Video Game Ratings...How useful are they?

[Sabaron]

Re: Video Game Ratings...How useful are they?

Kinda wonder why nudity is considered a big deal anyway, though.


I mean how the hell do these people's kids get dressed or take showers?

It comes from our Puritan/Protestant "Sex is the Devil" roots. Cursing and nudity have always been put in the No-no box. Violence and death are, for some reason, not nearly as box worthy. You practically have to show someone being stuffed into a wood chipper to get an "R" on a movie, but one nipple will get you an R even though little tiny babies get to see nipples on a daily basis. I think the rating system is a bit backwards, but I'm not really prudish enough to make ratings so they really don't let me decide.

[Eiyoko]

Re: Video Game Ratings...How useful are they?

My mother always stuck very strictly with age recommendations as if it was the LAW that you had to be this and such age to watch/play the movie/game, never once stopping to think about the actual content that gives it that rating...then again, she's always been crazy like that.

Ratings are based on the average maturity of different crowds (though if you look at the world now it has changed significantly), not age itself. When I was a bit younger (14 years old at the time) and there was a game above my age level, I would always look at the content shown on the back to see if I could handle it if it looked interesting. You can't judge a book by its cover, and that goes for video games as well.

On the other hand, some parents should pay more attention to ratings, which is why I'm glad the ESRB is putting their commercials out there now. I saw some mother in a video game store and her son wanted some Grand Theft Auto game, and she asked if it had cussing and stuff in it and he said no. Thankfully she asked the guy at the counter and he said that it indeed had strong language and violence in it. Needless to say, that kid probably got in trouble later.

As for the parents that don't give a damn about video game ratings and buy their kids whatever game they want no matter what the rating, screw them.

[Feba]

Re: Video Game Ratings...How useful are they?

Sabaron: I know where it comes from, I'm just saying it's silly.

[DarkEpyon]

Re: Video Game Ratings...How useful are they?

I don't pay too much attention to the ratings, but I know I'll have to be wary of the stuff in a few years when my nephew is old enough to play video games.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Video Game Ratings...How useful are they?

Sabaron: I know where it comes from, I'm just saying it's silly.

You are right Feba, it is silly. We all have bodies and when we are naked we all have the same gender specific anatomy. (Ok, yes there are rare exceptions but you all get what I mean. ) People really need to get over being so sexually uptight. I truly believe the reason there are so many sex offenders in this country is because of how we treat nudity.

I don't pay too much attention to the ratings, but I know I'll have to be wary of the stuff in a few years when my nephew is old enough to play video games.

Wow, you are a great uncle Eypon. Not too many uncles would give a crap so my hat is off to you!