Game rating policies.

[Soeru]

I recently heard that Half-Life 2 was nearly banned from being released in Australia due to receiving a mature (MA 18+) rating by ESRB, due to its violent content. It was approved for sale since some European rating system gave it a 15+ rating, at least according to G4-TechTV/GSpot or whatever the fuck that channel is called now. So do not question me on its authenticity.


The question that rises is: should games with mature ratings be banned from stores? Or should they only be sold to adults? Or neither? Discuss... or die.

Keep in mind that this is not a discussion about wether violent games are evil or whatever, but rather if they should be sold to the general public or not.

[Josh]

IMO Some games such as GTA: SA should only be sold to adults. I don't think we need little 10-12 year olds playing these games and taking them seriously.

[Ziegfried]

Selling GTA games to people 16 and up is fine by me. Being too strict about this stuff is rarely a good thing.

[Domingo]

Let them sell games to whoever wants to buy them. It's not like selling them only to adults is going to stop kids from getting them... they're very resourceful like that.

[Deezbeez]

I think we have game ratings for a reason, if the rating on the game is M then no one under 17 should be allowed to buy or rent the game unless accompied by an adult.

It should be excatly the same as going to watch a movie, buying booze etc. That's why we have ratings.

[Josh]

You say that a kid would be able to get a game from an adult, but some adults don't want their children to have M rated games and if the parent had to buy it with the child it would be more difficult for the child to obtain.

[Paul Miller]

You say that a kid would be able to get a game from an adult, but some adults don't want their children to have M rated games and if the parent had to buy it with the child it would be more difficult for the child to obtain.

Yea, just like it's hard for people under the legal age to attain alcohol or cigarettes..... oh wait, it happens every day. The ID thing is useless, they just get someone of age to obtain it for them. It's not all that much more difficult. The advantage to enforcing that stuff here is that, unlike a cigarette or drinking, the worthwhile games are going to take a considerable amount of time to use.

But, the reality is is that parent's just don't care. Seriously, when is the someone's parent actually stopped the child, looked at the game cartridge/disk, box, manual, or whatever for that age tag? For me, that happens to be never. Not that it matters for me at this point, but the younger siblings and nephew might be affected. The kids aren't going to enforce themselves, and most parent's do not care. For those who have parent's who do care, the key is not to stop it at the store, the key is to stop it at home. Kids are resourceful, and will obtain it, but parent's should know what their kids are doing, though most don't spend that time. It's been that way for centuries with many things, and I doubt it's going to change now, especially when some parent's are just as excited about the GTA as the kid.

[Josh]

Well see my mom was one that cared. She still won't let me get a GTA game and I'm 17. I also have a younger brother that will rat if I somehow obtain one. I also know others who parents care. My mom used to even check the box and everything before letting me buy.

[Deezbeez]

Anyone under 17 shouldnt be playing M games. Some kids are going to get their hands on M games no matter what their parents say.

[Paul Miller]

Well see my mom was one that cared. She still won't let me get a GTA game and I'm 17. I also have a younger brother that will rat if I somehow obtain one. I also know others who parents care. My mom used to even check the box and everything before letting me buy.

You are one of few. But being part of a few doesn't really solve the issue at hand. It is a good start though, and your parent's are praise worthy, assuming that the correct course of action is to not let your kids play those games. Of course, at 17, I would think you could separate GTA from real life. I really don't like 'age' limits on things... I feel that I was not different at 17 vs. 18. But, the law needs some easy way to discern who can and cannot, and age is the only realistic way to do such things. Such is life.

[Daedric]

Well see my mom was one that cared. She still won't let me get a GTA game and I'm 17. I also have a younger brother that will rat if I somehow obtain one. I also know others who parents care. My mom used to even check the box and everything before letting me buy.

My mom used to be exactly the same way when I was younger. I remember trying to buy Tomb Raider and she wouldn't let me because Laura Croft has big tits and short shorts. Anyways, now that I'm 16, she doesn't mind as much, but she still occasionally checks.

I was just at the flea market today, and some 10 year old was trying to buy GTAA and the store clerk said no, he needed someone 18+ because it was violent and when his mom took one look at the game she said "no way" and that was it. I guess some parents do care.

[Deezbeez]

My mother was also like that when i was younger but luckly back then the games werent to violent but she refused to even get me battletoads.

[Daedric]

Yeah, I guess I can credit it to the growing violence factor in VGs today.

[Xaenn]

People should be able to buy whatever they want.

Trying to censor the world to little kids is pointless.

[Daedric]

People should be able to buy whatever they want.

Trying to censor the world to little kids is pointless.

Why is that? Didn't some kid murder his friend after playing Manhunt too much? And hasn't GTA caused more than enough violence?