Age Ratings

This is extremely annoying.

Yesterday with my full money, I went into my Games Shop to buy Metal Gear Solid The Twin Snakes.

I've bought a 16 from there before, Timesplitters Two, and they just wont let me buy a 15..>_o

Are any of you annoyed by these ratings? Share experiences so on so forth.

I've always thought the ratings were a little odd... Like say rating SSB E and then SSBM T. And personally, I think OoT should've been rated T. If I was a parent, I wouldn't want my 7 year old playing it. If you ask me it's up to parents to review the content and see what is right for their children. For instance, My Cousin Vinny is perfectly appropriate for a 10 year old and it's rated R, while there are quite a few PG-13 movies that aren't.

I've never experienced problems with age ratings... Even if the game I wanted to buy was rated 18, I think I'd be able to buy it.

Generally, I have connections with people who let me get around that. A freind of mine works at EB, and he didnt have a problem with me buying Tenchu, which is rated M (17 or 18 years probably, it does not say). Thats the only game "out of my reach" that I have tried to get though.

Now, this is kinda off topic, though it does relate to age ratings. Manga that comes stateside also has those fun little ratings put on them, and generally, the manager of the store will let me buy whichever I want. But, a few months back, when she stopped working the night shifts (which is when I go there), I could not get anything over my age.. which sucked, because a good majority of the things I like are rated OlderTeen (16+). Though, I think the rest of the crew has come to know me as well, so they let it slide too... which I would expect after I spent $1200+ in thier store. But, for some time there, I had to drag my parents with me every time I went so I could get what I want. So, I can relate to your situation to a pretty good extent.

They have always annoyed me! I mean its not like it real blood or anything, they sell them to my mum though even though shes just gettin it for me so its not so bad..

My mom'll buy games for me, but no need to now, I was 18 in March! *dances*

*ahem*

Yes, it is pretty stupid, I always wanted Perfect Dark on the N64, but I couldn't get it (18), plus, I can't fool anyone, I look 14/15 at the moment! O_o

It depends on my clothes, if I wore my long furry jacket and make up (which I hate *is tomboy*) I could sometimes have passed off as 18-but I normally wear hello kitty shirts etc, with no make up, so I failed a lot of the time!
My biggest achivement was probably getting Scary Movie (18) when I was 16.

Wait, TS2's a 16?! Why?!
Ace game that though!

Trust me though, when you get to 18, and can prove it, you're just laughing! ^_^
I loved going into the games shop and buying GTA3 & GTA Vice City legally!

ha hah! Sucked in! That game's the *****!
*cough...* Ratings are stupid, you're going to get it one way or another, so why not save you the trouble and give it to you in the first place? some people, aye.

what makes me really mad is that my mom wont let me play GTA:VC...I dont see why, i play it at friends houses, its a fine game...

but why do you think that OoT should be rated T???

Originally Posted by Sage of Music

what makes me really mad is that my mom wont let me play GTA:VC...I dont see why, i play it at friends houses, its a fine game...

but why do you think that OoT should be rated T???

Sword fights, death, humanoid characters dieing, Blood (Ganondorf bleads.) evil demons/ spirits, living dead, zombies trying to eat you,breaking and entering (Hyrule castle.) What does OoT not have?
In all honesty I am actually suprised that it didn't get a T rating, and I'm even more suprised that SSB got E when SSB:M got T, the only real diffirence is the graphics, I guess they figure killing blocky polygon humanoids is better then killing rounded polygon humanoids...

There's nothing wrong with the rating systems as of now, aside from their rather vague descriptions. "Comic Mischief" and "Sexual Themes" aren't the most clear and concise descriptors possible (albeit more than just a simple age rating). The problem is that a lot of the time, the ESRB will rarely play through the game. Rather, the developer will give them a copy of the final game and a list of the things to consider when rating the game. The ESRB examines the game quickly to make sure that most of the things on the list are present in the game (which can take very little or quite a bit of time), and then give it a letter according to which themes are supposedly featured.

There isn't really a problem with this most of the time, especially because the rating is treated as a guideline rather than an actual rule or regulation, and because most of the ratings are relatively accurate (although not the "specific" features listen on the back of the box). However, it may soon become even law, now that the media is constantly drawing more attention to video games, particularily violent ones, using the word "killographic" wherever possible. Naturally, this will cause people (mostly concerned parents) to believe that all video games that feature somewhat adult themes and gameplay elements are horrible killing sprees, and move to make it so that a child may not be able to purchase a game they do not meet the age recommendation for. And that would be a horrible loss for the gaming industry.

Yeah some Game rating suck. Whenever i go to EB they don't give me any crap because i'm with a parent. I bought Vice City with my mom and the guy was explaining what it had and my mom didn't really care because she knows i won't go and and pop a guy with a shotgun.

Originally Posted by SearanoX

There's nothing wrong with the rating systems as of now, aside from their rather vague descriptions. "Comic Mischief" and "Sexual Themes" aren't the most clear and concise descriptors possible (albeit more than just a simple age rating). The problem is that a lot of the time, the ESRB will rarely play through the game. Rather, the developer will give them a copy of the final game and a list of the things to consider when rating the game. The ESRB examines the game quickly to make sure that most of the things on the list are present in the game (which can take very little or quite a bit of time), and then give it a letter according to which themes are supposedly featured.

However, it may soon become even law, now that the media is constantly drawing more attention to video games, particularily violent ones, using the word "killographic" wherever possible.

I think just a list of descriptors would be better than any letters to describe a game it makes more sense to tell people what will be in it out front. Some things are just dumb though, OoT has 'Violence', and MM 'Animated Violence' and TWW 'Violence', I mean TWW looks more animated(cartoon sense) than either of those. Then again the whole stabbing thing... horribly violent game.

I've never heard the word 'killographic' before. Ever. WHo uses that one exactly, Sear?

what makes me really mad is that my mom wont let me play GTA:VC...I dont see why, i play it at friends houses, its a fine game...

Personally, I wouldn't want my children in the future playing any games like that. I don't even like my little brother playing it when my cousin who is his age brings it over. It exploits violence over the fact of the open gameplay. It has no value or purpose that anyone really needs to be exposed to when there are better things out there. Why present a situation that has a real-world setting and no consequences? I'm not saying it causes violence or encourages it, but I think that there is a point where it's useless. I bet half of what makes people want to play games like that is the taboo factor anyway, the other half is the free killing.

What keeps most stores EB and Gamestop owned at least as well as others from selling the M games to younger people is the ESA thing that encourages stores to do that and they all want to be in the good light with them. ESRB makes the ratings as recomendations, membersib to ESA enforces the age for buying. At least in the US that is, I'm not sure of elsewhere.

The only time I've ever had trouble buying a game was when I was trying to get the original Mortal Kombat used a few months back, the manager said I needed a parent, so I didn't get it, boo hoo. Oh and the Toys R' Us in Times Square made me get my grandfather over to the counter so I could buy Perfect Dark last winter because they had it new for $10, that was slightly dumb though, he would have let me buy anything :rolleyes:

Around here I can't see any effort to enforce the ratings on games ( I had no trouble at all buying Perfect dark when I was 12), so I consider it a moot point. They are actually helpful, though, for parents to exert their own discretion. It's harder for a kid to con his parents about the content of a game with an M rating glaring at them.

I was carded the other day for getting Max Payne 2. And I'm 20. Felt really really weird.

I saw Top Gun when I was 5. I played Doom 1 and 2 when I was probably 11? I don't remember, when it first came out. I played Mortal Kombat when it first came out, and I wasn't in middle school at the time.

And I turned out fine. Really. I don't even have a parking ticket.

The thing is that these rating systems are ridiculous. Movies, ok, I understand a rating system for that, mostly when seeing it in the theaters. But video games? I want recommendations on what type of game it is, I don't want to be policed for it.

I played Max Payne 2 and beat Max Payne 2. It definitely wasn't as bloody or violent as Doom 2.

Yes this happened to me when i went in after christmas. It was the day after christmas, i had 200$ and i wanted to spend it all at EBX. So I go in there (its a tiny store) and theres a line of people through the whole store. I get the games i want Resident Evil CVX and true crime, and then wait in line. I wait for about 10 mins, and my mom says shes had enough and was leaving and my brother would watch over me. So we get at the counter 20 mins later and when we put up the games the guy says no. i was totally pissed. so we go off looking for my mom in the mall, and then we find her. We get bak in, wait in line for 20 mins again, and when we bring the games up to the counter, the guy says that true crime is sold out! so we buy CVX and we leave. I didnt go bak to EBX for a month or two cause i was so mad at them :mad:

Never happened to me, I've bought games like Resident Evil when I was just 9-10. Here in Sweden, they could care less for that kind of stuff.

Originally Posted by William Zelda4ever

Never happened to me, I've bought games like Resident Evil when I was just 9-10. Here in Sweden, they could care less for that kind of stuff.

Yeah, that's exactly how it is here. But that's no wonder since Denmark and Sweden are very similar countries.

LMAO! Yea i dont like ratings really at all but thats never been a problem for me. I could grow a beard and look like i was in college by the time i was in 7th grade! Needless 2 say, they never checked my ID when i bought an M rated game.

lol, anyways, i still dont like ratings, and when and if i have kids ill let them play almost anygame probablly. I mean, by the time ur about 12, theres not much u can see u dont already kno about.