I don't like the ESRB

[appleblush]

Not to mention, you seem to know an awful lot about a game you can't play. See how easy it is? Unless you were honestly so bored that you did all the research which would explain why you seem to know so little about the game, you seem to have been able to play the campaign mode in which case you either have the game or got it on loan in which case, what are you complaining about?

 

[Cid Silverwing]

OP: Some games do recieve overly-harsh ratings but most of them are just to keep little kids from playing things like GTA 4 or Dead or Alive: Beach Volleyball.

There's no one to properly stop kids from playing those games these days anyway.

 

[Death or OFLC]

Ok I just signed up to this website then just so I can post on this one thread.

I live in Australia and none of you should be complaining about your ratings systems. In Australia we do not have a 18+ restricted rating. Just MA15+, so games that come into our country that involves violence, drugs or sex often have to be edited and changed before they can go on shelves.

For example Fallout 3 was not allowed to be sold in Australia until the names of the drugs used in the games were changed. Eg: Steroids were changed to Buffout. This wouldn't of happened if we had a 18+ restricted rating.

But the worst case was most recently with the over-the-top violence in Left4Dead2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH7QCtuaXgI , this video will blow your socks off. We are getting a censored version of the game due to the heavy violence, now the game is so chopped up it would get away with a M rating. Many or almost all Aussies will be importing this game from either Europe or Asia as that it is complete bullshit.

So I wouldn't complain that much guys.

Cheers

Edit: (Short version) Its not that were to young to play the games, our government wont let us play them as that we don't have a Adult rating for games.

 

[Vern]

Honestly I think the ESRB is a decent idea. Films are rated, as well as TV shows. It more or less just gives parents an idea of what may be appropriate for their children, and if they want to look into the particular game/movie/show and see what it's about and if their children are able to handle it then more power to them. I'm over 18, so it doesn't affect me anymore, but when I was a kid my parents actually paid attention to games, movies, shows, and music that I enjoyed. They were fine with pretty much all of it because they realized I wasn't a psycho. It's more up to the parents than anything, the rating itself is just a guideline. And honestly, the only time I've been shocked by ESRB ratings is when they rated something teen when it probably should've been mature. Goldeneye comes to mind. Shooting people in the groin and watching them grab their crotch in pain, detonating an explosive behind them and watching them blast forward, roll over and grasp desperately at the air then die, shooting them in the chest and pink blood spatters appeared on their uniforms instead of red because of the oxidized blood in the lungs. And it's not illegal to buy a game rated mature if you're underage, but store policy may prevent them from selling it. Which leads me to believe that you're too young to afford these games and rely on your parents to buy them for you, then rant on the internet. So you're too young to play these games anyway.

I'm still rather surprised that I bought Soldier of Fortune 2 at 16 without any problems, and I got carded when I bought Apocalypse Now. Which again proves the point that ESRB ratings carry no weight if you're buying them yourself.

 

[willard3]

I'm 21.

I don't care what rating a game has.

EDIT: Also, you clearly don't understand the constitution if you think this falls under the second amendment.

You win the thread.


I somehow knew from the all-caps thread title that it would be a high-schooler ranting about how his parents won't let him play M-rated games. :}

To the OP: Sounds like the problem might be with your parents, not the ESRB. Now if your parents don't care what you play and you're just complaining that you're not old enough to buy M-rated games, ignore my last. But for every under-17 kid that is fine with M-rated games, there's another one who could be traumatized by them. The ratings are there to warn people, and the age restriction is like a shotgun remedy...gets rid of the problems and some of the good things too.

And as a friendly reminder, your grammar is ok, but check spelling and capitalization next time. Proper grammar and spelling get your argument/rant/observation respected a LOT better.

 

[AtticusSP]

ESRB are cool to me, man.
They keep the mature stuff out of the hands of kids unless their parents deem them mature enough to play them.
It's just a parenting tool.
Never bugged me since my parents knew I can tell reality from fiction since I was a wee boy.
I remember when I got Mortal Kombat when I was like, 7. Shit was so awesome for the first week before the blood and gore got old.

Now for us Canadians, the CRTC are the real evil. They're why we need to endure awful Canadian programming and why we can't get Netflix.

 

[TheAbominableDan]

For example Fallout 3 was not allowed to be sold in Australia until the names of the drugs used in the games were changed. Eg: Steroids were changed to Buffout. This wouldn't of happened if we had a 18+ restricted rating.

Buffout isn't a changed name. It's been a drug in every Fallout since the first one.

 

[Kiwii156]

I'm 14 and never once have I thought of game age rateing as an issue. That might be mostly to the fact my father is also sort of a gamer and buys any games I'd be to young to buy as he wants to see them played as much as me.

 

[AtticusSP]

Well, we should be protected under the right to free speech as an art form, but unfortunately, like heavy metal, TV and comic books before us, we are the new favorite punching bags of irresponsible parents who blame the media for the problems with their kids

Well, the companies making the games are still protected as we are to play the games.
This isn't an issue of free speech at all.

 

[Valentine82]

Just remember, extremely brutal violence, religiously preachy bull shit, and the systematic extermination of anything that's different from you is perfectly acceptable so long as there's no nudity, child killing, or foul language.

 

[TheBarefootBandit]

I love the ESRB.
I think they do fine work.

Do I agree with all their ratings? No.
But do I think they should be around? Absolutely.

Not all parents are game-savy, and the ESRB helps the less connected parents get a handle on what their kids are playing.
My kid, if I ever have one, won't be playing M rated games at 6 or 8 or even 14. Other parents feel the same way, and the ESRB helps them make an informed decision.

Good parent in the making, right here

 

[FROGGEman2]

I agree, although through different reasoning.

Censorship fails.

 

[Leftnt Sharpe]

I think the BBFC must be greatest censorship organisation in the world. Ever. I still love the fact that they gave Mass Effect a 12 rating, good times.

 

[Arkzism]

dude just wait till you can legally buy it, in 20 doesnt effect me at all, and honestly i laugh when kids complain about things like such

 

[RexoftheFord]

Oh noz! I don't get to see no fictional character titties! Wah wah wah!

I'm 21, so I don't have to worry about ESRB anymore. Like everyone else said, it's a system run by volunteers. The gaming industry itself even agreed to allow them to rate their games without too much fuss. It's actually a good way of judging the content of a game. The reason Halo is M is because it features Human looking characters engaging in acts of violence, some disorderly conduct, and has semi-realistic weapons being used. (minus the Alien stuff) Personally, I would rate the game M for all you 10 year old squeakers on live swearing up a goddamn storm everytime someone shotguns you.

If you didn't get this yet, I'll say it a bit more clearly. Stop your whining. We could be living in an Orwellian dystopia society y'know.

 

[Nycto]

I partially agree with you, censorship isn't always a good thing (freedom of speech yadda yadda yadda), but restricting certain age groups from playing is infact quite nessecary.
It allows for parents/carers/gaurdians to suitably gain a grasp of an otherwise foreign industry and allows for them to make smart choices about the level of exposure that their child gets to any certain topic.

p.s. if your really desperate to grow up too soon then here's two things you could do.
1. ask your parents to get it for you, simple. oh and don't go becoming a whingy brat just because they won't get it for you. in my lifetime the best way to get something is to be nice to a person...or hold a gun to them but being nice to a person is legal.
2. forget about video games and go outside and play pretend with your friends...enjoy!

 

[Daedalus1942]

Well judging from your typing and sentence structure, I take it your a 10 year old he is freaking out at not being able to get a game and now you're just flaming.


I like ESRB it makes parents shut up about "Oh the children!".

The OFLC here could learn alot from your ESRB, they really could...

 

[whaleswiththumbs]

I'm 21.

I don't care what rating a game has.

EDIT: Also, you clearly don't understand the constitution if you think this falls under the second amendment.

WHAT?!!? how does the right to bear arms have anything to do with video games?

OT:
The fact tht it feels like i just got finished reading a text from my brother has nothing to do with the fact that i dont like anything you say. I'm guessing your talking about console games, which if it was a PC game, you could easily just lie to Steam.

 

[Rayansaki]

You know you can just ask someone above the required age to buy the game for you right? I'm 20 now, but I've never been affected by the ratings, I most stores aren't even very strict about it, at least in my country, but on those that were I would just ask my parents or cousins to buy it for me.
Although it helped to have parents that didn't care what the recommended age for movies or games were, for them, if I thought I was old enough to see/play it, it was good enough for them.