I was being a total ass, openly laughing at a family that was shopping for new 360/Wii/PSP games. There was just something about their situation that struck me as so...true. I guess a big reason for my glee is that I've long been of the opinion that more "E" rated games are best suited for adults, and most "M" rated games will be most appealing to children.

But I'm getting way ahead of myself.

So here was the scene; I'm standing in line waiting to pick up my DSi, along with Manhunt 2 (on sale for $20. I had to have it, just for the piece of history it represents) and Valkaria Chronicles (every one says the game is great, and it was on sale for $30, and what's $30 dollars of debt going to do to me?).

Behind me I hear a man and a woman bickering softly about which Wii game they should buy. The woman wants that new Wii Fit rip-off from EA (Active Life I think it's called?) and the man wants Metroid Prime 3. Probably looking for a tie breaker, the woman calls to who I assume is her son, who's lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't have been more than seven.

"Come look at the Wii games with us!" she says.

"WAAAAANGHHH!" replies the boy.

"360!"

He really yelled that last part, loud enough to get the whole store's attention. It was then that I noticed that he was lying next some 360 games. He really seemed in love with them.

"No no, Craig (I think that was his name), we're already getting two 360 games today. It's time to shop for Wii and PSP games now".

"Wuah...MOM! I want Resident Evil Fi-eive!" he whined, very serious. The man then whispers to the woman "No, we're already getting him Left 4 Dead and Halo 3. That's $120 dollars..."

"C'mon mom, I want Resident Evil Fiiiuuuuughhhhve!"

It's really hard for me to not start laughing at that point, so I tune out for a bit as to not make a scene. I see the kid running around with the Resident Evil 5 box, showing it to the man and woman on and off, clearly trying to sell them on the idea that they would love it. He also tries to get the guy (Glenn?) to buy the Left 4 Dead guide, saying something like "C'mon, pleeeeez? It's got the clues you need to beat the game!" His parents (if that's who they were) did not seem convinced.

Then the kid and the mom ended up right next to me at the front of the line. They were sifting through the UMDs, which I assume they thought were PSP games, but maybe they weren't that ignorant. It was hard to tell, especially after the exchange I witnessed next.

The kid said "I want this one!" picking up Aliens. The mom calls back to Glenn, who is now behind them in the PS3 section. "Glenn?" she says, "Is Aliens OK for Craig?"

"No no, it's not kiddie enough" says Glenn. At this point, I'm openly snickering through my nose, and the family seems to have taken notice. They don't seem to dare.

"OK, how about this one? The Terminator!" says mom.

"WAT? NO! That's OLD!" says the son.

"Oh, Ok, well how about a comedy?" chimes mom, pulling out Bewitched (starring Will Ferrel and Nicole Kidman).

The kid stares blankly.

"It's really, REALLY funny Craig..." mom says smiling.

Total failure.

"Alright" decides mom "We're getting this and we're leaving" pulling Robocop from the pile, getting behind me in line.

"I'm big enough to watch Aliens..." pouts Craig, clearly dissatisfied with mom's choice.

At that point I finally bought my stuff and left, but I'll be thinking for a long time about that family. Now I wasn't laughing at the family because I thought Craig had bad parents. I don't think that any of those "M" rated games and "R" rated movies are necessarily going to be bad for Craig. That kind of stuff would certainly bother some kids, but for others, I don't think it would affect them at all.

The fun part for me was seeing the adults be so interested in the "E" or "T" rated games and "PG" rated movies, and it was he kid that was all about the "M" and "R" rated shit. I've long thought that it was kids that really love scary, hardcore games, just like it was kids I grew up with who really loves bloody comic books, Freddy and Jason, etc. According to Grand Theft Childhood, the number one most popular game series with 12-14 year olds, male and female, is actually Grand Theft Auto I don't think Mario even made the list

Of course this was just one incident with one family, but still, it was both amusing and satisfying in a narcissistic way. I' say narcissistic because for me, it's the "M" rated games I'm into really speak to the most juvenile, pre-teen side of my personality (I'm looking at you, MadWorld), while it's games like Animal Crossing that it takes maturity for me to appreciate. This family's little squabble was not unlike the conversation I have with myself when deciding what to buy for myself. The kid in me wanted Manhunt 2, the adult in me wanted Valkaria Chronicles.

Anyway, enough about me, what do you guys think? Were they bad parents, or is Craig the luckiest kid on the planet?