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Some of you might have heard that California recently tried to ban violent video game sales to minors. Fortunately it will fail just like it always has and Activision of all companies argued against it and disproved the fake studies the soccer moms who, instead of being a good parent, are trying to ban video games, had tried to make.

Linky: http://www.gamespot.com/news/6304733.html

There were no ratings at that time so it is hard to say.

California trying to ban the games isn't recent; they have been introducing a some form of this bill for almost a decade.

What's this? people are trying to stop children looking at graphic video games that are designed for mature audience?

What bastards.

I never understood these debates. Most places already don't sell M-rated games to minors (at least where I live). I mean how different is it from barring youngsters from entering R-rated films or buying pornography? None of these restrictions killed those industries.

corpsesarefun wrote:What's this? people are trying to stop children looking at graphic video games that are designed for mature audience?

What bastards.

What's this? People don't want to read the transcript (or summary) of a debate yet still want to make a comment all the while still not understanding what is at stake and what the problems with the legislation actually are?

What bastards.

Wait these people want another rating system on top of the ESRB? Maybe it's just the east coast but they always ask for ID when selling an M-rated game. I don't understand what more people could really want.

asimo77 wrote:Wait these people want another rating system on top of the ESRB? Maybe it's just the east coast but they always ask for ID when selling an M-rated game.

It is pretty much the national standard for game stores and chains that sell games. The bill is also very vague as to what constitutes a qualifying game to fall under this legislation. It isn't as simple as going by the ESRB's rating. They want to treat what are, in essence, rated R games as XXX titles. You can go into Bet Buy and just pick up Kill Bill off the shelf but you'll have to get Gears of War from behind the counter with ID, assuming they will still carry the titles that have to be regulated like pornography.

asimo77 wrote:I don't understand what more people could really want.

Power through fear mongering. WHAT ANYONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN?!

asimo77 wrote:Wait these people want another rating system on top of the ESRB? Maybe it's just the east coast but they always ask for ID when selling an M-rated game. I don't understand what more people could really want.

No, they seemingly want a government regulated rating agency.

The ESRB is part of the video game industry, there's at times a perceived bias towards them "allowing titles that shouldn't be" to be released.

The UK currently has a government regulated agency, the BBFC, however we are switching to a commercial system, PEGI, later this year. PEGI is operated on behalf of the games industry by the film censorship organisation of the Netherlands.

The key difference between these systems and the ESRB is that the ESRB is voluntary.

Both BBFC and PEGI are mandated by law.

The existence of ESRB, PEGI, CERO (in Japan) and other systems around the world shows that most countries are happy with the idea that it doesn't do any harm to children to classify games into suitable age groups.

However it seems as if the people in the USA who are pushing for tighter regulation want to use the chance to over-regulate, in an attempt to suppress violent and sexy games altogether.

I am amused to see that the ESRB and PEGI web designers used the same piece of stock photography.

I guess it could get worse, but as long as the US doesn't end up like Australia we should be good.

Banning Mortal Kombat? $100,000 fines for importing? Sheesh, what a joke.

wait the US still doesn't have anything like



Universal (childern)-Universal
parental guidence may be required- under twelves may view with an adult
12 and over - 15 and over
18 and over - restiricted 18 (kinky/xxx)

It does, but each industry maintains its own standard.

We have something like it for games.

C - Children
E - Everyone
E10+
T - Teen
M - Mature
AO - Adult (very few games with this one as it's pretty much a death sentence for the game's sales)

It's a simple system. Some say the ESRB is overly restrictive on sexual content but very lenient on violence, but what else is new?

Movies are G, PG, PG-13, NC-17, and R. These days though it's become flashy to release movies [UNRATED] especially in the horror and comedy genre's.

FM Ninja 048 wrote:wait the US still doesn't have anything like



Universal (childern)-Universal
parental guidence may be required- under twelves may view with an adult
12 and over - 15 and over
18 and over - restiricted 18 (kinky/xxx)

LordofHats wrote:It's a simple system. Some say the ESRB is overly restrictive on sexual content but very lenient on violence, but what else is new?

lets let people them blow each others heads off at 12, but if I see any side-boob you're at an 18, it' not like they'll ever actually get a girlfriend so we may as well wait until they could get a hooker


@ahtman the UK used to use (something like?) that, may have been by the ESRB, but have shifted towards more movie-like ratings because it's just more clear cut

asimo77 wrote:I guess it could get worse, but as long as the US doesn't end up like Australia we should be good.

Banning Mortal Kombat? $100,000 fines for importing? Sheesh, what a joke.

Quite so.

However, it's not the system that's the problem though, we have a system that is rather like the UK's current one by the sounds of it, where the ratings are set by a government regulated system, the Australian Classification Board (Who also classify films and publications). It's the lack of an R rating for Video Games, and the refusal of approval for one from some of the key people needed (Although, when it ends up with games that are R rated elsewhere being M rated here, I don't understand their reasoning)....although now that Atkinson is gone, that may change.

I haven't heard anything about a fine for importing though. As far as I know, it's completely legal to import a game that's been refused classification, unless you're in Western Australia. This was certainly the case for getting the uncensored copy of Left for Dead 2, as well as other titles.