Sorry for multiple posts.

Movie and game are different experiences yes, but in that regard movies are much scarier/bloodier and give a much bigger(yes my grammar sucks) feel of reality than games, wher you know that you controll it all.  How many times have you been scared/startled in a game? Probably one or two times? Maybe you haven't been really scared in a game at all. For movies that number is probably higher.

Yes, and I argue that ratings for games are skewed. Maybe some pansy girl(sorry feminists ) will be scared by a bloody explosion in  COD4, gamers will certainly not. For movies the ratings are ok, but for games like Halo(and COD4), its stupid. Yes, I played it, and I can't think of something that would be really bad for a 13-year old.

Also fear isn't always bad, I saw a M-rated movie about child soldiers, and I certainly was disgusted by it(wording?), as were my parents. But I didn't get nightmares of it, it made me think, really think about these issues. The M-rating was certainly correct, since other people would prolly react differently to it, but I fear or disgustion isn't always bad. If you don't see/do something scary once in a while, you'll grow up as a coward .

You mean you'd let a kid play a first person public execution? Nuclear Death from a ground eye view?

And let's not forget CoD5 - which features real live video of actual executions. That's something for the kids alright.

I let my 14 year old have grand theft auto for his DS. He paid for it with his money, and I have reviewed the game manual. When I suggested the hot coffee mod he said "No, I don't like coffee". The point I "m making is I'm the adult, and I made the call. The store would only sell it to me.  My enjoyment of computer games may have clouded my judgement. This may be your friends fathers point of view. If he's not into games or god forbid computers he will never think any game is worth playing.  

Yes. We've all seen Saddam hanging no?(Oh, the civilized world).

Nuclear death? You mean some VIRTUAL burnt bodies? They are not real, and we the average teenager understand that.

I didn't play mcgee, but it sounds like fun actually.  Could you elaborate why it creeped you out?

Psychoak: I agree.

P.S. Don't no know nothing about COD5.

Actually Call of Duty 4 is rated M correctly i think. The modern setting implies that a political stance in the game cannot be avoided that is relevant for today. CoD5 is about a part of history, that is another thing if displayed correctly.

CoD4 is just set in a fictional setting but very close to actual political situations. This is critical i think and it needs a bit of maturity and knowledge to be able to fully disconnect the game from actual politics. CoD4 just doesnt ask questions about the motives. You are out to kill. You have fun with it, it is cool because of the fancy equipment you are able to use that really exists. You view the world trough an black and white display and look at the huge explosions you cause on the ground with small toy soldiers flying around. Yeah it is that much fun and you almost forget it shockingly looks the same in real life. You control a kind of video game like device while the monitor does not reveal or plays down, that it is actual kids and families ripped to shreds down there. In CoD everything is easy. What you do is just plain right and fun, no moral questioning. Killing sleeping defenseless people in their beds? No problem, thats cool, thats war, man. These suckers all do wear beards and turbans, thats a legitimation, isnt it? If it isnt, calling them terrorists does the job. 

What i wanted to tell you that there may be cases these games really can distort perception of things mattering in real life choices (like political decisions) and i believe it does need a psychological maturity to be able to disconnect enough from these influences. Especially the younger ones may not understand what i mean, having the opininion "of course i know its a game, why should it influence me?".Its the same with people saying "I know they want me to buy it, so why should i buy it because it is advertised? I am not affected by advertisement". Billion dollar commercial budgets speak of another picture.

I tell you that these influences do not have to be conscious in nature and are especially problematic in a part of your life where your character and personality still has to be formed by outer experiences and events. In some cases i do understand the ratings, in others not (like in the Requiem for a dream example brought up here)

Right, SO BACK ON TOPIC:

He's definitely mature enough, and lets face it people, I'm not talking about something like Gears of War or GTAIV, I'm talking about HALO.  Come on people, this game was originally going to be T (until ESRB found out that the Marines swear a bit if you hang around them for too long just prior to the release of the Original Halo).  And seriously, FLood Blood doesn't count for anything.  Its like looking at a pile of vomit, which obviously isnt bad unless youre queesy.  You have to really look for the blood in this game to find it.  The only really bad thing is violence, which really is only a problem if you are 10 or below.  He's not a very serious gamer either, He just beats the single-player and plays a couple hours of XBOX-Live every week.

And for COD, its the exact same thing, especially when you turn off blood and gore effects.  Thats what I do too, and it just makes it like a T Game.

My final arguement against you nay-sayers is that it isnt photo-realistic like a movie.  The fact that your actions are limited and there are minor graphical issues here and there shows that its just pixels.  You'd have to be really immature to get scared or believe its real (except in the case of F.E.A.R. or Bioshock).

I'm not even kidding, he's probably smarter than almost all of you when you were at his age.  So yes, he is potty-trained, can scratch his armpit better than a newborn chimp, etc.

And I also need an arguement stating that shooters are not pointless and stupid.  Or an arguement saying, So What?

Yes, shooters are not the most cerebral of genres out there, but neither are MMOs, some RPGs, some sports games, and possibly CnC (considering you can just win the game through a tank rush). But still peole, its supposed to be FUN, and thats what recreation is about.  Plus, if you tax your brain too much then it does have a habit of degenerating.

And for those of you who doubts this kid's intelligence and responsibility, I'll give you an example.  We do a thing called Science in THe NEws for our Advanced Science Class.  You basically type up a 2 page report on some recent scientific event.  You are given four weeks.  He does this on the first or second week it is given, as do I for that matter.  And he consistently gets an A on this assignment.  Additionally, he has an A in all of his classes, so I should think he would be fine.

As far as the social aspect goes, hes fine.  He is a good swimmer and loves sports.  He has got plenty of friends, definitely a fair bit more than me, since I spent a ton of time reading and learning, so I have a habit of discussing things people dont care about like Global Warming, Climate Change, Political Corruption, Etc. (which really bothers me, considering its supposed to be a gifted class, but then again I guess these people want to have fun in the short-term and haven't realized that they can make a difference even at this age).

So thats about it, keep at it people!

You've obviously already made up your mind. What's this thread for then?

Best response so far and very true. My dad didnt go with those lame ratings. Sure he told me there was some stuff i couldnt watch and sometimes i got told to close my eyes when it got to gory. But he took time to watch movies with me and put em into a context.
That went for alot of stuff. We used to go out with fireworks when i was younger, actualy bothering to teach me some respect around that. So when i was out alone with the friends it wasnt me who joked or dared about how long you could hold a lit firecraker(those that will remove fingers) in your hand becouse i knew better, i didnt go back to em either and i didnt light em in my hand.

I actualy remember once my dad, my little sister and me couldnt get in to see the golden eye bond movie becouse some guy checking the tickets at the cinema saw me and my sis was below the age limit. My dad got pretty mad about that.

I'd say his best bet is to try to make a deal with his father, tell him he will maintain a 3.0, or whatever, and explain to his father that he knows the violence depicted in the games is inappropriate for every day life, but that it's not an unreasonable ammount to allow him to be exposed to in light of his understanding of the fictious nature of it.  And as far as the games being pointless, don't even try to argue the fact, but instead point out that if he does maintain an agreed upon GPA, then he's spending suffient time on homework and studying that he can afford to waste time doing something pointless.