Should stores sell AO rated games?

[ThrobbingEgo]

Currently, an Adult Only rating is equivalent to a ban and that's not what it is intended to be. There is a one year age gap between the M and AO ratings. In Canada, EB Games will not sell a M rated game (intended for players 17 and over) to anyone under 18 - at EB Games there's no age difference between someone who can buy a M-rated game and someone who should be able to purchase an AO rated game. It's insane that one rating is allowed and another is not when they both encompass the same age range.

Because most stores will not sell games rated AO, and console makers won't allow these games on their platforms period, they can only be sold on PCs online - there is little incentive to make a good AO game. Instead, quality developers are restricted by the ESRB's inconsistent taste - if there is any content that the ERSB feels might be too mature for a M-rated game, the developers either have to remove that content or publish an unsalable game.

This is the reason we don't see quality games that deal with "mature content."

 

[tenlong]

its bs. they sell unrated movies are 18 and up but if a game you can't sell it.

 

[quiet_samurai]

i really can't think of any AO console game actually. Mostly because i don't have to worry about it being 25 yrs old and all. But I think they should sell them in stores. If they follow the rules and enforce the age requirement then what do they have to worry about. Treat it like booze or something.

 

[squid5580]

If there was a good enough reason for the game having an AO rating in the first place then sure. Although I can't think of one. I don't want porn in my game. I don't need anything more disturbing than what I have seen in an M rated game. There is only so many ways to kill a guy and I am sure by now most M rated games have covered that. There are tons of games that cover the gambit of "adult stories".

I have seen enough gore, nudity and heard enough swear words from M games that I don't see why anyone would risk rocking the boat. Getting AO games on shelves is only going to give Jack Thompson clones more ammunition for no reward.

 

[Internet Kraken]

No

There aren't event that many AO games on the market. You know why? Most developers know not to push the system in unnecessary ways. AO games not being directly available to the public was a compromise. Allowing them to marketed normally would create a ton of unnecessary controversy.

 

[Erana]

Aren't there less than ten AO games in existence?

Edit: 25 AO games.

 

[New Troll]

Never really thought about this. Guess I always just prefered getting laid in real life instead of on a TV screen. To each thier own I guess. Good luck.

 

[vampirekid.13]

its different with AO only content.

movie rental/buying places sell movies rated R, but dont sell any porn movies. its kinda like that, porn its its own category, and is stuck to specialized shops that sell it only.

 

[Booze Zombie]

Never seen an "AO" over here in Britain, just 3+, 12+, 16+ and 18+... those are the only ones you really need, though.
That AO shit is just unnecessary.

Never really thought about this. Guess I always just prefered getting laid in real life instead of on a TV screen. To each thier own I guess. Good luck.

You call yourself a new troll with lines like that?
Porno games are rated 18 like everything else, but they're PC only.

 

[Quadtrix]

I don't think the AO rating should even exist.

 

[Frank_Sinatra_]

Aren't there less than ten AO games in existence?

Edit: 25 AO games.

You know only one game got the AO rating just for violence? No nudity, no sex, nothing.

 

[Cheesebob]

Farenheit: Directors Cut is rated an AO?

Since I found that out, yes stores should sell AO games (although by the looks of it, only one is any good)

 

[Erana]

Aren't there less than ten AO games in existence?

Edit: 25 AO games.

You know only one game got the AO rating just for violence? No nudity, no sex, nothing.

Exactly. And that's the director's cut. You can get the original at an M rating.
Find an AO game worth fighting for, and I'll fight for it.
Except GTA. They got what they deserved, but its still not to hard to find. Especially with the power of the internet.

 

[DarthHK]

Aren't there less than ten AO games in existence?

Edit: 25 AO games.

You know only one game got the AO rating just for violence? No nudity, no sex, nothing.

I really don't understand that mindset. I'd rather my hypothetical teenager be watching porn, rather than learning 18 different ways to decapitate somebody.

 

[StarStruckStrumpets]

No

There aren't event that many AO games on the market. You know why? Most developers know not to push the system in unnecessary ways. AO games not being directly available to the public was a compromise. Allowing them to marketed normally would create a ton of unnecessary controversy.

Indeed, my thoughts exactly.

 

[not a zaar]

AO doesn't actually mean 18+, although that's what it means on paper. It's effectively a legal way to ban games that are too "morally questionable". It's the same reason that NC-17 ratings exist, it's a form of censorship.