:whisper: If you do it too much, people will think you're spastic... Best to keep it to a shrug or 2...

Fallout 3, advlts only? Please. Its gore was equivalent and numerous R-rated films today. The Thing, Planet Terror and Braindead/Dead Alive. In fact, that last one is exactly what it was like with the amount of blood spraying everywhere, and just as ridiculous.

I'll keep that in check.

But yes we should definately have equality with media forms if possible. Though people should learn to use it where appropriate and not for the sake of the shock value or to just get more veiwings.

Another reason Xetirox, Fallout had the most comical gore, I doubt it could really be taken seriously enough. But lo' and behold people flip out,

I assume no Bioware games then?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Film_Is_Not_Yet_Rated about the film industry's rating system for movies, which resembles the rating system for games as well.

I don't get why we think murder is so much more acceptable than six. Do you think that kids will replicate six if they see it, but not violence? Is that how this works?

as others have said the AO rating hurts sells but that also has to due with what content is in the AO rating. AO ratings are usually saved for the games that are pormos as you said, it doesnt matter what the rating is called it just represents whats in the game. To me FO3 should as it is be a M rating, and M should be for nutity, gore, and cursing as it is. The M rating has plenty of room to allow Bethesda to make theyre art as they see fit without worrying about getting an AO rating (specially after seeing the witcher 2 getting a M rating or even LA noire for that matter)

To me the T rating is what needs adjusting cause I personally think there are M games that should have a T rating instead (fable series, Halo:CE, Oblivion just to name a few).

Also yeah the US likes to make it out that violence is somehow better than sixual content (fox news is proof of this just look at what they did with the mass effect six scene), but that whole topic needs another thread imo.

Surely you'd just not buy the games that have six in them?? :\ No need to stop buying them altogether.

I don't know, I haven't played any.




Well, of course. That's what I meant. But, if it came to a point where all games had it, then yes, I would probably stop buying altogether.

The problem with this line of reasoning is the (sad) fact that a segment of parents don't seem to have the will or the time to understand their children at that sort of level.

Hell, even Postal 2 passed with only an M rating. Do you really need to play something that allows more than even that game?

I see

I find it ironic that six is used to advertise so many things, but games companies won't put it in their games

I don't think that's the whole deal in a nutshell. I, as a parent, love playing games, and have since I was a wee one. So I would have no problem playing the games they play to see the content, or just paying attention to what they play. But most parents, don't play games, and don't have time to play or research the games, thus, the ratings help them know the contents of games. I don't see why everybody makes such a big fuss about it. <_<

six sells, unless your in the gaming industry, then the US media will be on your ass.

Seems to be how it works.

I certainly agree that the ratings system, as it stands, is a good idea.

My overall point was more along the lines that some people just aren't (demonstratively) fit to be parents. But generally that is found out after the fact when the child is either physically abused / malnourished, psychologically abused, or both. At that point, however, video games and their content tend to cease being the main problem.

As mentioned, there is nothing wrong with AO-rated games but most retailers will not sell them.

I think the reason that sixual stuff in games is treated more harshly than gore is simply because it is awkward. I mean, how much more awkward is it to talk about something that is sixual than something violent? I would rather speak to my parents about gore than six, because I find six uncomfortable to talk about. Maybe not for you advlts, but then you advlts can buy the sixual games.

Well I agree with you there, too. I've bumped into, and known, parents that should have their asses beat, and then their kids, too. (not abused, just a good old-fashioned spanking) Whining, throwing themselves around in public in a tantrum, running through the clothes racks, knocking people down while chasing each other... And then there's the kids!

One of my friends in highschool paid for his car by selling Playboy magazines to Mormon kids for $10 a page... The extremely sheltered children had some really warped minds and the overexposed had quite a few dysfunctions. It is a fine line we walk and fact that everyone develops at different rates makes debating this difficult. I am all for the rating system preventing children from experiencing entertainment that is about their maturity level (even if the children think theselves mature enough). No rating system will ever be perfect because the human species is far from perfect, but it is doing about as good as it can at the moment.

its not necessarily true any longer that having a bad reputation with any group can kill a game (unless that reputation is that the game svcks) because they aren't just sold in stores any more, there is steam, ebay/amazon, and some retailers sell stuff online when they think they can't sell them in store for what ever reason. if X game is going to be a smash hit and its rated AO any franchise selling games in their store is going to sell that game regardless of the out look of upset parents.

my question has been though? why can't games release unrated versions like movies do? is there some law that mandates games must be rated?

No, they won't. AO rated video games do not pull in enough money by themselves to warrant a major chain selling an AO rated video game. Hell, GameStop, whose sole purpose is to sell video games, won't sell AO rated games.

And games are only "smash hits" when they are critically acclaimed and also appeal to a wide audience. If everyone who plays the (major developer) game loves it, but it only sells 50,000 copies, then the game developer is out a lot of money.

They certainly can - you'd just need to find them online.

I think the reason retailers don't stock AO games is because AO can have anything in it, while M is regulated up to a certain point.

even so, just having an AO alone will not garauntee the game will die. if skyrim got AO it would not likly die. there steam and amazon/ebay, which is where most of th epeople I know get their games because its just cheaper than stores like game stop or whatever. the commercial success of a game isn't really entirely dependant to sales at actual stores any more.

I'm not sure about anyone else but I would always want time and money by game developers be put into content that really matters in a game than into making a simulated six event. I mean really where is the fun in pixel six?

I've never even seen an AO game though I'm sure there must be a few out there. If there were a demand for them believe me, someone would be making them. And I'd just as soon leave it to the porm industry to cover that aspect of gaming. I'd be pretty ticked if Bethesda or Bioware or Steam made a game that would require an AO rating because really, I just don't play games for over the top sixual or violence. So far I'm pretty happy with what is being released other than over the top gore. I rather hate flying heads and limbs unless it's done in a cartoony way like Fallout. I don't like the now demanded for blood splatters.

I'd like more time spent on gameplay, voice acting, game mechanics, graphics, writing, interesting, combat, diplomacy, interactions with NPC's, balancing.
I'm not a stick in the mud, I just think six is too much fun to waste on a video game that doesn't need it.

Screw the AO rated games. (pun intended)

Are you kidding? Have you seen just how many people despise Steam / digital downloads over in the Skyrim forums?

Again - AO rated games A ) appeal to a lesser audience, B ) won't be sold in brick & mortar stores and C ) a large percentage of people still buy games at the store. Some people don't have reliable Internet to download digital versions.

It's true that not all of a games sales depend on brick & mortar stores anymore - but getting a game rated AO versus M is basically akin to tossing away a significant portion of money no matter how you look at it.

There is nothing wrong with an AO rating. The lost sales from the result of said rating however, is something.