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ESRB gets hot and steamy over GTA San Andreas


Raziel
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And then there's this Parents 'ignore game age ratings'. Who'd have thunk it.

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A study commissioned by the UK games industry found that parents let children play games for adults, even though they knew they were 18-rated.

There it is, in black and white, it's the parents not the gaming industry who is at fault.

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And to a certain degree, sticking an 18-rating on a game made that title more desirable.

"We called it Magic 18," said Mr Freund. "The 18+ label was seen as promoting the content, promising adult content rather then saying 'my parents will stop me playing this.'"

They got that right.

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But the biggest problem IMHO is still that the ones selling these media articles doesn't (mostly) have no intention to check the age of the consumer.Though this is their very duty.

And instead of targetting these deficits,politicians choose the populistic way with forbidding and demonizing games *sigh*.

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I tend to waffle a bit on this issue. I mean, as a father, I can only control what my son plays in MY house. Who knows what he plays when he is over his friends' houses. He did let slip once that he played GTA 3 a couple times over a bud's house.

When I think about it though, I tend to view the sex and the violence in games as borderline childish compared to what is on TV (not cable either - just regular TV), in music, and in movies. The hypocracy is rampant.

I always wondered why sex and violence were always grouped together in a pair when talking about THINGS THAT ARE BAD. I mean, really, they are 2 COMPLETELY different things. But, again, being a dad has put things into a different perspective for me. Personally, I raise my children as Christians. What a game like GTA does is counter the message I am trying to convey to my son about how to deal with other humans. Sex has a purpose and in genral is a wonderful thing, but can be abusive and damaging when done for the wrong reasons or between the wrong people (i.e. date rape, adultery, teenage pregnancy, etc.). Violence, while ALWAYS damaging to somebody, also has a purpose as a last resort when in the right context (defending one's own life, family, or nation.) But there IS an obvious difference between killing an enemy on the battlefield and killing a hooker and getting your money back.

The problem is not so much the contradiction, but the levels of influence. Let's face it - with a 12 year-old boy, a seemingly out-of-touch (and decidedly "uncool") parent cannot really compete with the level of exposure a kid will allow himself/herself to videogames. Or TV. Or movies. Or music.

The answer is NEVER censorship, as we all can agree. But it sure would be nice if somehow, ALL of the retailers who sell games intended for "mature" audiences would actually take the initiative to refuse to sell "Manhunt" to young children. Do I want government regulation for this? HELL NO!!!! The government really needs to stay the hell out of our business, as once they get a foothold, there's no end to the level of regualtion they will try to achieve. They just can't help themselves. But until retailers are taken to task for not adhering to the ESRB ratings (which really need to be fixed themselves), there's just no incentive for them to turn away paying (albeit underage) customers.

What it comes down to is that I need to find a way to ensure my son is mature enough to understand that essentially "what happens in the videogame, stays in the videogame...". I dont have the luxury of assuming because violent videogames didn't turn me into a mass murderer that they won't have some detrimental effect on him, as the pressures on a young man in today's society are FAR greater than what I was exposed to. The key has to be involvement by my wife and me, not anyone else. But a little help in the form of enforced ratings sure would be nice.

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quote:

Originally posted by Prez:

But until retailers are taken to task for not adhering to the ESRB ratings (which really need to be fixed themselves), there's just no incentive for them to turn away paying (albeit underage) customers.

True, but are the retailers really to blame here? If I may refer to my previous post about parents buying these games for their kids and not caring what the ratings are, you cannot lay the blame on a retailer for this. What do you want them to do? Take the parent into a back room and give them the old interrogation under a desk lamp routine to find out if they are buying this product for themselves or their child or a relatives child etc.... Even if the retailer does do it's job and not sell to kids outright (has anyone ever done an undercover study on retailers selling to kids?), the kid will just turn around and behind everyone's back just download them off the net. Kids are pretty resourceful in that respect.

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Originally posted by Lost In Space

Take the parent into a back room and give them the old interrogation under a desk lamp routine to find out if they are buying this product for themselves or their child or a relatives child etc....

LOL! No, but I have personally witnessed kids themselves purchase 'M'-rated games without a parent/guardian around. This would be a good place to start.

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LOL! No, but I have personally witnessed kids themselves purchase 'M'-rated games without a parent/guardian around. This would be a good place to start.


Saw the same thing to

While working for EB awhile back, I saw this kid, maybe no more than 9 or 10 year's old, buy a M rated game

The employee next to me didn't even BOTHER to tell the kid that the game's M rated and that he can't buy it

We even had a sign right there, RIGHT ON THE DESK, that tells US employee NOT to sell M rated game's to people below the age of 18, or T rated game's to children below the age of 13.. and yet this idiot still sold it to that 9-10 year old

I don't know what happened to him, cause after that I got pissed and left, (got a job at BestBuy till the season ended ) I came back to check on thing's and he was gone.. either he got fired or something else.. don't really care

This inlie's a problem, it's the parent's responsbility but also the employee who's selling the game's responsbility to make sure they becareful what they are doing

Thats why our boss always told us not to sell those game's, cause he doesn't want to risk being sued because a stupid child doesn't have the capicity to understand that it's just a GAME.. and that game's nothing more than simulated enviroments

As for GTA... my pure belief is that the game need's to be taken off the market.. that's one of the only ways to solve all these problems, most parents now-a-days don't have enough smarts or responsibility to watch what there children buy (I said MOST, not all)

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quote:

Originally posted by Eclipse:

Well folks, better run out and grab those old M rated versions... I'm sure they are gonna start selling pretty good on ebay

Well, I hope the buyers of those will realize that it will be unpatchable if they want to play it with the ability to use the "hot coffee" mod.

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Only non-IEMA members will be pulling the current version off the shelves.

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HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA (July 20) - The trade group representing the $10-billion-dollar computer and video game industry's leading retailers, the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association (IEMA), has issued the following statement regarding the revocation of the ÔÇ£MatureÔÇØ rating for the controversial video game, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

ÔÇ£The ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) notified us late this afternoon Eastern Time that they have revoked the ÔÇ£MatureÔÇØ rating previously issued for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, following an extensive investigation. Our members intend to immediately cease all sales of the game until existing inventory can either be re-stickered with an AO (Adults Only) rating, or exchanged for new versions of the game that has the hidden content removed and the original M (Mature 17+) rating intact. Though not a policy, IEMA members generally do not carry AO-rated games any differently than we do not carry X-rated videos or DVDs, thus it is likely that our members will be removing all copies of the current version and re-stocking with the updated version.ÔÇØ

We understand that several non-IEMA retail companies intend to continue selling the current version, so we would refer all media inquiries to those respective corporations.


Oh, and IGN has a pic of one of the offensive material in the game. Complete with bad graphics.

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The article containing my take on this issue is already up.

Oh, and CNN weighs in

Seriously though, Take Two is getting off lightly. I can't wait for that inevitable class action lawsuit that is about to spring up.

[ 07-21-2005, 11:48 AM: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

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quote:

Originally posted by Supreme Cmdr:

Just wait until Hilary gets wind of
.

You know I was thinking just that about the sims. I went to compusa today and saw the sims game box and I was like, "ang on a minute? Why aren't they making a fuss about the sims too?"

The whole thing to me is rediculous. All this fuss about a game.

What was I doing at compusa today you might ask. Well I'll tell ya. I bought another copy of GTA: San Andreas. I wish I was able to buy a box load of em. Well anyway, the policy it now seems at compusa (where other chains have removed the game completely from sales) you have to go to a sales associate and he will give you a printed out pick up receipt and then you go to a pickup window and that's where they do all their checking and only 1 per customer (so no hording these valuable boxes). This box will remain untouched. When the other AO rated box comes out, I will pick that one up too. I will have a complete set in pristine condition.

Opening bid starts at $1000 for the pair.

Thank you Hillary and the rest of you groups. You are going to make me a wealthy man.

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quote:

Exerpt:

In a manifesto sent today to press outlets, Thompson focuses on dismantling the Entertainment Software Ratings Board and exposing what he calls the industry's "latest dirty little secret." The secret's out now, and it involves nude sims.

In the statement, Thompson says, "Sims 2, the latest version of the Sims video game franchise ... contains, according to video game news sites, full frontal nudity, including nipples, penises, labia, and pubic hair."


Oh no! I just realized that nudity was built into ME! At any time, all I have to do is take off my clothes, and POOF! Instant nudity! Alas, the prevalence of this sinister underhandedness of putting secret nudity into everthing has transcended from GTA and the SIms into REAL LIFE! Is there no end to this?

Good heavens, I might just have to walk in on my wife the next time she is taking a shower, as I have long suspected that there is hidden nudity going on in there. Oh, I know that she locks the door, but hey, all I need is a jeweler's screwdriver, and I can unlock nudity in MY OWN HOME, just as you can unlock nudity in the SIms and GTA!!!! Egads! I better call Thompson and tell him he was right all along!

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