ESRB and age-based ratings in video games - and other media rating systems

Arachnophile said:
Incidentally, I remember quite clearly when E 10+ was first introduced because two games I got at the time were Shadow the Hedgehog and Chibi-Robo: Plug into Adventure. How on Earth Shadow only got an E 10+ when he swears every time he gets hit, shoots guns, and commits acts of terrorist I won't understand. Meanwhile the game where you play as a tiny housecleaning robot gets an E 10+ for... brining up the topic of divorce. Totally comparable.
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I never understood how Star Fox Assault got a T rating. There's no swearing or blood, so what's potentially objectionable? Is it Krystal's skinsuit? The laser guns and explosions? The scene where Tricky ships Fox and Krystal and Fox gets flustered while Krystal laughs? I don't get it.
 
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The best and greatest said:
Conciseness is the deciding measure of competence.

Its not "a four legged equine mode of transportation". It's a horse.



No way, this guy's great!
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I was mostly making fun of the guy for deriving something from my post and acting like he had a right to tell me how to write my original material.
 
Side note

It took me fucking forever to find a physical copy of a game with an AO rating on it.

Whats the point if the only way I can find an AO title is to find that shit at an anime convention or something (where I got mine)
 
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Frank D'arbo said:
Side note

It took me fucking forever to find a physical copy of a game with an AO rating on it.

Whats the point if the only way I can find an AO title is to find that shit at an anime convention or something (where I got mine)
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Chilling effect on games publishers that they can use as a weapon to censor M games that are supposedly for thinking adults.
 
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Arachnophile said:
I'm glad someone made a thread on the topic of the ESRB because there's something that's been bothering me for awhile now. Is it just me, or are the ESRB ratings getting a little bit too...puritanical? I feel like games that would've gotten away with simply an E rating now get E 10+ or even a T for some of the most mundane, inoffensive shit.

I want you to play a little game with me here: grab the case of any game nearby, check the back for the ESRB rating and why it has said rating. I grabbed A Hat in Time, and it got a T for "Fantasy Violence" and "Blood". The only instance of blood I recall is that one chapter in the movie-themed world where you re-enact Murder on the Orient Express. And that was fake blood. Does context even matter when it comes to these ratings? I feel like way more games these days get E 10+ where an E would have sufficed.

Incidentally, I remember quite clearly when E 10+ was first introduced because two games I got at the time were Shadow the Hedgehog and Chibi-Robo: Plug into Adventure. How on Earth Shadow only got an E 10+ when he swears every time he gets hit, shoots guns, and commits acts of terrorist I won't understand. Meanwhile the game where you play as a tiny housecleaning robot gets an E 10+ for... brining up the topic of divorce. Totally comparable.
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I think the only reason why Shadow got the E10 rating is entirely due to the fact it's part of the Sonic franchise. If it were an original IP or tied to a franchise that isn't seen as kiddie, it probably would get a T rating.
 
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Syaoran Li said:
I think the only reason why Shadow got the E10 rating is entirely due to the fact it's part of the Sonic franchise. If it were an original IP or tied to a franchise that isn't seen as kiddie, it probably would get a T rating.
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(Nice NoTLD reference there iconic scene)
That shows their self-awareness, they’ve got parents trained on the ratings to the point of learned helplessness, this rating is for NPC parents who otherwise unquestioningly take their kid to buy a game they think is green hill zone and go into conniptions when the black, edgy-looking, gun-toting cartoon hedgehog says “damn”.

you cannot say they don’t know how to cover their asses eh?
 
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Milkis said:
You're treating the site like a liveblogging platform. Posters hold discussions on KF; you have (again) presented us with a finished essay which does not invite discussion. Put yourself in other posters' shoes: what are they going to think on reading your post? The more concise your OP, the more likely I am to engage with you.
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Yeah I read 2 sentences then scrolled to the comments.
If this essay is “finished” then it gets an F for fucked
 
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Back on topic:
Arachnophile said:
Incidentally, I remember quite clearly when E 10+ was first introduced because two games I got at the time were Shadow the Hedgehog and Chibi-Robo: Plug into Adventure.
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The first E10+ rated game was Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. 2004 or 2005.

It was meant to be a middle ground between E (Everyone) and T (Teen). I do not see many games rated E10+. Mainly Lego and some Nintendo games.

Dead Memes said:
They can't make up their minds on wether Smash Bros deserves E10 or T.
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If I may take a guess, Smash Bros.. Brawl is T rated because of its darker tone or subtitle "Brawl". Other than that, I do not see how they concluded to that.
Dead Memes said:
Halo got stuck with an M rating while the subjectively more violent Uncharted games got a T rating.
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Somebody made a video debating whether Halo deserved its M rating.

Shooting at humans with minimal blood = Teen
Shooting at aliens with minimal blood = Mature
 
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The Last Stand said:
If I may take a guess, Smash Bros.. Brawl is T rated because of its darker tone or subtitle "Brawl". Other than that, I do not see how they concluded to that.
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Melee had a T rating too. I don't get it either. Because they hit each other and the other character has a clear "pain" reaction? Fuck if I know.

The Last Stand said:
Somebody made a video debating whether Halo deserved its M rating.

Shooting at humans with minimal blood = Teen
Shooting at aliens with minimal blood = Mature
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The Metroid Prime games get away with a T even though there's minimal blood. In the first part of the first game there's even dead alien bodies with alien blood splashed all over the place. But the Prime games with a T rating make a lot more since than Smash or Star Fox.
 
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MysticMisty said:
Melee had a T rating too. I don't get it either. Because they hit each other and the other character has a clear "pain" reaction? Fuck if I know.
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MysticMisty said:
The Metroid Prime games get away with a T even though there's minimal blood. In the first part of the first game there's even dead alien bodies with alien blood splashed all over the place. But the Prime games with a T rating make a lot more since than Smash or Star Fox.
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Remember, the E10+ rating did not come out until 2004-2005. Standards changed a bit from the first Smash Bros game.

Metroid Prime is a shooter; it'd make sense for shooters to be T rated at least.

"Comic Mischief" and "Mild Violence" used to describe "Cartoon Violence." How would you distinguish different tiers of violence? Cartoon, Fantasy, Intense, Mild?
 
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