Poll: Americans: What happend to the A ratings?

[p0k3y]

I do not intend to offend anyone here who is not American, and if you are not American that is absolutely fine. Feel free to join this thread. Anyway, What ever happend to A games? Yeah I think we all know theres a porno game or somthing thats A but why is M thought of the highest rating now? In my opinion GTA4 has the characteristics of a A game, but it seems like now the M rating is used and abused so much if they used the A ratings people wouldn't know what it meant, despite the huge ESRB signs they have up nowadays. Whats your take on this? Side question, where the hell did E10 come into play?

P.S If the rating system is like this in your country ( C, E, E10, T, M, A) then sorry if I offended you.

 

[Arsen]

They are called politicians.

 

[Woe Is You]

AO games are made, but most stores don't take them in.

That's why it isn't really worth it to make them.

 

[GothmogII]

The only game I can think of off the top of my head is Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy, it got censored though, so I'm not sure on this, but, didn't it still get an AO rating despite the edits?

Edit: Nope, found it, it was AO before the cuts, but they brought it down to an M after them.

Anyway, as a general rule: 3+ = crap. Over 18 = crap. (This being, that, a lot of games that get an AO do tend to be basicially porn, and not very good at that. The aforementioned Fahrenheit being a nice exception.)

It's stupid really, sex is really the only sure fire way to get a an AO rating anyway isn't it? Perhaps -extreme- gore or torture...but, even then...

 

[Altorin]

games that would get an AO rating don't get rated by the ESRB, they're just released online or through adult bookstores.

games that care about ratings that get an AO are basically forced to edit their games down to M, as almost no stores (and definately not any of the major ones, such as walmart, gamestop/EB Games) will sell AO games.

If you want games taht would be AO if they were rated, you can find them online if you look hard enough. they're all crap.

 

[p0k3y]

Hmm never thought of it that way. thanks guys.

 

[GloatingSwine]

Lots of places won't sell AO rated games. They are, essentially, commercial suicide, so everyone aims for M at most.

 

[Emmitt_Nervend]

the ESRB's AO rating is very similar to the MPAA's X (now NC-17) rating in that it's the commercial touch of death.

As for the AO rating, no major game publisher will publish a game with this rating, no store will sell it, and the game would never be advertised.

Also like the NC-17 rating, the AO rating is used as a de facto form of censorship.