Is TSTO appropriate for a 9 year old?

There is something that occurred to me since I posted my initial response: how do you deal with telling the kid "no" when other parents are letting their kids play games that you don't approve of.

Yes.

People are too sensitive if they say "No." I played Grand Theft Auto when I was 9 and first saw porn when I was 9, too. I like to think I turned out relatively normal.

Now, I wouldn't encourage any 9-year-old to watch porn, but Tapped Out? No problem.

At first I was going to vote "Not sure", but after thinking back to when I was that age, (I was an avid reader myself, reading at an eleventh grade level), I decided to vote "Yes". There was so much movies, music and books that I consumed that after revisiting them as an adult I was like, "Holy crap! How did I miss that?". Chances are if she "gets it", she already knows about it and it won't be anything new. Otherwise it will just go over her head.

I think it really depends on individual maturity level. Some nine year olds probably shouldn't play tapped out. Not that it would be traumatizing or anything, but certain things might upset them, particularly Halloween events and such. Most nine year olds would probably be fine, but it does depend. Sounds like your niece probably wouldn't be upset by such things, though.

Much of the more adult content I can think of is tied to premium characters (Otto, Dr Nick, Princess Kashmir) so if that's a strong concern, it's easy to keep out of her game by simply not buying her donuts. Yes, there's a free stripper as well, so I know that's something to think about.

One thing to consider is that this might actually be a good way to start a dialogue with her about important life issues if it makes her curious. Maybe she'll ask about strippers if she gets that far, and her parents can tell her that some women do this for a living, and discuss life choices and so on. Just a thought. Probably a better way to go than her stumbling across it on some dark corner of the internet in a year or two.

if she's old enough to watch the Simpsons, then she's definitely old enough to play a Simpsons game.

Re: Nelson's mom and the Strip Club - when I was seven years old my mother was in a production of the musical 'Guys and Dolls' and she played a stripper. At school my teacher got me up in front of the class and told me to tell everyone what my mother did. I was beyond mortified so red-faced told the class "she cooks and washes dishes." The teacher had actually wanted me to tell them my mother was an actress.

Two years later, however, I enjoyed telling everyone my mother was a stripper. At age nine it was really cool!

thatdonald845 wrote:
I voted yes as I've recently been working with a drama group of kids around that age. I don't think that the content of TSTO is problematic - there is no really bad language (like you would find on television) or disturbing stuff like you would find in a newspaper (or on the internet).

I'd rather that kids of that age found more beneficial pastimes than gaming, but if they are going to waste their time gaming it is better to play TSTO than those death, blood, gore and horror kill-fests that the kids I know like.

Even tough I voted, 'no,' I can understand the logic behind this post. Yes, this is, by far, a 'lesser of two evils'.

I think my reason for voting, 'no,' was because of the dialog. There have been a few times when it shocked me, (mention of an orgy, for example), and for that reason I couldn't vote, 'yes,' in good conscience.

And I realize that I would be shocked at what's being said in the playground. (When my daughter was 11, I was friends with the school librarian and was shocked to find out that there were kids that age with STDs. YES!! SHOCKING!! But sadly, true.

But why add to that unnecessary education? You can't keep them little forever, but you don't have to speed things up, either. :)

(Yes... I'm a mom.)

The main reason I would be concerned about a child playing this game is not to do with 'adult' content but rather with the insidious promotion of gambling. In TSTO, you win EVERY TIME you buy a scratch ticket, be it ordinary or premium.
This unrealistic portrayal of the odds of winning subtly implants the notion in a child's head that gambling is a good way to get easy money. Problem gambling ruins lives, and this belief is at the core of it.
The game consistently promotes gambling as being a desirable activity that always generates income and never causes problems. In the early stages of the game when you need money, you are a fool not to avail yourself of every opportunity to buy a scratch ticket because you will always win. You can win at least 4 times a day, every day, if you buy a scratch ticket at every opportunity. It is hard to counteract this kind of positive reinforcement with a 'little talk' about gambling in the real world and a discussion of the mathematics of odds. It is true that you can lose at Springfield Downs, but if you bet on the dog with the lowest odds, you will win a lot of the time.
On the other hand, the game doesn't promote stripping or other 'adult' concepts as being especially desirable, and it's not that hard to discuss these things at a level appropriate to the child's age (although defining an 'erotic masquerade' might be a bit of a challenge when talking to anyone, child or adult). The visuals that accompany these tasks tend to portray the characters involved as unattractive and a bit sad (For example, Mr Burns' 'Host an erotic masquerade' and Mrs Muntz's outdoor task - can't remember its name - Dance of the Bee, perhaps? It involves her in a bathrobe). I can't imagine anyone, even for a second, feeling that they'd like to become a stripper because of Mrs Muntz's portrayal in this game.