Why should there be ratings for games?

[DELTA x WOLF]

This doesnt have to do with me but I would like some opinions on why we have ratings for games?
They serve no pourpose what so ever.

So I drove to GameStop today to finish my payment for Fable 3 and I watched and listened to a 12 year old cry and have a raging fit because his mom wouldnt buy him MW2 because it was rated M, so the mother, (Im guessing that she didnt want to be embarrassed in public) summited to her sons crying and loud noises reciding from his mouth and bought him the gamenot saying anything to her son before they left.

I was in complete shock that, that just happened.Im not saying that its bad parenting just that kids now a days can get whatever they want if they cry or make a scene. If that were me and I cryed my mom would have spanked the hell out of me and in front of everyone and would have said after the punishment "Now you have someting to cry over" and I still wouldnt have gotten the game.

 

[Romidude]

You made a point, contradicted yourself, then moved on to something completely different.

 

[DELTA x WOLF]

Minds moving a mile a minute everything makes sense in my head but I sometimes have a hard time putting it on paper or computer

 

[Daystar Clarion]

People who don't understand a media can't be expected to know it's content, that's why the ratings are there, for parents who aren't submissive twats with spoiled kids.

 

[Romidude]

Minds moving a mile a minute everything makes sense in my head but I sometimes have a hard time putting it on paper or computer

No, it's called going off on a tangent.

 

[default]

So you think children should be able to play games with blood, gore and sex? Or do you mean there is no point to ratings if they just get ignored, which could apply to any media?

 

[SantoUno]

Because despite how much we defend the innocence of video games, not all games are appropriate for all age groups.

 

[DELTA x WOLF]

So you think children should be able to play games with blood, gore and sex? Or do you mean there is no point to ratings if they just get ignored, which could apply to any media?

Theres no point in ratings

 

[Aidinthel]

Because parents are too lazy to research the games themselves and need a quick summary. And when the summary is ignored, they have no one to blame but themselves.

 

[default]

So you think children should be able to play games with blood, gore and sex? Or do you mean there is no point to ratings if they just get ignored, which could apply to any media?

Theres no point in ratings

Well if that is the case then it is up to individuals to decide whether a media work is appropriate for the audience you are showing it to. Ratings are ONLY a recommendation, but if that woman's child turns out to be more aggressive as a result it's all on her head.

I never even touched a game until I was thirteen (except at friend's houses), and I'm really grateful to my parents for doing that. I never missed it, because I never had it, and I think I'm a far better person as a result than I could have been. Even now I don't play that many games, I just enjoy the concept.

 

[ReyBlade]

Theres no point in ratings

There's plenty of point in ratings when the parents know what they're doing--and there are plenty of parents who do. I see it almost every time I drop by the local Gamestop. Eight-year-olds don't need to be exposed to games like Dante's Inferno or God of War 3. I sure as heck don't break out Resident Evil 5 when I'm babysitting my 4-year-old nephew.

The ratings are there to let parents make informed decisions about what games they should let their children play until their children are old enough and mature enough to make those decisions for themselves. THAT is the point of ratings. If those parents don't want their children to play a game that has "Alcohol and Drug Use" or "Graphic Violence" it's as simple as putting the box back on the shelf. What you saw was a simple moment of bad parenting, and that wasn't the standard that EVERYONE should be held by.

 

[viranimus]

Meh,

It is somewhat pointless, it was kind of knee jerk reaction to games such as mortal Kombat and Doom.

But I am somewhat in favor of it, even if it is ineffectual. It shut up a lot of the people bitching about violent video games and opened the door for more adult oriented games with mature themes, that was already becoming an eventuality.

I would like to see more strict enforcement of it, but it wouldnt really work, as if a kid wants a game and gets stopped by a retailer, its likely the parent who will buy it for them, not some random person they offer money to go in and buy it for them. which does defeat the whole purpose. It was made for the parents, and they are the ones who make it ineffectual.

Honestly though, I dont have a problem with the games having a rating system, or parents buying their kids games not for their demographic. I mean they are the ones who have to deal with their obnoxious little offspring. What I really want to see is an actual legitimate means of age verification for online activity, that would keep underage kids from playing games that are rated mature online. Stand alone and offline playing of a mature game really isnt hurting anyone but the person who likely bought it for them, but when little kids barely old enough to fit a controller into their hands, get online they have the nasty tendency to show their age and become genuinely toxic for anyone to be around.

 

[AnOriginalConcept]

Theres no point in ratings

There's plenty of point in ratings when the parents know what they're doing--and there are plenty of parents who do. I see it almost every time I drop by the local Gamestop. Eight-year-olds don't need to be exposed to games like Dante's Inferno or God of War 3. I sure as heck don't break out Resident Evil 5 when I'm babysitting my 4-year-old nephew.

The ratings are there to let parents make informed decisions about what games they should let their children play until their children are old enough and mature enough to make those decisions for themselves. THAT is the point of ratings. If those parents don't want their children to play a game that has "Alcohol and Drug Use" or "Graphic Violence" it's as simple as putting the box back on the shelf. What you saw was a simple moment of bad parenting, and that wasn't the standard that EVERYONE should be held by.

Very much this. Just because one parent decided to ignore the warning doesn't mean the warning serves no purpose.

In some cases, it wouldn't be clear how mature a game will be from its box. Ratings also work in gamers' favor.

 

[Kuchinawa212]

Hmmm....I mean I know what you are getting at, it's suppose to restrict kids from violent video games, but that isn't working since they are still getting them. I works to a point, back in MY day I was allowed E game and very rarely a T game. Now it seems all that's worth getting to me is M. Why? I dunno, maybe Mario ain't cutting it anymore (nevermind, Mario is always awesome, Sonic doesn;t cut it) And I feel that because we grown tired of those games, and children's reaction is to look to teens to figure out what is "cool' or not, they want the games we play. So they whine and complaign until they get what they want. Even if they shouldn't be playing it or not

 

[rockyoumonkeys]

The ratings exist to absolve the game companies from responsibility. You buy your kid MW2? It's YOUR problem if he has nightmares or becomes violent.

 

[SimuLord]

Because if there weren't ratings in place and some semblance of self-regulation from the industry, we'd have no argument at all against the government going on about selling violent games to minors.

The ratings are out there. The games that ARE NOT FOR KIDS are clearly marked as such. It works for movies, and it damn well better behoove the Supreme Court to say it works for games.

As for M-rated games, I can count the ones in my collection on one hand. Violence and sex are not prerequisites for making a game good. In fact, only two M-rated games (Fallout 3 and Oblivion) even crack my top 25 when I think of the best games I've ever played.

 

[Gigaguy64]

Because at a glance its a short summery of the type of content you can find in the game and who its generally accepted to be acceptable for.

So they are hardly useless.

 

[The Procrastinated End]

So 8 year olds (like I was -about-) don't start playing Conker's Bad Fur Day, no matter how fucking awesome that game was, because their parents don't know what the game contains.

 

[Polaris19]

So that parents dont accidently buy a pornographic game from japan or one with an insane amount of violence.

It's mostly for parents.