In this article on Gamespresso, the author describes the faults of the archaic ratings system. Back then, the rating was a way to know what kind of game you're buying before purchase. Mortal Kombat, the infamous game with glorified violence which prompted the creation of a ratings system, proved that it was both beneficial to both child and parent to implement the ESRB. How they graded a game, in terms of child, teen, and adult levels, was pretty cut and dry, considering the limitations of technology of video games back then. With the advent of new technology pushing the boundries of both visuals and content, one can say violence and sex can go to 11.
The ESRB rating is intended to be a safe guide for those who don’t play games to view.
This is the intention of ratings, but as the article also points out:
a good majority of games are now rated Mature
Which is a safe measure from the ESRB to make sure there is no controversy from rating a game "too low." Also, putting a M rating on a game is always a good selling point- it generally produces more sales. Combining these two factors, its inevitable that kids will be convinced that the only good games are rated M, and they will convince their parents of the same. What the parents don't know, however, is the intensity of said violent/uncouth/sexual themes that is hidden within the disk. Since the M rating is so broad, parents are essentially tricked into buying a game. The M rating encompasses everything from a simple blood spatter on a wall to full on bloodbath orgies. Obviously, parents should take an active duty in investigating what they buy for their child. More descriptive information on the box would make a better buying experience. Also, we wouldn't need to hear a child's screeching voice in our supposed mature games again.
Fearnall, A. (2015, January 8). ESRB RATINGS: THE UNNECESSARY EVIL OF GAMING. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
I find it interesting that the ratings system for video games promotes more restrictively ratings to be the most profitable. If I had to guess, this is because parents probably aren't going to see much of a videogame's play, but will definitely notice stray nipples or severed limbs in whatever terrible horror movie is being pumped out this week. While a twelve your old can't get into an "R" movie unless their parents are with them (a fate worse than the rack in the minds of most middle-schoolers), they can enjoy disemboweling the Nazi Werewolf Rabbis (or whatever the latest video game has come up with) and slinging highly derogatory homophobic slurs at their dear friends while their parents are one room over watching Top Chef, completely oblivious to their young blossom's new found blood lust..
ReplyDeleteThere are actually Nazi Monster(maybe Werewolves) Robots in a recent game, I think its called WOLFenstein.
DeleteThere are very few parents who let the rating of a game affect their decision to buy a game for their child so it's hard to attack the ESRB system and ask it to change, when there isn't much they can do about it. Plus, in an arguably very irresponsible way, the ESRB removes the responsibility from themselves by saying that they do not rate online interactions in most games.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more with this. Speaking from personal experience, as a kid in probably 3rd or 4th grade I played Grand Theft Auto for the first time and I thought it was the coolest, gnarliest game ever. Maybe it was like you said because of the M rating and the fact that I wasn't supposed to be playing it was the reason why I liked it so much. Now I think the game is stupid and a waste of time and certainly would not want my child to play or even see whats in the game until their a certain age. But yes I would most definitely agree that its a great selling point, especially with how oblivious parents are these days.
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