Violence Contained Within Video Games...

[Mike0341]

I have been lurking around for a while but this is my first post.



Many may know that the Entertainment Software Rating Board is an unregulated entity that rates video games based off of their content. However, many do not know that they could give games an Adults Only (AO) rating, yet rarely do for consoles. Furthermore, AO rated games are considered suitable for ages eighteen and older while Mature (M) rated games are suitable for ages seventeen and older. Why the one year gap?



Additionally, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony will pull the license of a game if its given an AO rating. To further keep AO rated games away from the consumer most retailers prohibit the sale of AO rated games.



As a parent I find it interesting that content that is given an AO rating instead of a M rating contains sexual content yet typically the same level of violence as the M rated game.



So with that in mind:



Who thinks the ESRB should reevaluate their rating system?



Who believes that retailers and console developers should allow AO rated games to be sold to adults so that future games that are considered violent do not get rated as M for the sake of sales?



And, since I believe parents know what is best for their children, who would by a game like Call of Duty for their child if it was rated as AO instead of M?





Hope everyone has a happy holidays

 

[page16]

Hi Mike,

I can't comment on games because I am very much against them and feel that kids should be playing outdoors

I just wanted to post here though to welcome you to the forum. Make yourself right at home. Glad you stopped in and posted.

 

[Mike0341]

Thanks for your reply.



I agree. I grew up without such distractions and believe my son will be just fine without them as well.

 

[Wickett]

Oooo boy, what a good post, I'm glad other people (especially parents) are noticing this because this is something I've been frustrated by for years.

Just to start off, I am very much a gamer. I love my video games as a past time once my responsibilities are done. Usually at night as I'm winding down before bed. Even as an adult I stray away from most rated M games because of their content. It's just something that I do not personally care for. The ESRB is completely whacked, and like most things, have become way more lenient as time has gone along. Like a lot of "kid" TV shows and movies, what is now acceptable did not used to be. Shrek, for example. No way would I have let a kid watch that. The discrepancy between rated M games and AO games is also present between T for Teen and M games. I have seen the ESRB warn against sexual references, drug and alcohol use, gore, violence, gambling, and it was still rated T. It's all messed up, and the reason for it is simple. New games are measured against and compared to other games, and since they have progressively gotten worse, the ratings are now more liberal. I can't remember the name of the game now, but it was a console game headed to the Xbox 360 and PS3, and it was so graphic that the ESRB gave it an AO rating. They pulled the game, took out the one sexual scene that made it AO, and called it M. It was still gross, still disturbing, and just as perverted as it was to begin with.

So now for your two questions:

1) Allowing AO games would not help at all. One, they wouldn't bring the same sales so they'd trim it back to make it an edgy M instead. Two, as games get worse, M will still be bad, as well as some T.

2) I wouldn't buy my kid Call of Duty period. I do think that yes, some parents would stop and say "No Billy you can't have this", but too often times parents think they know more about their child than they actually do and just brush it off. "Oh that's just a label, he can handle it. He knows it's just a game". Right, sure. Okay.

If you're a vigilant parent, just do a little homework. Look up reviews about the game before purchasing. Look up the trailer and understand the content. It's not that much work to insure that your kid is safe while they enjoy their hobby in moderation.

 

[TabascoNatalie]

I'm not so much against violence in the games, more about content and context. War/history is pretty much allright, but criminal lifestyle is a no-no. For example i'm quite fine with kids playing Assasin's Creed, but Grand Theft Auto is pretty vile.

 

[Wickett]

I'm not so much against violence in the games, more about content and context. War/history is pretty much allright, but criminal lifestyle is a no-no. For example i'm quite fine with kids playing Assasin's Creed, but Grand Theft Auto is pretty vile.

I wouldn't consider Assassin's Creed historical, but otherwise I agree. I personally feel that the Grand Theft Auto series is the most disgraceful thing the video game industry has ever seen, and it certainly gives it a bad name. Sigghhh, at least kids still like Pokemon. Can't go wrong there.

 

[Mike0341]

I play video games frequently as well, yet do not allow my son to do so unless we are playing together. Not due to the violence but due to the fact that he can easily go ride a bike or run around outside.



I completely agree with your posts. Thanks for the responses.

 

[Wickett]

I play video games frequently as well, yet do not allow my son to do so unless we are playing together. Not due to the violence but due to the fact that he can easily go ride a bike or run around outside.



I completely agree with your posts. Thanks for the responses.

Not to sound rude, but where does that logic come from? That's like telling your kid he can't smoke while you're lighting a cigarette. You don't let him play on his own down time ever unless it's with you? What's the reasoning behind that?

You're welcome, I have very much enjoyed this thread.

 

[singledad]

Who believes that retailers and console developers should allow AO rated games to be sold to adults so that future games that are considered violent do not get rated as M for the sake of sales?

The way you explained it, the main difference is that AO has sexual content, while M is just violent? So would it really make a difference to violence in video games if they allowed the AO games to be sold to adults?

Or did I misunderstand your explanation?

And, since I believe parents know what is best for their children, who would by a game like Call of Duty for their child if it was rated as AO instead of M?

I wouldn't buy it either way. Not because I intend to ban them from my home, but simply because if they are old enough to play those games, they are also old enough to get a part-time job, earn money, and buy it for themselves. (I take the age restrictions seriously - games like that are not suitable for impressionable children!)

 

[TabascoNatalie]

I just can't take age restrictions seriously. Leaving aside GTA and CoD, things like racing car games are 12+ or even 15+. Spiderman or Lord of the Rings are 16+. Well...

Back to original topic, games aren't always bought in official shops. They can be downloaded, borrowed, given away, sold in a flea market -- i don't think changing rules to shops would make any difference.

 

[cybele]

Or when you live in a country with ridiculous video game censorship like, I don't know, Australia, you get them all from overseas anyway.

 

[singledad]

Perhaps I should explain: Here, most non-violent games are rated "PG". I guess, having had full-on censorship until not too long ago, the classification boards now rather err on the side of being too lenient... So if something has an age restriction of 18 you can know that it really isn't suitable for kids.

 

[TabascoNatalie]

I got this game for NintendoDS "ninja gaiden: dragon sword". On the outside its rated 16, on the cartridge itself the label is German and says 12. Violence? Swordfighting with monsters. Beautiful graphics. I'm more than happy for my kids to play it.

Then there is one that i threw away. "CSI investigations". No direct violence. But content... Investigating a jealous woman murdering a man's gay lover. Collecting evidence -- semen samples from bed. The rating is 12. Really????

 

[Wickett]

Then there is one that i threw away. "CSI investigations". No direct violence. But content... Investigating a jealous woman murdering a man's gay lover. Collecting evidence -- semen samples from bed. The rating is 12. Really????

Are you for real?? That would top my list of most absurd game ratings to date.

Gosh, imagine the awkwardness. "Mom guess what! I found out who the killer was from a gay man's semen!". :yikes:

 

[cybele]

That is hilarious.

 

[artmom]

It's useless to go by ratings.
But there are lovely videos all over youtube where people will test out and review all sorts of games and show you a play by play of the game. If it looks really violent on the front and is a shooting game, these days it's pretty graphic. But there are so many other games that are family friendly. Just get a Wii. If you're not very familiar with it, it's a console that allows you to get up and actually move around. Just Dance is fun for most ages. Mario is a classic. If you have a PlayStation 3, Sly 3 is a fun and engaging. I like games where you can be creative and explore or that have storylines.

 

[Wickett]

It's useless to go by ratings.
But there are lovely videos all over youtube where people will test out and review all sorts of games and show you a play by play of the game. If it looks really violent on the front and is a shooting game, these days it's pretty graphic. But there are so many other games that are family friendly. Just get a Wii. If you're not very familiar with it, it's a console that allows you to get up and actually move around. Just Dance is fun for most ages. Mario is a classic. If you have a PlayStation 3, Sly 3 is a fun and engaging. I like games where you can be creative and explore or that have storylines.

Exactly right. There are lots of ways for parents to know what their kids are playing and decide whether or not they think it's okay. Really, if you ask me, I think the whole concept of the ESRB is completely worthless. It's the lazy way of saying "Sure that's acceptable". I'm not letting someone else decide that for me. If my kid wants a game, I'll find out if it's good for him or not. I would totally let my 10 year old play Zelda. It's rated T for Teen.