ESRB, Does anybody care?

[LeonLethality]

pretty self explanitory has ESRB ratings stopped people from buying video games? I see video game stores sell M rated games all the time to people under 17 so do we really need ESRB

(also I checked the search bar I didnt find anything to this extent when I looked up ESRB)

 

[Deleted]

They deflect responsability onto the parent, which is where it should be int he first place.

The ESRB gives parents an idea of what games are for older kids, because parents don't know about games, they just see a title on the box. We gamers know what the game is if all the ratings disappeared we could put them back the way they were.

 

[Pandalisk]

Yes people care, i remember at a rental shop a woman wouldnt get her son a game because of the rating, likewise i wouldnt get a game for my brother a game because it was waaaaay over his age limit, Deadspace is not for him, i however bought it for myself

People ***** about the ESRB but they are fine, its the parents that people should be complaining about, most complaints come from extremeists he view that most games should have an adult only rating for christs sake.

 

[FinalHeart95]

My parents don't let me own 99.9% of M rated games. The one exception is Halo.

 

[Aesir23]

Personally I don't even glance at the ERSB rating when I'm buying video games.

 

[adledog]

Its good for parents who really have no idea what theyre doing but want to be good parents but thats about it, and in that sense it does help. It may not be perfect, but it warns parents about the child warping experience of watching a super mutants body fly in one direction and his head in three others (yahtzee reference=P)

 

[Rathy]

It works, and it doesn't. The ESRB is a bit too strict on a few games lately, in terms of M rating, and as such its being ignored a lot more. Having blood now makes a game M. A few years ago, it was still a Teen rating for blood. I think they need to rethink it a bit, or its still going to only stay relevent for parents with very little kids playing games.

 

[BeastofShadow]

I'm allowed own any rating. My folk trust me that I'm a level headed person. As far as my personal opinon on them is? They're a good idea and need to be enforced. It should be up to a parent to decide what they deam (spelling?) sutible for their kid.

 

[Captain Pancake]

IT's not like they matter, I'm fifteen and i got prototype the other day. they still ask for ID though, so i had to get my mum to buy it... but i digress, the point is i have been playing eighteens since i was about thirteen and i havent seen any negative side effects or murderous pangs.

 

[Bored Tomatoe]

It's a guideline for the parents. Mine for instance, know I can tell the difference between fantasy and reality like any sane human can, and allow me to play M games. I don't think it should be taken away, because then game haters will be jumping down the throat of the industry more than usually. They're like age gates on websites: They don't do shit, and kids will get in anyway, but they give a warning to parents and keep the company from being sued.

 

[Go Fighting In The War Room]

I was 16 when GTA4 came out and the stores didnt sell to me unless I had my mother with me. Personally I don't mind it, it's just there to give parents an idea what your going to get into with a game.

 

[PxDn Ninja]

pretty self explanitory has ESRB ratings stopped people from buying video games? I see video game stores sell M rated games all the time to people under 17 so do we really need ESRB

(also I checked the search bar I didnt find anything to this extent when I looked up ESRB)

Absolutely. Weather or not you use the ESRB rating in game decisions, it shows that the industry is self rating. This is the KEY reason that a government rating (and thus censoring) board doesn't exist. Look at what Europe and Australia have to put up with. Those are government powered rating boards, and constantly are blocking and causing issues. We are lucky to have the ESRB, no matter how poorly it is run sometimes. (I am heavily against the ESRB myself, but want a new industry-ran board instead of none at all).

 

[Dogstile]

its useless, especially with digital distribution starting to gain steam (see what i did thar?)

 

[Aardvark]

The ESRB is a fantastic idea. It's an argument that the industry can pull out and wave at politicians every time they call for tighter regulations on games.

"Hey, we tell people right on the fucking box that this game isn't suitable for children. Are you telling me that parents these days are too stupid to read a box? IS that what you're saying, Mr Politician? That Parents of children, the people who's votes you are seeking, are nothing more than clueless retards who couldn't be trusted with a can-opener, let alone raising kids? Is that it, Mr Politician? Because it certainly sounds like this bill restricting the sale of videogames to minors is you blatantly calling your constituents fucking brainless morons right to their stupid faces"

That's the argument in brief. Say it loudly and publicly enough and it's quite effective, too.

Without your ESRB, you'd have something like the Australian OFLC, where videogames are for children because one fuckwit in South Australia has the power of veto. So stop whinging about it and be thankful.

 

[sharks9]

Well I cant buy M games without a parent there so it affects me a bit but now my brother is 17 so it shouldn't be that bad anymore.

 

[Sir Lewis Hazard]

The other day, I tried to buy Bioshock (I was feeling bored with my stunning lack of FPSs) and I was turned down for being 16. Thankfully, I turn 17 on the 29th, so guess what the first thing I'll do is when I turn 17...

But, yes, the ESRB is a bit useless in the places that just sell the M-rated games to younger kids. It really needs to be up to the parents to let their children know that it's a game. It's also up to the parents to teach kids not to imitate everything they see. I mean, it's come down to the point where I remember seeing a car commercial; a family drove into the ocean from a beach, drove on the ocean floor, then emerged on a beach (presumably) on the other side of the globe. You know what was at the bottom of the screen the whole time? "Do not try this." ... Really? Are people really that dumb? I'm pretty sure it was a legal thing so people don't sue the company because a real car can't do things like that, but still...

 

[DtDust]

Its more of a guideline than anything, there arent any laws like the ones for pornography or alcohol that prohibit the retailers from selling to minors, its more store policy, because mothers who find their kids beating virtual hookers tend to get their panties in a bunch. Its just like how some places consider lighters a tobacco product and others dont...

And any rating system that has the main character smoking or drinking, and ripping another character in half on the same level is a little broken

 

[grimsprice]

i don't buy games that have lower than a t for teen rating does that count?

 

[Gladion]

I think the ESRB (and any rating system at all) gets only bashed by young people and children who were unsuccessful in buying a certain thing. I don't think they're pointless, but they seem to be ignored fairly often.

 

[squid5580]

As a gaming parent myself I can see the value of them. My kid is so screwed cuz I play games so I know what games are or aren't appropriate without needing the ESRB rating. Alot of other parents aren't going to sit down and burn through a game before thier kids get to so they have no idea what messages and lessons might be taught to them. I don't understand the big deal frankly (except if they affect you if you are underage). You can't drink, smoke, drive, join the army, go to an R rated movie or buy your first Playboy/girl until you reach a certain age. Heck you shouldn't even be watching half of the shows on TV without being a certain age or having parent consent. Why shouldn't games have the same warnings?