I'm looking for a sandbox game in the same vein as Grand Theft Auto 4. My parents believe that GTA IV is too violent for me, and that it also contains too many inappropriate themes. I've been looking for a satisfactory alternative, but I can't find one! :-\ I can't get Saint's Row (usable drugs), I can't get Crackdown, and I can't get Mercenaries 2. Got any suggestions?
Guys, I don't wanna pirate the game. Also, even if I managed to get the game from ebay, I wouldn't be able to play it, because my 360 is hooked up to the living room TV, and my parents don't want to move the 360.
Darn. Oh, well. Man, I really want GTA 4. :'( It's the freedom it gives you, man. No, not the freedom to run around killing people. Not the freedom to screw every hooker in sight. No, I want to drive around a copy of New York, go to the comedy club, and just explore. I guess it's wanderlust. It runs in the family.
I dunno, Zeke. For one, I'm not comfortable lying to my parents. Also, my parents are smart; they'd figure it out.
Sit your parents down and say you understand that it's a violent game, and you're mature that it's all a game, and not real life, and if needs be, they can restrict your # of hours played per day. Thats a start.
To Teddi: I've already spoken to both of my parents about GTA 4. My father is more worried about the cabaret and the strip clubs than he is the violence. And my mother seems to believe Jack Thompson. :-\ To Light Yagami: I've played Morrowind and Oblivion to death. I haven't gotten STALKER yet, and I'll be sure to look into Deus Ex.
Ok. I'm going to be civil here and I want both your parents to read this. About the cabaret and strip clubs. You never see full nudity, and I don't recall seeing partial nudity. It's pixels. Now why he has concern for that, i don't know. Sex sells. Don't be a prude is what I'm saying here. You're long pass innocent (the internet took that away) and the world is growing up. Its either now or never. Do i have a problem with someone under 10 playing it? Yes. Why? Because they haven't seen enough of the world. 12 - 18? No. They're old enough to understand that bigger things are going on. It's pixel porn. Not the real thing. Therefore there is nothing to be scared / concerned about. To your mother: I'm being incredibly civil here and I'm not going to swear (I rarely do to start with, however Jack Thompson is a topic which annoys me). But Jack Thompson has been proven to actually be insane, and the guy has admitted his own mistakes before. If you're going to believe him, then please believe every other nutty belief the world has to offer. Jack Thompson is insane, retarded, and i could go on getting worse. If you're going to believe a man whose own wife threatened him with divorce because he's so obsessed with trying to earn money from these companies (yes, he's suing them on idiotic grounds) then please, be my guest. But note this - My respect for you, and others has probably been beaten to a pulp right now because the world knows he's an idiot. You may be thinking right now, he's a rather rude asshole, but I'm not the one believing Jack Thompson and his idiotic world. Bottom line is this: If your son is old enough to understand that there are conflicts in the world, knows right and wrong, you have no reason in which you cannot let him buy / rent / attain / etc this game. If you don't like it, either leave the room, or set a time limit, or buy him a TV, whatever. You're limiting an experience which could well help him understand life better, because games do help people. They can help you learn (regardless of what JT says, they cannot tell you how to shoot, as you're holding a controller, not an actual gun). People go crazy because of stress and trouble. Games do not cause this.
Thanks, Teddi. I'll try to get them to read your post. However, I'm sort of worried about how my parents react. They don't exactly hold you guys in high esteem. Though my dad is rather relaxed about my involvement in this gaming community, my mother thinks that if I play videosgames too much, I'll fail school. I've never received anything lower than a B+ on my report cards. To Corran: Yeah, Jack Thompson's an idiot. I'm glad that he's facing disbarment.
Deus Ex actually teaches you (If you have a certain point of view) that the world isn't in black and white and your choices make your future.
Your responsibility to study. If she trusts you with money, she trusts you with your life. If they don't hold gamers in high esteem then they're forgetting that we're real people as well. I have income, I have a girlfriend, and i enjoy life. And you know how much work i put into [BB]. It's called time management. I'm concerned about those who play too much, and show them the thread about concerns Here Gaming is a viable income by the way.
Alright, guys. Thanks for the advice. I'm going to show Teddi's arguments to my parents, and we'll see what happens after that. Again, thanks for helping, and if you have any more suggestions, feel free to either PM me or post in this thread. Also, I think that this thread here should be stickied. Just my opinion, though.