Comments on: Unlevel playing field for video games?

Critics have unfairly turned "Grand Theft" and other games into political footballs, says rating-agency head Patricia Vance.

[wazzledoozle]

2 things to point out

1) The author quickly points out how "players could routinely shoot police officers, beat up prostitutes, carjack"
While this is true, you can also shoot thugs, criminals in vigilante mode, and how in fact, you beat up most EVERYONE in the game, not just hookers. Do hookers deserver some special recognition? Are they a example part of society? NO!

2)The ESRB had their hands up their ***** the entire time. They were busy figuring out which games needed their new E-10+ rating (I chuckle) and how to tie their shoes.

[Scott W]

inside scoop :p

well, it's good to read a article that isn't "****! KILL GAME DEVELOPERS!!1!1!!" although the guy was trying to cover his arse a little from the "GAMES ARE EVIL" parade.

[Far Star]

2 Counter Points

1) Ok so your point is that if you?re killing criminals then its ok ... hmmm, well according to the courts in ALL 50 STATES murder is murder. The fact is that the PRIMARY female depiction in this game is of prostitutes and thus it's about the only real example of harming women that can be given. So the key issue is not "worry about prostitutes" but about worrying about extreme examples of violence against women (and people in general).

2) The ESRB did not have "their hands up their *****" as you put it, they were blind sided by a) the very people they were monitoring via non-disclosure and b) their own naiveté and failure to think that coders and developers don't bury content that they *hope* no one will find but yet know it's possible. Let's face it, ESRB has always known that "easter eggs" abound in games but would you think that anyone would put a BJ mini-game in, even one that is "disabled" (and doesn?t depict genitalia)?! Sorry but I don't think most people would, to us that would seem crazy. But all it takes is one person to make it hard on all. Thank Rockstar for that but don't shoot the messenger (ESRB).

People need to stop burying their heads in the sand. ESRB is not the problem here, it's the gaming industry that needs to wake the F up. Why do you think Rockstar didn't document that mini-"game" when it submitted the game for review? You can't say "oversight" cause it just doesn't wash in an industry that LIVES on cataloging everything. Either Rockstar or one of it's developers tried to slip one by but now it's bit them on the ass. Sure as I'm typing this if that content had been described to the ESRB, GTA:SA would have gotten the AO rating it deserved.

Final point, I do think that ESRB has a problem. That problem is an over broad rating of the "mature" games. What they need to do is expand the 'T' rating with something like 'T15+' and 'T17+' (and move the 'M' rating to 18+ and the AO to 21+) to better define games that are good for teens yet have advanced levels of blood, gore, etc. that most look for. Not that I advocate blood and gore (or sexual content) but its ignorance of what drives games today that has gotten us to this point. Teens want to escape as much (if not more than) as many adults, give parents better tools to know what is good escapism and bad.

[Michael Grogan]

An excellent and timely article...

...the truth about video games and ratings needs to be more widely spread. This might help shut up the moronic politicians and nut case religious extremists who keep trying to make life miserable for the rest of us! Not that the perpetually ignorant, and proud of it, will listen but at least it's a voice for the rational majority who are too frequently silent.

[Leppard]

Yet another easy target for politicians to rattle their swords at.

Ever notice how politicians always target something easy in order to try and get recognition? I mean all you have to do is say "It's for the children" and it's indefensable! You can't argue against them or you're agueing against children.

Parents and politicians need to learn once and for all that it is the PARENTS responsiblity to PARENT their children. It's not a gaming companies, nor a ratings firm, nor the store where you can purchase these things responsiblity!

Parents are looking for a scapegoat for their own shortcommings and today it's video games. Yesterday it was Dungeons and Dragons. Before that Rock Music. Before that comic books.

When will it end people?

[Michael Grogan]

It will never end

Parents, and most other people, will always try to shirk their responsibilities. That doesn't make this article or this ratings organization any less positive or useful.

Backwards Value System

It's amazing how sex (which is legal) can earn a game an Adult rating, but killing someone (which is obviously illegal) earns it a Mature rating. Seems like our value system is a little screwed up.

[G3M4NN]

This is too simple....

I have 2 children, and it's a little strange that I'd let my 11 year
old play an M rated game and not and AO game. They are both
the same in my book. We can send an 18 year old man to Iraq to
get shot but he shouldn't be able to buy a video game or have a
beer? This country is really backwards sometimes. I won't even
let my kids watch GTA let alone play it, so it really doesn't matter
if there's any hot coffee mod in it. Parents need to do their jobs
and keep an eye on their kids.
It's really odd that the act of sex would outrage yet mass murder
is ok....odd.

[Bob Brinkman]

Thanks Rob

I thought my generation was the last one to have sane parents, I am glad some one is keeping the tradition alive.

[zizzybaloobah]

Well put, Rob!

I also question the logic of MA vs AO.

Instead of endless layers of ratings, just tell me what's in the game and let me decide. If it's patently objectionable, put on an appropriate warning/label/whatever to keep it out of minors' hands.

[superrainman]

I LOVE MY CNET!

What a great article! great questions and suprisingly great answers! I LOVE MY CNET!

Look here Mr. Salvador

YOU ARE WRONG!!!


LOLZ!!!11
PWNED!!!11

[DaveMoney]

Political Correctness run amok

This is nothing more than political correctness run amok.

This is a fuss about NOTHING!

First of all, this isn't about the millions of copies of GTA that have been sold on all systems. The Hot Coffee mod was only for the PC version of the game, which is a fraction of the total sold.

More to the point, however, is the fact that the game had to be hacked to get the mod to work...we're not talking about entering a cheat code, but actually HACKING the game. Does anyone really think that someone who knows enough about computers to be able to hack a game can't find all the real porn that they want on the internet?

[Stan Johnson]

People have the right to know

People have the right to know. So the rating systems are appropriate especially for those of us that have kids. Now that IS politically correct. Good article CNET.

[Earl Benser]

Seems like one more....

.... statement that games are really useless artifacts in the
computer world. Games just don't get attention unless they are
portraying anti-social themes and actions. Sadly, there are enough
budding sociopaths out there who would buy such junk. But that's
the way it goes in all things - most people live their lives without
ever really thinking. Unfortunately, marketeers are well aware of
that failing.

Are you kidding me?

I find this article to be untrue and offensive to video gamrs everywhere. That's saying that Michael Jackson hung his child off of a balcony edge because he saw it happen in a video game. Actions are caused by a person's choices, not a very popular video game.



PWNED!