Kids in NS2

NailoNailo Join Date: 2013-05-06 Member: 185138Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Supporter
First off, I'm going to apologize to all of those who played NS2 last weekend. If any of you played with someone named "8 year old", well, that was my little brother and sister. I know quite a few came close to kicking my little brother simply because he had a hard time understanding or doing what he was told to do. My little brother, for example, decided he likes to be the base builder/defender as marines up until Exo's. My little siblings have a hard time understanding things about the game, and so it pains me when I see them as the only Onos on the team and I know my siblings cannot play onos for anything.

My siblings enjoyed the game greatly, in fact, I was practically kicked off my computer for the entire weekend while they played ^_^, but at the same time, I'm wondering if you guys think it is possible to have kids play this game. I could barely get it through my little siblings heads that a gorge could head into combat to heal an onos. I hoped that by naming my profile 8 year old, people would understand that it was a child playing in a rookie server and to not expect much from him, but I felt when they threatened to kick him to a point they were also right. My siblings really don't understand the concept of the game even though they do enjoy playing it. Basically what I'm asking is, does the community think we can allow for kids who simply want to play to have fun instead of playing to win?
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Comments

  • StripetailsStripetails Join Date: 2013-01-30 Member: 182644Members, NS2 Playtester
    I see no problem in play for fun. In fact, I'm a major supporter!
  • SpoogeSpooge Thunderbolt missile in your cheerios Join Date: 2002-01-25 Member: 67Members
    I've had my 5 yr old sit with me while playing and even let him manage the mouse while I managed the keyboard but I generally tend to keep him out while I'm playing. Biggest reason? Teammates tossing out Fbombs and derogatory comments of a sexual nature. You just can't mute your whole team and still be an effective player.

    The only way I can see this working is if you had a very hands on server admin and/or a team full of people you know and trust.
  • KattcattisKattcattis Join Date: 2013-01-31 Member: 182683Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    Well, Rookie server is for the ones that want to learn. You should not head into those servers and have only WINWINWIN in your head.
    If you are a pro player why not try learn people or if it is as you said, a kid of 8 years they can just try have fun.
    I have distanced myself from normal servers because they are really serious, I mean competitive warning serious. So rookie servers are the ones
    where I can relax in and just have fun :)
    So serious face people can try not go rookie servers maybe xD
  • BicsumBicsum Join Date: 2012-02-27 Member: 147596Members, Reinforced - Gold
    Try a combat server, maybe?
  • 0ni0ni Join Date: 2012-08-30 Member: 156991Members
    Hey man, kids are the future. Nothing wrong with nurturing some next gen pc gamers. ;)
    My kid is only one but he sits on my lap sometimes when I play and points and hisses at marines. XD He's also a bit of a biter... hmmm.

    If they want to play again they'd be welcome on NG, add me to steam and I'll try to be around to ask people to talk nice.
  • MestaritonttuMestaritonttu Join Date: 2004-07-29 Member: 30229Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Gold
    edited June 2013
    "8 year old"? Oh nooooo, did you just pick up internet? That sounds like a troll character miles away. If I saw someone called "8 year old" and doing retarded stuff (which is obviously what an 8 year old playing is going to look like) I too would vote yes for a kick.

    Just name them "my son playing" and put them on a green rookie server. Success all around.

    Edit: Wait they were on a rookie server to begin with? Nobody should kick anyone there, or even whine about anything. That is THE place to be derpy in.
    Edit2: Be sure to keep re-enabling green rookie name every time it expires. :3
  • BalmarkBalmark Join Date: 2002-11-01 Member: 3476Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Silver, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow
    I've no problem with new ppl playing .. the only issue I'd have is that I really don't think the content is suitable for a 8yr old, let alone a 5 yr old..

  • NailoNailo Join Date: 2013-05-06 Member: 185138Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Supporter
    @Stripetails Agreed ^_^

    @Spooge My problem was that my siblings aren't trying to be effective, they just want to have fun and kill things, plus I don't know a lot of people even on the servers I visit regularly. Cussing is a problem but at my siblings age they have unfortunately probably heard worse in school

    @Kattcattis I agree, I figured they wouldn't have an issue with a kid playing because it was a rookie server but some people even take pub games serious. :(

    @Bicsum They might like that, I'll give it a try, but I'd still prefer that they be able to play either game type without the hassle you know? :)

    @Oni Hahahaha I might be worried for your kid XD I'll take you up on that, is your steam name the same as here? Also I've not seen a server with NG before, what's it stand for? National Gaming? Nitro Gaming?

    @Mestaritonttu :O I didn't realize the name was trollish, I've never really had to deal with trolls or have ever been called one so I hadn't a clue, goes to show ignorance isn't bliss. We were indeed on a rookie server, I think it was the guns and lerks server where it was an issue. I forgot all about the green rookie tag XD I was hoping the name would be enough but I guess I need to work on it a bit :/

    @Balmark I argee to a point but I'm not their parents, I'm their older brother. Their parents have seen the game I play and know I let my little siblings play so until they protest I'm going to let my siblings have fun playing a skulk or exo as long as they want to :)
  • ScardyBobScardyBob ScardyBob Join Date: 2009-11-25 Member: 69528Forum Admins, Forum Moderators, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Shadow
    0ni wrote: »
    He's also a bit of a biter... hmmm.
    Skulk-in-Training :)

  • BicsumBicsum Join Date: 2012-02-27 Member: 147596Members, Reinforced - Gold
    Nailo wrote: »
    @Stripetails Agreed ^_^
    @Bicsum They might like that, I'll give it a try, but I'd still prefer that they be able to play either game type without the hassle you know? :)

    Understandable, but unavoidable in the realm of the internet.

    You should definitely switch to combat server though, since nobody cares what you do on it. You don't need voice chat either, so you can just mute everyone (is there an option in the sound settings? not sure).

  • hozzhozz Join Date: 2012-11-20 Member: 172660Members
    edited June 2013
    I'm not sure if 8 year olds should be playing NS2. Might give them nightmares or similar stuff with all the "monsters" and tense gameplay and whatnot. It's not a "smart enough" thing, more if they can deal with the kind of content at their age. There's a big difference to a 12 year old, for example, which I think is more or less ok. There's also a difference between playing with the kids, or them playing alone.
    I don't have kids so this is just a guess.

    Whether it bothers other people? There are worse things that can happen, not a real problem :)
  • KamamuraKamamura Join Date: 2013-03-06 Member: 183736Members, Reinforced - Gold
    I am also not sure NS2 is a good material for kids. I always switch off the monitor when my 5 years daughter accidentally wanders in when I am playing (which is usually late in the evenings). I showed here Goblins adventure games (you know, the old ones, hand drawn), because I thought it would be fun for a kid (and it was), but there is one scene in Goblins 3 where Blount is bitten by a wolf and turns into a werewolf and I know it haunted her for some time, especially in the dark before going to sleep.

    You must understand that children are subjects to archetypal, and also inherited fears, they fear the dark alone, because in our very distant cave-dwelling past, a lone child in the dark always meant something is horribly wrong. They fear claws and shining eyes in the dark and predatory animals, because that was what killed our kind. Us adults had time to build our barriers, we use games to experience our fears in a "controlled environment" we know it's "not real", and each time we die in the game, we are happy it did not happen to us in reality, but the children have no barriers and these images hit them harder than we realize. Watching my daughter reaction, I realized that the very idea of someone normal turning into a feral, beastly monster is a deeply disturbing idea that is not easily shaken.

    Remember, a little fear from a fairy tale may be harmless, but disturbing images that won't let go may shatter the child's feeling of safety, and that in turn may influence their development. After all, we all know that certain experiences from early childhood are never forgotten.
  • 1dominator11dominator1 Join Date: 2010-11-19 Member: 75011Members
    Clearly children have no place playing games, least of all on the computer!
  • CrushaKCrushaK Join Date: 2012-11-05 Member: 167195Members, NS2 Playtester
    I agree, 8 years seems really a little too early for shooters and online multiplayer in general.

    I probably shouldn't say that on my own that easily since Far Cry, UT2k3, Unreal 2, Quake, Operation Flashpoint and RtCW were what I got to play or watch my step-dad play at the age of 12-13. But I had quite a long time of experience in games before it got to shooters (started playing Gameboy and N64 with my parents before I was even able to read and used to play all other kinds of games from other genres, like C&C, Creatures, Fifa, ReVolt), so by that time I already knew what to expect from games, how they utilize their mechanics and basically looked behind the curtain.
    The first time I ever played online was around the age of 15. Before that it was at best only private 1on1 LANs with people I knew. And even then would I not dare to throw myself into an online match before having developed enough of a proficiency in the game in offline training.

    Usually kids also know what scares them, gives them bad dreams and what they thus want to avoid. It probably took me 10 years to get past the first maze in Zelda OoT because those spiders on the walls and ceilings with their iconic noises scared the shit out of me. My little sister used to watch my dad play the early Tomb Raider games, since the graphic was abstract enough and there was more puzzle than combat involved. But she would always go away on her own when he was playing Call of Duty. Or whenever there is something where "zombies" is involved, even if it's just the title.

    I am all for advocating media competence, but some stuff is really too much for that age, especially when games are getting more and more realistic in terms of graphics. And those age rating signs on games are on there for a reason.
  • NailoNailo Join Date: 2013-05-06 Member: 185138Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Supporter
    In general, yes I argee with what you all are saying, kids in general perhaps should not play this game.

    I too grew up around the n64 and Gameboy era, watching my parents play all sorts of games since I was a wee tike of 3. A game called Perfect Dark for the n64 was my first true fps. The first horror game I watched them play was for the playstation called Soul Reaver. My siblings have grown up in a similar setting, in fact, 2 of my little siblings already have 2 lvl 85 characters a piece in WoW. To say that we are a gaming family would be an understatement lol.

    Zelda OoT skeletons were my greatest fear. I didn't experience real gaming fear till Metroid prime 1 and 2. Metroid prime 2 took me forever to make it past the start. Regardless I'm vouching that my siblings can handle this game and that while its not for a lot of kids, my siblings find it just as fun to play as the rest of us regardless of whether they win or lose.

    @Bicsum Yes, there is an option in the sound menu to mute voice volume
  • RedSwordRedSword Join Date: 2006-12-07 Member: 58947Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Supporter
    Nailo wrote: »
    Zelda OoT skeletons were my greatest fear.

    One of my greatest :3

    I believe I saw your sibling; maybe a name like "MyLittleBroIsPlaying" would be better. If he was commanding, he should have talk more (I just remember a game with a slow commander in docking; on National Gaming (I believe :$ ? or TBG))
  • NailoNailo Join Date: 2013-05-06 Member: 185138Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Supporter
    If my little brother commanded a game then he did so without me knowing, I told him that it would be best for him not to command unless he did it in training vs bots. I'll give the name a try next time he comes over to play. As far as I know, he never left the rookie friendly servers, so it is possible you might have seen him :)
  • SquishpokePOOPFACESquishpokePOOPFACE -21,248 posts (ignore below) Join Date: 2012-10-31 Member: 165262Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    They are fine on rookie servers, should be self-explanatory. Just keep 'em off the mic because of the language.


    In fact, I distinctly remember playing with someone called "8 year old" a few months ago. Yes he was dead weight, but so were a lot of people almost 3 times that age. ;)
  • SquishpokePOOPFACESquishpokePOOPFACE -21,248 posts (ignore below) Join Date: 2012-10-31 Member: 165262Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited June 2013
    Kamamura wrote: »
    I am also not sure NS2 is a good material for kids. I always switch off the monitor when my 5 years daughter accidentally wanders in when I am playing (which is usually late in the evenings). I showed here Goblins adventure games (you know, the old ones, hand drawn), because I thought it would be fun for a kid (and it was), but there is one scene in Goblins 3 where Blount is bitten by a wolf and turns into a werewolf and I know it haunted her for some time, especially in the dark before going to sleep.

    You must understand that children are subjects to archetypal, and also inherited fears, they fear the dark alone, because in our very distant cave-dwelling past, a lone child in the dark always meant something is horribly wrong. They fear claws and shining eyes in the dark and predatory animals, because that was what killed our kind. Us adults had time to build our barriers, we use games to experience our fears in a "controlled environment" we know it's "not real", and each time we die in the game, we are happy it did not happen to us in reality, but the children have no barriers and these images hit them harder than we realize. Watching my daughter reaction, I realized that the very idea of someone normal turning into a feral, beastly monster is a deeply disturbing idea that is not easily shaken.

    Remember, a little fear from a fairy tale may be harmless, but disturbing images that won't let go may shatter the child's feeling of safety, and that in turn may influence their development. After all, we all know that certain experiences from early childhood are never forgotten.


    To this day I am still terrified of porcelain dolls.
  • BentRingBentRing Join Date: 2003-03-04 Member: 14318Members
    @Nailo, I was the jerk that threatened to kick "8 year old" yesterday on the Tactical Gamer server. ;) As Mestaritonttu mentioned that sounds like a troll name from a mile away, especially when there is another player on the same server with the name of "9 year old" and both are silent on voice and text. With the server rules about communication I was forced to check for a response when a couple of folks complained.


    As far as the general question goes, the reasons I would hesitate about letting my children play this at 8 would be the same reasons for any online multiplayer game.
  • amoralamoral Join Date: 2013-01-03 Member: 177250Members
    keep them out of the chair and I'll be happy, invariably you'll have teammates that go 0-11 most matches, so it matters little their age.
  • IronHorseIronHorse Developer, QA Manager, Technical Support & contributor Join Date: 2010-05-08 Member: 71669Members, Super Administrators, Forum Admins, Forum Moderators, NS2 Developer, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Subnautica Playtester, Subnautica PT Lead, Pistachionauts
    Age shouldn't matter, Imo

    I learned how to read with pc games like "reader rabbit" and would quickly navigate through DOS to run Doom II when the parents walked out of the room...
    I grew up with the Hexens and Quakes and mech warriors ... Didn't matter how violent or weird.
    And I still ended up acing every honors /AP English classes in life :-P

    I've also watched my own nephew grow up the same way and am now convinced that video games have nothing to contribute to any poor result in behavior or life, unless of course if its all you do in life.
    I suggest early training for early hand /eye coordination and reflexes.
  • NailoNailo Join Date: 2013-05-06 Member: 185138Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Supporter
    @BentRing, you are by no means a jerk and I apologize for not being aware as to what names were/were not trollish. My little brother told me about you and I managed to reply before you really did kick him. Being in a 3rd grade kinda puts him in a disadvantage as far as typing. Thankfully he can read and we averted any kicking. I've gotten 2 suggestions as far as a different name goes, do you have one in mind that would make it recognizeable that a child, not a troll, was playing?
  • NailoNailo Join Date: 2013-05-06 Member: 185138Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Supporter
    @Ironhorse I still have all of the mech warrior series ^_^ and I argee, I was and still am a very avid gamer and still am a straight A student for the most part, even in college.
  • amoralamoral Join Date: 2013-01-03 Member: 177250Members
    Nailo wrote: »
    @BentRing, you are by no means a jerk and I apologize for not being aware as to what names were/were not trollish. My little brother told me about you and I managed to reply before you really did kick him. Being in a 3rd grade kinda puts him in a disadvantage as far as typing. Thankfully he can read and we averted any kicking. I've gotten 2 suggestions as far as a different name goes, do you have one in mind that would make it recognizeable that a child, not a troll, was playing?

    let him Mic for half a second, that'd remove all doubt. it might even soften trollish hearts.
  • ChizzlerChizzler Join Date: 2013-01-04 Member: 177532Members
    edited June 2013
    I can't say for certain that kids should or shouldn't be allowed to play games like NS2 (it's really down to the individual, it affects some more than others) but I can say that by 6 I was playing the original GTA and Warcraft 2 and I've turned out fine. Obviously graphics have come a long way since then and it'd be harder for children today to draw the line between virtual and reality, but I don't believe (in most cases) it'd cause any issues. My biggest concern would be the language they're exposed to online which they could pick up.

    As for their abilities to understand and contribute to a team, let the kid play. Some kids are crazy talented and could actually be very good at the game. I'd never stop a child playing a game due to their skill level. Keep to the rookie servers, off the mic, and at least initially, they should be under supervision so you can see how they're responding to the events in-game.
  • HamletHamlet Join Date: 2008-08-17 Member: 64837Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited June 2013
    At the end of the day NS2 is a competition. Mutually-exclusive goal attainment (I can only win if you fail). It's even the harder version: My team can only win, if we make yours fail. For the length of a round you are my enemy I try to defeat. Competitions are well-known to bring out the very worst in human behaviour. You don't unite people through some "friendly" competition - it's the fastest way to divide them. [mp3]

    If your siblings are turning NS2 into their personal MineCraft experience, why don't you let them play MineCraft?
    That's a game where fooling around is the whole point of the gameplay.

    Or introduce them to the Portal 2 Multiplayer Campaign?
    It's no competition and you win if you help each other and cooperate because BOTH players have to cross the finish line to make it to the next level.
    I think it's virtually impossible to generate a single drop of bad blood with Portal 2. There won't be wall-hackers or cheaters in Portal 2. They would be spoiling their own fun.

    NS2 on the other hand is well-proven to bath you in buckets of bad blood:
    Let's go through the (e)motions, shall we?
    Your sibling on my team = dead weight (and that's putting it friendly)
    A teammate helping your sibling on the opposing team = traitor
    Your sibling not reacting to any text or voice based orders = Can't he read? We got server rules against that!
    Your sibling hopping into the comm chair and fooling around = EJECT THAT §$%&ing RETARD ASAP! THIS §%& TROLL IS LOSING US THE GAME!!

    ...I guess you caught the drift.


    PS:
    Chizzler wrote: »
    [...] by 6 I was playing the original GTA [...].
    My biggest concern would be the language they're exposed to online which they could pick up.
    You can tell you are dealing with Americans when they complain about the language while committing vehicular mass murder for bonus points.
    Man, do I think you have it backwards...
  • BicsumBicsum Join Date: 2012-02-27 Member: 147596Members, Reinforced - Gold
    I think I'd rather have my child play "adult" video games than watching "tv" nowadays.
  • KwisatzHaderachKwisatzHaderach Join Date: 2012-02-06 Member: 143872Members, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Supporter
    0ni wrote: »
    ...he sits on my lap sometimes when I play and points and hisses at marines. XD He's also a bit of a biter... hmmm.

    You should be worried about those missing lower incisors. They usually come out first...
  • NeokenNeoken Bruges, Belgium Join Date: 2004-03-20 Member: 27447Members, NS2 Playtester, Reinforced - Shadow, WC 2013 - Silver, Subnautica Playtester
    Since when is 8 years old too young for first person shooters? I was gunning down Nazis in Wolfenstein 3D by that age, and I turned out fine, right? RIGHT?
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