Does a game have to be rated M to be successful and have a good story?

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CaitSeith

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Casual Shinji said:
Do children care about a good story?
They probably do, once they learn to differentiate a good story from a bad one (and that will be difficult if they are being fed bad stories only).
Casual Shinji said:
I doubt a Naughty Dog styled game primarily aimed at kids would work, since they'd probably get bored by all the story bits.
Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger say otherwise.
 

CaitSeith

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CoCage said:
Dreiko said:
The main rating that you want for max appeal is T cause it lets everyone experience it. Most kids will be allowed to play it and not every successful game is one where its story makes sense to have super graphic content. For example final fantasy and dragon quest never got anything above a T rating and are extremely successful despite that and also have great stories.


I think if you focus too much on whether a game is gonna be T or M rated you're missing the point. It's better to just make the game you wanna make and see where it ends up belonging by the end.
This. Just because a game is M-Rated doesn't mean the story will be good. Hell, most M-rated games have shlocky, crappy, or mediocre stories. The best story from games tend to be from E or T rated games, not that they're immune to bad storytelling either.
Also this. Having fewer restrictions for your story doesn't make it automatically better.
 

Neurotic Void Melody

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Specter Von Baren said:
Does it matter? B-Cell could also almost be called an algorithm for their provocative posts but I'd rather have something stirring discussion than no discussion at all.
It may not to some here, but it does matter to me if there happens to be no actual honest curiosity behind the words, no ability to learn what is being asked no matter how detailed the reply. Perhaps it's the sort of thinking that makes sex robots such a turn-off. To others, it's a means to an end, but to me, sapience is important as talking to myself is an already persistent unwanted manifestation of life. :)
 
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CaitSeith said:
KingsGambit said:
Ruining a good story by hard-boiling it to get it M-rated, is also a bad compromise that happened frequently. Besides, even M-rated have its boundaries that would mutilate AO stories like Song of Saya (for better or for worse).
That really isn't how it works. Stories have to be censored and pared down to fit lower ratings. No one adds stuff to get a higher rating. Well it might have happened but it is not a norm. People create a product, it gets rated and they get advised what they can change to comply with other ratings. Then they get to decide to stick with the current rating or make changes and reapply for a different classification. In films, it mostly involves editing some scenes down or out, maybe changing lines of dialogue. In games it's harder since even a small change needs a lot of dev hours. Germany often has different versions of games since they have strict rules on blood for example.

People generally want lower ratings and not higher, since it broadens the potential audience. While M-rating might appeal in some instances (Deadpool and Logan come to mind), I don't think I've ever heard of an instance where someone has deliberately altered a product for a higher rating, let alone being something that "happened frequently".
 

CaitSeith

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Specter Von Baren said:
Does it matter? B-Cell could also almost be called an algorithm for their provocative posts but I'd rather have something stirring discussion than no discussion at all.
At least B-Cell participates in the discussions he creates. CaptBadFaith just makes charged questions, sometimes merely tangential to the title, sits back and stays silent as the thread burns.
 

Specter Von Baren

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Xsjadoblayde said:
Specter Von Baren said:
Does it matter? B-Cell could also almost be called an algorithm for their provocative posts but I'd rather have something stirring discussion than no discussion at all.
It may not to some here, but it does matter to me if there happens to be no actual honest curiosity behind the words, no ability to learn what is being asked no matter how detailed the reply. Perhaps it's the sort of thinking that makes sex robots such a turn-off. To others, it's a means to an end, but to me, sapience is important as talking to myself is an already persistent unwanted manifestation of life. :)
I guess it's just something I enjoy for myself, just being given a topic and asked, "What are x and y ramifications for this happening? What are the moral questions brought up by this?" etc. It's the kind of thing I wish my ethics class in college had done rather than never getting past one topic.
 
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CaptJohnSheridan said:
Does a video game have to be M rated to have a good story?
The World Ends With You is rated T, and it has one of the best stories I've ever experienced.

Xenoblade 1 is rated T, and it has a fantastic story.

And so on, and so on and so on.

Having good characters, or a good core concept or kickass dialogue or pacing are all WAY more important to producing a good story than whether or not it has a Mature rating because of adult material.

I mean, it can help, if you want to tackle mature themes (*nods at Spec Ops The Line*). But that's not always needed if you want to tell a good story.

In fact, if a game leans too heavily on appearing mature because of copious gore and so on, it might actually work against the story. Like...Does anyone think Resident Evil 5 has a good story? It was a fun co-op game with some brutal action and gore and stuff, but the story is the last thing I cared about when I played it.

Should there be games of AAA quality aimed at younger audiences or does the vast majority of parents don?t care?
I kinda think so.

Like, I enjoy games made for adults like myself, stuff loaded with complexity and depth and deep or dark themes.

But on the other hand, we do need to keep bringing future generations of kids into gaming if we want gaming to keep existing.

That and sometimes taking a more kid friendly approach can vastly improve a game. I enjoyed the largely goofy plots of Sonic Colours and Sonic Lost World a hell of a lot more than the overly serious Adventure 2, for instance.
 

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Lufia Erim said:
They are called Jrpgs. Oh wait the escapist hate Jrpgs. Nvm.
Curious where you got that idea. There are plenty of people who openly profess to enjoy JRPGs(including myself).

And Undertale is fairly popular here, which is essentially a JRPG(or a satire on one).

Yathzee, OTOH, has made it no secret he despises them.
 

twistedmic

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CaptJohnSheridan said:
Does a video game have to be M rated to have a good story?
I'd say in general, no. A game does not have to be M rated to have a good story, the same way a movie does not have to be R rated to have a good story.
Now I think that certain genres of games and movies (mobster/crime and horror being the main examples) will need the higher rating to have an effective/good story, otherwise they are going to feel watered down and weak.
Should there be games of AAA quality aimed at younger audiences or does the vast majority of parents don?t care?
Even if they should, they wouldn't. Children aren't a very good consumer base. They don't have the disposable income (or any income really) to spend on games and children's games are probably going to be low on the priority list with most parents. Adults and teens, however, are a much more lucrative market. They are going to have the money and ability to buy games and DLC.