Industry Trend: 'M-Rated' Games on the Decline

[zekrahminator]

2007 was an epic year for games, as over 1500 were submitted to the ESRB for rating. The ESRB recently released all the ratings they have given games in a pretty pie chart. According to the pretty pie chart, a lot more games than you'd think were actually E-rated. 59% were for "everyone", 15% were for "everyone 10+", 20% were for "teen", and only 6% were for "mature". It should be noted that this chart includes all games, not just blockbusters. It should also be noted that this chart includes all games released on all platforms, even "edutainment" platforms designed specifically around little kids.



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[newconroer]

Doesn't say much though does it? For all we know, the ESRB could be becoming more loose or liberal with their decisions.

Pretty pie though !

 

[Ravenas]

This doesn't say much in my opinion because the majority of games aren't mature rated.

 

[candle_86]

yes, but i like the M games there funny.

And with all the patch's for the Sims it should be rated M

 

[ktr]

More parents are now aware of the ESRB (thanks to Jack Thompson), and gaming companies want their game to reach the largest market (which I would say are around 13-17ish).

 

[Ketxxx]

Thank god for games like Manhunt

 

[ktr]

Thank god for games like Manhunt

Thank god for companies like Rockstar.

 

[ShadowFold]

This sucks I want gritty mature games that flex my massive intellect..

 

[WarEagleAU]

Or the fact that most M rated games are literal pieces of crap and some that are rated M shouldnt be.

 

[Firedomain]

WHEN WILL THEY MAKE AN R RATING.............
does anyone know of an australian partition that i can sign to try & legalize R ratings in games......

what am i ment to play in the next few years.......... i want more violence, more gore & more porn... i mean adult content.......

i know it would b the "chopping block" to label your game R, but that would b the entire point for adult orientated games... & would make a lot of parents happier coz games would be better rated (i can just see all the kids draging there parents into shops to get them there adult only game titles!!!!!!!)

movies have it!.... imagine if there were no R or X rated movies...... how would single geeky boys spend there lives........???? (i know... i know... the internet!)

my point is.... we love the most gory, explicit, action packed games out there..... now imagine if there were less limitations with what the developers could get away with.....

im not just refering to GTA keeping the "hot coffee" but adding a ton of other stuff adults could enjoy!!!!!

come to think of it.... would it kill game titles if they released an M & R version of the same game??? (if it were possible)

 

[hat]

I think it's a good thing. I hate it when gaming companies purposely fill thier games with trash and it just does not sound right. Like Kane and Lynch. If I had a nickel for every time they said fuck or any variation of it, I would be a rich man... but it just makes the game crappy. Sure saying fuck ONCE IN A WHILE is arlight, but every time they have a FMV sequence or load a new map it's there... and in-game when the NPCs talk to eachother (or you) it's there too. So much overuse of it just makes it crappy.

But on the other side of things when it's all prettied up, like in BF2142 when your guy says "Darn it, sorry" (if you use the radio and say sorry sometimes he says that), it just makes him seem like a pansy. I want my guy to say "Damn it, sorry".

Better yet there should be an option in the game that's client side so one guy will hear damn and the other will hear darn. In fact, that's what they should do in ALL games is have those parental control options so YOU can pretty much control the rating of the game.

 

[effmaster]

It should also be noted that this chart includes all games released on all platforms, even "edutainment" platforms designed specifically around little kids.

Yeah games like Catz, Dogz, Horsez,Pigz, and Hannah Montana, just to name a few.
Games like those just make me sick.

 

[Firedomain]

never thought of that.......

parental settings..... modify what the game is allowed to say & what its allowed to display....
all it would be is a few more settings that are currently not offered..... then they'd have to almost give the rating MA15+ - G8+ lol
password protected parental settings...... i would sooooooo preffer that if i had kids....

that way if i played a game & had no problem with it except some of the words they say i can go into the settings & change the word to something else that the game offers!!!

but that will never take off coz its not what the public demands!!!!!

I CAN DREAM!!!!!!!

 

[Random Murderer]

nice, now maybe jack thompson and those other wankers will shut the hell up.

 

[Ketxxx]

I think people who arent impressionable should start standing up and telling all the whiney pissy people to shut the fuck up, otherwise the day of games that arent violent in the slightest and no swearing what-so-ever are not far off.