Zero Punctuation: Video Game Voters Network
- Thread starter Yahtzee Croshaw
- Start date
But those ratings can't be legally enforced so retailers can sell inappropriate games to little kids all they want. Do you honestly think that the current state is a good way of dealing with these "f**k-and-forget" token-parents? Who procreate, but then don't care about raising their kids appropriately? And then the rest of society has to deal with the outcome? What else would YOU do about it then? Introduce some parent education program? I bet they're all very keen on participating...mr_rubino said:
Yes, but this isn't about adults, it's about kids playing games they shouldn't. The same goes for movies though - no objection there, on my behalf.mr_rubino said:
Yahtzee, you live in Australia. How can you send in your opinion on that website if you yourself don't have an american postal code? They reject them as invalid.
Please correct me if I'm wrong but what I have heard would imply that this American "Free speech amendment to the constitution thingy" (Which may be something completely different to this, I know almost nothing about it) would only serve to make it illegal to sell games to people who are younger than the rating allows. This is already law in most parts of the world! If this is actually what is being discussed here then I fully support anyone who wants to bring the USA in line with countries like Britain. (And I'm not part of the "anti fun brigade")
What year did you to exercise your personal freedom if you were Black? What happened to your personal freedom if you were an American citizen of Japanese origin in 1941? Did you get right to free speech if you had left wing sympathies in the 1950s? What protection did the constitution provide the native Americans? Is this the same constitution that values a slave as third of man? Try learning a little history otherwise you just look another dumb loudmouth American proving your own ignorance.mr_rubino said:
Ah yes. The tried-and-true "We should not care about the legality of distributing mature video games because the United States is actually Nazi Germany, you sheeple" argument.albino boo said:
I'm more worried about the attacks on the used games industry rather than feeble attempts at restricting the 1st amendment. They tried it a long time ago with porn and now "fundamentalist" are trying to attack videogames, something else they don't/can't understand.
I agree with almost everything Yahtzee says, except I take issue with his conflation of "cutting edge games" and "interactive storytelling." This imposition of narrative on games is a byproduct of "game shame." Games want to be movies or real life so much more than they want to be GAMES that what you end up with is a really bad excuse for already-bad film writing OR a simulator with no victory conditions. Since WHEN is a criteria for a good game or a "cutting edge" game "storytelling?" Does TETRIS have a narrative? It's arguably the VERY best video game to date if your criteria are actually things like gameplay, elegant and original design, not only challenge and depth, but EMERGENT challenge and depth. (all from 7 little pieces.)
We've dug this ENORMOUS hole that obligates EVERY new game to slap a narrative onto it, forcing us to go through 15 minutes of tutorials, 20 minutes of cutscenes before we actually PLAY. But of course, "lack of story" can be a point against a game on a gameplay review...
What if you read a film review, and the reviewer's complaint was that the film didn't have a controller on the seat so the audience was forced to do QTE events to make the film progress? Would this make film as an art form BETTER or worse?
Even Yahtzee can fall victim to the fact that games are still a relatively immature art form, and that once we get a clue and realize it's about making the best GAME possible, rather than fulfill the arbitrary obligation to couple it with a (mostly poorly written) narrative, the genre can artistically progress in more "cutting edge" ways.
We've dug this ENORMOUS hole that obligates EVERY new game to slap a narrative onto it, forcing us to go through 15 minutes of tutorials, 20 minutes of cutscenes before we actually PLAY. But of course, "lack of story" can be a point against a game on a gameplay review...
What if you read a film review, and the reviewer's complaint was that the film didn't have a controller on the seat so the audience was forced to do QTE events to make the film progress? Would this make film as an art form BETTER or worse?
Even Yahtzee can fall victim to the fact that games are still a relatively immature art form, and that once we get a clue and realize it's about making the best GAME possible, rather than fulfill the arbitrary obligation to couple it with a (mostly poorly written) narrative, the genre can artistically progress in more "cutting edge" ways.
There are 257 comments so forgive me if someone already made this joke.
It's like Zero Punctuation meets Extra Credits. You can call it Extra Punctuation.....oh wait.
It's like Zero Punctuation meets Extra Credits. You can call it Extra Punctuation.....oh wait.
The law itself would only make it illegal to sell games to people younger than the rating would allow.Zagzag said:
BUT
The US does not currently have any laws for restricting the sales of movies/music/etc. to minors. If only video games had this law it would essentially set them apart from other forms of media. According to US law, they would be on the same level as pornography (IE lacking any possible artistic or educational value).
Hopefully you can see the problem with this.