Rapper 50 Cent Gives Parents His Two Cents

By Frank Ling, GN Writer Wednesday, November 23, 2005 Rapper 50 Cent, a.k.a. Curtis Jackson, said in an interview with Reuters that he believes his new video game, “50 Cent: Bulletproof”, would not only be ok for kids to play, but that he heartily recommended the game so they could learn “life lessons” from it. The game, which is published by VU Games, has a rating of “M” for mature (17 and older) and has a storyline in which our hero goes against crime syndicates, in search of the scum that shot him. He offs as many of the buggers as he can, and loots their dead bloody bodies for cash in order to buy more weapons, fighting moves and videos. His friends from the ‘hood accompany him on his mission of snuff, armed and ready with weapons such as saw-off shotguns and pistols. This ain’t no Mickey Mouse Club, that’s for sure. 50 Cent explained, "Just because it [50 Cent: Bulletproof] is rated Mature doesn't mean you shouldn't buy it for your kids. Play the game and explain to them what they are playing." This sounds pretty good, but some people are having a slight problem with kids seeing the looting of the dead bodies, blowing people’s heads off, blood splattering all over the place, drug use, swearing and the “bullet view” feature of the game which allows the gamer to have an on-board camera view of the bullet sinking into the head of the punk that was just blown away. Picky, picky, picky. The game, in all seriousness, looks to be an excellent game as it incorporates fighting moves, a deep story line, and lots of action. The point of contention, of course, is whether 50 Cent’s views on kids playing this game are valid. If parents explain the contents of the game to their children, will they really learn “life lessons” from the game? If so, what is learned? The issue goes beyond “morality” at this point. What seems to be at stake here is whether or not children can or are affected by themes that are adult oriented. Should there be a line that should not be crossed or should there be a line at all? At this point of the argument, no one seems to know for sure.