year-olds who were probably ready for R-rated movies and M-rated games.

I've met tons and tons of them that aren't, though, and I bet if they were raised by a parent that answers "But they wanted it", the twins you're talking about probably fall in this latter category.