Border Crossing

On a recent road trip down to NYC for the long weekend, MJ and I were customarily delayed a little extra at the border control due to my non-Canadian status. The conversation with the patrol officer went a little like this:

Officer: What is your status in Canada?
Me: I’m on a work permit.
Officer: And what kind of work do you do?
Me: I make videogames.
Officer: Made any famous videogames I might have heard of?
Me: Well… perhaps. My last big one was called Mass Effect? [...] It’s kind of an eighties sci-fi story in a similar vein to Star Tre…
Officer: Is it rated E for Everyone?
Me: No, M for Mature. It’s quite grown up.
Officer: [Indignantly] Well I’ll make sure my kids never get to play it.
Me: Well you make sure you do Officer, so you can carry out your job as a parent with every bit the efficiency of your day job.

OK, so the last line only played out in my head as I nod politely lest I wish to follow up with “Step on the gas!” and and ensuing police chase all the way to the Big Apple, but it’s one of the few times I’ve witnessed first-hand the ignorance of opinion that all videogames are for children. When are these parents going to finally get it that they are in fact QUITE RIGHT to ensure their kids don’t play senior-rated games? That’s the whole reason the ratings are there in the first place.