Orange Box for my son?

[Niode]

He is 11.

I'm not too concerned with violence as long as it isn't too graphic and realistic. The sexual content concerns me and so does the language if it is heavy.

I don't remember much in half-life but then I didn't play it that much and I heard portal was not bad so I'm guessing team fortress is the main offender?

Heck, my 10 year old cousin and I play Timesplitters and a few other M games but your son should be just fine.

Timesplitters is pretty tame compared to Hl2 though. It's basically cartoon violence and the gunplay that gave it an M rating rather than it being anything particularly subjective.

[dsheinem]

http://www.neoseeker.com/resourcelink.html?rlid=105554

Ctrl-F found no Fuck

[swiftzx]

He is 11.

I'm not too concerned with violence as long as it isn't too graphic and realistic. The sexual content concerns me and so does the language if it is heavy.

I don't remember much in half-life but then I didn't play it that much and I heard portal was not bad so I'm guessing team fortress is the main offender?

Heck, my 10 year old cousin and I play Timesplitters and a few other M games but your son should be just fine.

Timesplitters is pretty tame compared to Hl2 though. It's basically cartoon violence and the gunplay that gave it an M rating rather than it being anything particularly subjective.

The other M games we play are:
Halo
House of the Dead
Resident evil 4
Call of Duty
Sonic

[HellHammer]

I really don't think a 11 year old should play the Orange Box, except if he only plays Portal.

This.

Everyone should play Portal.

[Anayo]

I played Half Life 2 and Portal. Personally I'd feel comfortable letting an 11 year old play it. Most violent part is a zombie getting set on fire and screaming in agony. Otherwise the violence is about the same as 007 Goldeneye. The language is about the same as a PG-13 rated movie.

[Xonticus]

I remember getting the original half life when I was about 10 or 11... both are mature rated titles and had similar "scary" parallels... but ravenholm in hl2 as mentioned goes a little above even 6 years later...

The only thing I would be concerned about are some of the somewhat heavy humanity situations you face in the later parts of HL2 and going into the episodes... I don't want to spoil anything because I think EVERYONE should play the Half Life series, but it does tackle facing life and death situations surround you and strangers, which heavily influenced the COD series style narrative.

Basically, there are mature situations that come into play within the story that tugs at your emotions when being put in situations with familiar people in the story. That is probably the only thing I can see as to why this collection got an M rating.

In the end, I would recommend that you at least buy the game for yourself and try it out, maybe even play it through before you let your son play it. If you are into FPS's at all, I can almost guarantee you'll enjoy this title even if you don't deem it appropriate for your son.

[ZeroAX]

I played Half Life 2 and Portal. Personally I'd feel comfortable letting an 11 year old play it. Most violent part is a zombie getting set on fire and screaming in agony. Otherwise the violence is about the same as 007 Goldeneye. The language is about the same as a PG-13 rated movie.

I just think letting a kid play a game where you realistically kill people with a gun isn't good for its mental health. Kids really shouldn't be exposed to violence as a form of entertainment.

[Erik_Twice]

I think that he is a bit too young but not much I would say that those games are PG-13

Unfortuntedly, video games aren't seen as something as worthwhile as movies or books and the rating system is controlled by lobby groups meaning that a game is either for everyone or a "murder simulator" without any ratings in between. If you really want to know if a game is suitable or not, I suggest you to look for a couple of videos on Youtube.

I think everyone played Counter-Strike and Half Life when it was released so many of us played them when we were 13.

[dsheinem]

jp1: Did you just tell me how to run my family?
us: It might important to know about the violence in the game and our opinions on it

[PAUSE]

jp1: One night, I'm gonna come to you, inside of your house, wherever you're sleeping, and I'm going to cut your throat.
us: What? What are you taking about? Have you gone crazy jp1?
jp1: Did you hear what I said?
us: I heard what you said, why did you say it?
jp1: You don't tell me about my son.
us: Why are you acting insane and threatening to cut my throat?!
jp1: You don't tell me about my son.
us: I'm not telling you anything! I'm asking you to be reasonable, if I've offended you I apologize.
jp1: You'll see what I can do.

[jp1]

No, I did ask if it was appropriate or not. That question kind of beckons the opinions about content. I also have a problem with the realistic violence portrayed in games like COD which is why I asked. Sci-fi and Fantasy don't bother me because I think there is a separation from reality that makes things more like a game and less like a murder simulator.

However, I also know that my kids are growing up in a world where a lot of the questionable content that I would like to keep them sheltered from is going to become a very real part of their reality. I don't really think it will work to be like "Now you are 18 it's time you know about sex, violence, and cursing."