the boys have been at their dad's for almost two weeks now, i get them back on sunday. got to speak to them on the phone today, it didn't go well.
alex, "mommy, daddy lets me play quake on the computer"
me, "alex, you can't play that game, you're too young"
alex, "i'm a big boy"
me, "alex, i'm serious. that is not for young boys, it's not age appropriate and you shouldn't even see that, much less play"
alex, "you're funny when you talk like that"
UGH. true then got on the phone and told me that he likes to play too, but that the monsters are scary.
"put your father on the phone now," followed shortly by, "what are you thinking? they are 5 and 7, why would you let them play or even see that disgusting game?"
ex, "well, there's a lot of bad stuff on tv"
these are my sweet, beautiful children. they play pac man, galaga, dig dug, mrs. pacman. quake is a first person shooter game where your score and winning is dependent on how many evil aliens you kill. you fire weapons and chunks of flesh blow off. it's graphically a sophisticated game, and i know it too well because i argued with my ex about it BEFORE WE EVEN HAD KIDS.
he's forty fucking years old. i don't know what i'm going to do, but i'm thinking sending a letter and carbon copying it to his parents (since they still believe he's father of the year), my attorney, and whoever else will take it. i went on google images looking for bloody images i could send with the letter, but had a hard time capturing the carnage. if anyone has the ability to send me some freeze frames of that game, please email them to me at the address to the left. and i truly want to hear your honest opinion about this situation in the comments or by email. what would you do in my shoes?
as a side note, many of the websites that show stills are age protected, you are supposed to be 17 to enter those sites. why isn't this obvious to lord dumbass? I HATE ALCOHOLICS. they ruin the world one life at a time.
now i'm taking the day off and going tubing in the land of dash and feisty. ya'll be good, and leave me your thoughts on young boys and interactive video violence, pretty please in the comments. dissent if you must, but know i'm going to tear you up when i get back here monday.
have a great weekend!!
Posted by shoe at July 21, 2006 06:58 AM | TrackBackHi Shoe,
I found your site via lemonsandlollipops. I could not agree with you more. I have a friend who plays that game and its gruesome. I found one picture that you could use. You can see it here.
Good luck on the ensuing battle.
40 years old and playing games like that, no wonder he's your ex!
Posted by: tony at July 21, 2006 06:50 AMWhat a jackass. Just because you turn 40 doesn't mean you get more common sense.
We're looking forward to seeing you, darlin'.
Posted by: Dash at July 21, 2006 07:14 AMTrue, just as your Ward Clever says, "there's alot of bad stuff on TV." But apparently not enough for his kids.
All responsible parents know just how deficient Hollywood's moral lessons are, and feel the need to supplement with interactive games that teach their impressionable darlings how much fun it is to splattering people. Just think how much better Ricky Nelson might have turned out if Ozzie (instead of taking the boy down to the malt shoppe to talk about his girl troubles) had just handed him the controls and said, "Go ahead -- blow the bitch away!"
Posted by: Bob at July 21, 2006 08:59 AMI wrote about this on my site. Your trackback feature was being difficult.
Posted by: Dana at July 21, 2006 09:44 AMThat IS quite young to be playing that game. Some people have no sense. Oy.
Posted by: Lisa W. at July 21, 2006 10:15 AMWhen I turn 40, I WILL know everything...just in case you're wondering.
Bwahahahahah!!!!
Posted by: Yabu at July 21, 2006 08:11 PMCan't find graphic images of Quake? Gotcha covered...
http://thundernroses.typepad.com/Quake4_screen.jpg
Now, I'm very much against the whole "ban violent video games" meme but your kids are waaaaaaaaaaaaay too young to be playing that game. Your ex is simply a dick. Sorry to say it but he is.
fyi - that image is from the most recent version of the game (Quake 4) and your sons may have been playing an earlier version of the game. Earlier versions are no less graphic but the visual detail isn't as good.
Man... I wish someone would have let me play those games when I was just a young grasshopper! ;)
Not a cool thing, letting the little men play that shit.
Posted by: T1G at July 22, 2006 09:27 AMYabu - So you'll go from knowing nothing to knowing everything? Yeah sure! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!
Posted by: Denny at July 22, 2006 11:36 AMThanks Denny, I'm delinking your ass. Your papers are not in order.
Bwahahahahahahah!!!
Posted by: Yabu at July 22, 2006 01:26 PM'Pup has that game and plays it occasionally. I don't even like being in the same room when it's playing. Yuck.
You're ex should have to control a classroom of kids that play games like that. It's not pretty, it's not fun. The problem is that kids tend to take the visuals and the game into "real life" games at recess and after school.
They seem surprized sometimes when they get hurt.
I've the same complaint about the WW Wrestling. Four, five, six and seven to ten year olds tend to think that every thing they see on the tv is something that they could do.
It was bad enough when the guys (and a few girls) tried to fly like Superman. That usually resulted in enough bruises or bones broken so that the connection was made.
Now, instead of trying to fly, the boys try to shoot everything and everyone.
Sigh. Sorry to have gone on so long. It's one of my pet peeves.
Posted by: Nancy at July 23, 2006 01:13 PMTake it two of you share custody. May I suggest you mail letter to lawyer first? If person were to notify ex of suit for sole custody, inlaws pissed. THEN-you send letter to them. Seems to me alcoholics should hardly be allowed unsupervised visits. The letter may help prove it in court.
Posted by: Nancy at July 23, 2006 10:25 PMOh honestly.... {{hugs}} They will be home soon....
Posted by: Richmond at July 24, 2006 09:19 PMNo doubt. I let my 17 year old play, but that young? I think not.
Posted by: Richard at July 26, 2006 03:41 AMWith three boys, we have some games in this house I have raised an eyebrow at... but Quake is NOT one of them. Good Lord.
Posted by: Bou at July 26, 2006 08:42 PM
