If this game has a mature rating, what does it mean exactly? Is it banned to anyone under a certain age? Or is it just an advisory thing? I personally would love to play with advlts...that's one major thing that puts me off in MMO's, the fact I sometimes feel like I'm in a playground...it's embarassing and I feel stupid.

So anyone know the answer?

Well, dosnt it have something to do with people under a certain age not being able to buy the game unless their parents buy it for them? And in mmo's there will be kids, there is everywhere, but once you hit the higher mark there shouldn't be many of them.

In Australia it's M 15+, so it's suggested for 15 and older only, but not banned for anyone.

I believe the gore factor is what drove the game to an M rating, blood, kill - cams, ect.

What that means varies by country, but in the US at least, most retailers will not sell to anyone under 17, but that is an industry regulated thing rather than a law. Nothing stopping parents from buying it for their kids, or letting the kids use their credit card to buy it online.

Black ops is Pegi18 and still full of kids.

The only benefit of this is that there can and will be gore scenes that make an medieval-fantasy-mmo look way more immersive.

As has often been said, an M rating is often a magnet for kids, especially if there's nudity. Look at what it did for Daggerfall, as horribly pixelly as it was.

As far as NA is concerned though, the rating only forbids kids from buying the game. I don't believe that it applies to people actually playing it.

Ah ok, thx everyone it gets clearer now. I adventure alone so really doesn't bother me that much but I hate when you go into a town where people gather and everyone is jumping around everywhere and dueling...spoils the immersion completely.

In the US games are rated by the ESRB to provide a guideline for parents and retailers. A game rated M can not be sold to anyone under the age of 17 however a parent may buy the game for their child should they feel their child is mature enough for the content included in the game. (this is not illegal).

http://www.esrb.org/ratings/ratings_guide.jsp

Supposedly anyone under the age of whatever it is (17 in the case of Mature games) cannot purchase the game. When you create your account, Zenimax can't prove your real age so if you put you were born in the year 1663 the game would still yet you play because that's older than 17. You will still have both children and very silly advlts in any gaming community and age restrictions do absolutely nothing unless you buy from an offline retailer. In the UK, I think it's illegal to buy games under the rated age but I don't recall anyone being fined or imprisoned for it, though many retailers can and will refuse sale if you don't show ID.

The M rating was probably earned from eccessive violence and mature language, but I'm uncertain because not much has been shown. Supposedly the game's an 18 in England, but as far as I can see it's got the same qualities of a 15 game. If possible I'd like to see the review ESRB gave in order to decide the game's rating.

Putting an M rating on the game means that the parents will need to buy the game, or the kids will need to borrow the credit card so they can buy it online.

There will be kids playing and at times it will be bad for "us" and other times it will be bad for them.

I am not concerned in any way about the level of violence and gore in ESO. I was also not concerned about it in Skyrim, Oblivion, or Morrowind. My 10 year old son and 12 year old daughter play Skyrim (the boy much more than the girl). They play in the living room and it is something we do together (look out!, what's that over there?). It has been a great experience for us as a family because we do it together and talk about it and all that.

What would concern me in ESO, or any other MMO, is the people that they would be interacting with. I'm not talking about getting lured away by a sixual predator (although it certainly will be a factor for some), I am talking about just the day to day horribleness that will be scrolling through the chat window. Racism, homophobia, sixism, and everything in between. There are people that will say horrible things and not care even if they are aware of the fact that they are speaking to children.

Having a real age gate that actually prevents children from playing will not stop the putrid hatespeak that will flow through your headset on a console. It only means that the voices will be deeper. Or that the fingers will be fatter and hairier on PC.

I've played with a lot of great people young and old, the only difference was that some had to go to bed because it was a school night, and others had to go to bed because they had to go to work in the morning.