It depends on the kid. Some are more mature than others. I can see MW2, but not Saints Row and GTA. That is too much. He should wait intil he is about 13 to 15 years old to start playing those.

True. It also depends on the parent. If a parent wants their kid to be seeing nudity in GTA and violence in MW2, that's the parent's decision.
However, there has been some controversy over if some games should be banned for sale to minors even if the parent says it's OK, but the controversy is still ongoing and so far nothing has been said for sure. For now it's what the parent sees fit.

Well, I have been playing violent games since 7, and I'm still fine. So my guess is it depends on the kid.

Looking at today's video game popularity violence has been the thing everyone wants me I hate violence in video games and c'mon we all know shooting games today a extremely generic and I was to much of a b**** for violence or blood when I was younger so I'm scared of violent games.

I agree with the posts about it depending on the child's personality but I also believe parenting is a large part of it. I will let my children play games that I feel they can handle, depending on their sense of the world, what is right and wrong etc and their level of maturity. My brother and I grew up playing pretty much whatever we wanted, and watching horror movies. We were both intelligent enough to know that things that we did in those games/saw in those movies weren't things to do in reality. It's all subjective, but I plan to raise my children the right way so video games shouldn't effect the type of person they are, apart from being a gamer. =)

If the kid is mature and can handle violence, gore, or what ever else the game throws out at the player, you might as well let the kid play it. I mean if the kids still afraid of their own shadow you may want to keep it on the rating guide lines until they mature a bit. As far as being able to purchase games,I feel as though a parent should still be buying the games that their children are not old enough to buy for themselves,parent(s) should at least look into what the game has in it.

if hes nine than its not so bad i knew someone who played those games when he was 6 and he wasnt so bad at it

It depends on the kid, as a kid I had a pretty messed up life,and there were more important  things than video games,and I got really smart very quickly I knew pretty much everything that my parents were going to say and I knew what was going on like if my parents were cheating or something like that I knew by the age of 8 or 9 and I was really intelligent I was put in National Junior Honor's Society at the age of twelve, but I was never able to go there because of everything going on with my family. My family was never able to save up money and would live in hotels, or with friends and other family members like my uncle. Video Games didn't have any influence on me, but it was fun to play them every once and a while,and I would read sometimes too.

The problem is seriously the way there introduced into violent games.. its mostly from other kids at school, parents hardly sit down with there kids any explain whats right and whats wrong before letting them play a game.

Playing halo, people are raunchy the way that talk and act, then you run into a 6 year old kid. Why do parents let their kids play online, you have to know whats going on. We know you hear the language and the way they treat your child.

thing1 : To be honest. I think games like GTA aren't games you should wait until you are 13 or 15 for, no matter how mature the kid is. Those games are pretty messed up and when I have children, they aren't touching games like GTA until they are 18 and out of the house. 

I played tons of M-rated games as a kid, and I think I turned out fine. Granted, that's anecdotal, but I'm hesitant to say "it depends on the kid" because . . . who makes that judgement, you know? Ultimately, I think an older person should be involved, either by playing the game or just watching the child as they play, and talk to them about it, and I feel that way about any other medium, like movies and books. Some parents aren't alright with it, though, and that's fine; it's their decision to make.

Grand Theft Auto sure was fun, though...

EDIT: Oh, but I do think they should stay off online games unless they're playing with someone they already know. Not because I think everyone on the Internet is a pedophile like so many concerned parents seem to, but a) because they can be really obnoxious and it kind of ruins everyone else's good time, and more importantly b) because there's just something different about hearing real people say some of the things that they do over online chat compared to hearing even the raunchiest of dialogue or even seeing graphic things in a game. I don't know, that's just my two cents.

These games are rated M for Mature and it is not suitable for kids. Same as some of my friends. They should not even touch or play these bad games. It is just wrong.

It depends on the kid. Some kids can stay in reality and keep the game influence out of there real life judgement. Other kids totally get absorbed into the game and it starts effecting their outside real life decisions. 

I'm sorry but some of us people dont really see what the point is that you are trying to make.

Its pretty over the top. You know, it would be a bit helpful if the guys selling the game would ask what the game was going to be use, and "for my 5 year old son to play it" wouldn't be a great idea.

Dude no offense but you shouldn't judge what other people let there kids do  now I'm only 14 but my mom bought me a ps2 when I was 3 and ive been playing rated M games the whole time and I don't even cuss I haven't my entire life my favorite game when I was 9 was gta San Andreas also I know the difference between right and wrong they are just fun to play and honestly wouldn't you rather have your kids play gta than doing something worse in real life ?