Poll: Is it just me, or are age recommendations getting harsher?

[Andy Shandy]

Get the kid Viva Pinata, I'm pretty sure it's 3+ and the variety of colour alone will probably keep him entertained.

And yes, in some cases age ratings can be considered harsh.

 

[Lt._nefarious]

I thought it was the exact opposite, the BBFC seem to be letting more and more- Oh, you're talking about PEGI...

Yeah, they've always been harsh but what you've got to remember about PEGI is that PEGI does things differently to the ESRB and BBFC. Y'see while the ESRB and BBFC take context into account (i.e. if a game is gory but presented in a cartoony style or comedic they give it a T or 15) but PEGI doesn't. PEGI has a checklist and certain boxes are ticked but the fashion in which the, for example, violence takes place is not taken into account (They gave crackdown 2 an 18 for the violence as they did not take into account the cartoony nature of the game). And now you know.

 

[Cavan]

I think a lot of those ratings have 'some' merit to them, I do think for the 7+ bracket it's more up to the parent's discretion and willingness to supervise their child while they play those games.

I for one certainly remember being absolutely terrified of some of the things I was shown as a small child that as an adult wouldn't even make me pause to think of it like that. So it's a little difficult to look as an adult and always see what a child might be sensitive to.

Boss battles especially: the music changes and becomes more intense, something big showns up to stand in your way and laugh menacingly, you really do feel the pressure and as a child playing sonic I would occasionally shut down and hide because I didn't want to know that he had got me. I also remember playing jersey devil and being in a room covered in hovering square blocks with spiders occasionally on them, I dreaded that room and it's endless black pits for a long long time.

This turned into more of a "this is how my childhood" was, funnily enough I do remember playing heart of darkness and not being bothered by it, was a little bit older by then.

In general I would say board game or mini game style games are great for children, things like monopoly/chess/mario party are great. Viva pinata as mentioned is great although it does deal with some oddly inappropriate things from time to time, such as killing them for their inner sweets or breeding them. They're not multiplayer but some of the more vibrant adventure games are fantastic ways to share games with children, things like botanicula or world of goo at a stretch. Puzzle games/colour matching games/platforming games, all work.

 

[ThePS1Fan]

I started gaming at about 5 or 6. By 7 or 8 I put several hours a day into gta 3 and Vice City. So there's that. I was never really affected by ratings so I can't say whether or not they've become stricter. I don't see why anyone takes the age that seriously, you would think most people would look at the content of individual games and decide based on that. And also factor in that each child is different and know what's acceptable for their own kids. I'm going to stop here before this turns into a rant about parents who want everyone else to tell them exactly how to raise their kids.

 

[Muspelheim]

Well, isn't PEGI more of a recommendation in all? I think they've got a database on their website for each game they've rated, where they motivate their results. And if that doesn't work out, you could do some research for yourself.

 

[elvor0]

Yeah I'd say they are, which is even more annoying when you consider TV and Film ratings are getting more lenient. Personally I blame the "video games are to blame" crowd.

I'd also forgotten a few of the death animations in Heart of Darkness, I remember them being quite brutal, but I don't know how they got away with an E rating >< Especially with the floor shadow and the flying shadow. Ah yes, snap your back in half then get dogpiled and ripped to pieces by a horde of shadow demons, very child friendly.

 

[manic_depressive13]

Age recommendations have always been completely arbitrary. I was playing M and MA rated games in early primary school. I think inundating your child with the fucked up crap that is child-friendly media is way worse than letting them see some blood. Children's shows like Teletubbies and Sesame Street scared the shit out of me when I was little, Mortal Kombat didn't.

 

[Lars]

Harsher than before?

What do you mean 'before'? Ten-twenty years ago?

We're in a vastly different graphical era than what has previously existed. Hell, twenty years ago there were no age rating for games because the majority of games weren't visually scary/gory. I think Splatterhouse was the first game to come with a warning on the box that said this game might not be intended for "young people and wusses". Aside from that, you had the atari porn games, but those were 18+ because just the idea of having a game entirely dedicated towards sex isn't something a four year old should be playing or know about.

But.. Within the tiny little frame of history that video games have had with the age-rating, I don't think ratings are any harsher now than they were in the late 90's. It's much different now. The first Grand Theft Auto game was a basic top-down 2d with basic visuals. Compared to today's standards where you can chainsaw monsters in HD quality, I think the standards of rating has been changed, but are not necessarily harsher judged. In fact, quite the opposite.

If 2d gta was 18+ in 90s, and HD chainsawing today is also 18+, the latter being by far worse, I say things are less harsh.

Bonus: I'm happy the age-rating exists. Personally, I don't want a twelve year olds buying Grand Theft Auto V on his own. Parents SHOULD know what their kid is playing, and possibly know HOW the kid is playing the game. If the kid happens to be a spoiled brat who is always yelling over microphone, then he really shouldn't be spending time in violent video games until he knows that fictional violence is okay, but acting like a violent jerk in real life isn't cool.

 

[Fiery Killer]

Game ratings are pretty much marketing tools now. Why are there so many 12 year olds on Call of Duty? Because it's that cool hardcore M rated game with a hardcore matchmaking system, when in reality the blood is pretty minor and the game mechanics are pretty simple and casual. They could easily squeeze a Call of Duty title by with a T rating, but then kids wouldn't find it as "cool."

The same applies to Halo, they could easily squeeze that by with a T rating.

 

[Veldel]

Been gaming sense i was 3 never had to follow esrb for games i rember getting perfect dark when it came out wasnt even 10 xD


Pokemon also taught me to read

 

[Jimmy T. Malice]

I think that the age ratings for games are much more strict than films. For instance, the Uncharted series only has a little blood when you shoot people and if it were a film it would likely be rated 12. But it's rated 15 instead. 15-rated films can get away with a lot more blood and gore than 15-rated games.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

Isn't 5 a really young age to play videogames? I didn't start playing videogames till around maybe 7-8 and even then I still had no idea how to beat Orcarina of time...maybe I was just a stupid kid.

Well, I played my first video game on the NES when I was 4. Yeah, I had no idea what I was doing at the time, but it was fun so I didn't mind much.

OT: First off, kudos to the mom for being actively involved in limiting her son to content approved games. Not a lot of parents take the time to care about the content that their kids are exposed to, so well done.

Anyway, here in the States, we have two ESRP ratings for E (Everyone): The first is merely E, which means for anyone who can operate a controller or handheld, and E 10+, which is obviously for everyone, ages 10 and up. The later rating is probably more about complex content (i.e. story-based dialogue, game difficulty, learning curves, etc.) than actual violence or crude language. It's not a bad thing, but some conscious parents see this as an automatic deterrent and tend to stay away from them, which sucks for kids that enjoy RPGs or Strategy games with a good story.

 

[TheIronRuler]

*Shrugs* I watched decapitated heads at 6 and borderline soft porn at 8.
It all depends on who you're with and what kind of parents you've got.

 

[soes757]

Isn't 5 a really young age to play videogames? I didn't start playing videogames till around maybe 7-8 and even then I still had no idea how to beat Orcarina of time...maybe I was just a stupid kid.
/quote]
I started playing when I was five, maybe even younger, I remember that my dad had an n64 and maybe a ps1 and I half remember playing games on it. I think you're the odd one out here, no offense.

OT: The ratings are ridiculous, I'm on the other side here, as I'm 16, almost 17, my mother wouldn't let me play M games till I was like 14 and it was only because I was getting them anyway. Had I not been I doubt I would be playing them. I don't see why the ratings are so strict, I can see why the God of War games have an M rating, but I don't get why something like TF2 has an "M" rating, it seems arbitrary. I think a lot of ratings now are based on the whole violence in games debate, and people aren't worrying about whats in it, but are quick to slap a high rating onto it because there's a little blood.
What really bothers me about it is that we can see pg-13 movies, and they're even played on T.V.
A lot of these movies are worse than the games that have a similar rating, I don't see how that war scene in the Return of the King is any better than Skyrim. I suppose people say that control is the difference but I just don't see why it's such a big deal, playing Skyrim doesn't make me want to kill people.

Alright, that's my rant for the day.
Night folks.

 

[In Search of Username]

I remember seeing Star Wars Episode 3, which contained 'moderate violence' (someone being chopped in half and burned by lava), and playing Bully, which contained 'strong violence' (wedgies). That always made me laugh.

 

[GameMaNiAC]

snip

Holy fucking shit! This is one of the games I have played a lot in my early childhood, and have forgotten what its name is. All my gaming life I've been searching for it, and I finally found it.

Freaking thank you!

OT: And well, I do feel as if the ratings are getting a bit more harsh. I, personally, am 16 years of age and I have seen enough blood and titties in video-games they could fill an entire solar system. I've finished the first Manhunt and half of Manhunt 2. I've played the crap out of Soldier Of Fortune. I've played the crap out of Doom, Quake, Unreal Tournament, GTA...

And yet, there is nothing wrong with me, mentally. In fact, some mature-themed video-games made me think about some things more, and have contributed to my increase of maturity.

I don't think it should be removed, but I do think it should be slightly lowered.

captcha: little bobby tables