Tommy is a nine-year-old avid video game player. After returning home, doing his homework and having dinner, Tommy spends the rest of the evening, with his parents' permission, playing video games. While excited about the prospect of a new release, Tommy begs his parents to buy him Bioshock, a game rated "M for Mature." His parents, knowing how much he wants the title, buy it from him without a second thought. Tommy is elated and spends the entire evening, until the early hours of Friday night, shooting, banging and butchering his way through the openly violent and morally gray title. As the days pass, Tommy continues to play and starts skipping dinner. Eventually, his grades begin to decline from A's and B's to B's and C's, and then get worse as the months begin to pass. His parents, sensing something troubling, begin to ask Tommy what the problem is. After sitting down and discussing things with him, he becomes defensive, rude, and disrespectful. Lashing out, he pushes his mother and runs out. Over the next few months, Tommy's parents continue to buy him video games, hoping they will make him happy and offering them a chance to escape his increasingly violent outbursts. His parents notice a more marked decline in his academic performance and his desire to eat in his room instead of at the table with them. His attitude takes a sharp downward spiral, his respect for both his parents and others frays, and causes both concern from his parents and problems from friends and classmates. Tommy's problems with school and friends cause emotional depression, leading them to see a psychologist in town. The counselor, inquiring about Tommy's home life and habits, discovers that his parents allow him to ...... middle of paper ......r in today's youth. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board is designed to combat the possibility of the wrong materials falling into the wrong hands. Parents have a moral obligation to follow these warnings and suggestions and to monitor what content their children can see. With enough negative influence in their lives as it is, children could do worse than have parents who limit what they are allowed to participate in. Instead of being their “friend,” parents need to be “parents” and provide a healthy, intelligent response. , a morally upright home in which to raise one's children. Controlling the content their children can view is just one such means of raising your children to be productive, respectful, and exceptional members of today's society. Gross Works Cited, Doug. “The 10 Biggest Violent Video Game Controversies.” June 29, 2011. Web. September 22. 2011.