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I’m not sure if this matters, because I could be in an outgroup (oh no! a statistics term! ^_^) but I’ve been playing Dungeons And Dragons since I was at least 7 years old. D&D is inherently violent and often very mature game, but it is still a game. I also remember playing Battle Chess, and staying up late at nights, swearing up and down that a knight was going to break into my room to chop off my arms and legs. As well, I grew up on both violent and non-violent games, but also on mature “adult-only” games. This includes Leisure Suit Larry for which I would actually ask my parents friends if they’d played and get hints or tips. I am still a “Disney-esque” person who abhores violence for anything less than protection. As I said, I may just be part of an outgroup, perhaps the group who had parents smack them silly when they were caught in Lefty’s Bar. XD
My personal belief has always been that it’s the parents responsibility to know what their children are doing when they do something. Period. If they don’t know what’s in the game, they need to do research and ask. (This is also the reason there are so many people getting ripped off buying computers. People fail to do any research on the subject and get …. …. …. well, let’s just go with ripped off. ^_~)
Sorry if this seems like a rant, but in reality, I’m very much torn between ratings. I’m not sure whether or not I like them. If they’re used for informing consumers of content, and only for that purpose, then I totally agree with it. However, it tends to be used in a “you must be this high to ride this ride” sense, so I tend to raise my voice a bit. 🙂
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(re: Software Ratings)
I love the software rating idea, but personaly hate the one they have out now (nothing against you ken). The one I like was the one my copy of “Final DOOM” came with. It we 3/4 little thermeters. One represented violence, languague, sex, and gore. The higher on the meter the more something had in it. It gave a better description of what was IN the game then the “Teen for 13+ children”. I belive the use of the word “hell” was enough to give Doom the euqivilent of the teen rating back then.
I just never felt the rating systems (TV, movie, and game) realy told what parents wanted to know. I felt it also stood the test of time. Saying a game had frontal nudity is a costant, but the ratings change (when Robocop was R when it came out, but was changed to PG-13 when that rating was added.)
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(re: re: Software Ratings)
I agree – the slider bars would have been better. Or, a simple list of what is in the game. This would give more information than “just a rating” and might be a little trickier for the retailers to ban software based on.
I think I chose the ratings system that we used because at that time I was trying to send a message to the world that computer games deserved to be taken seriously as an entertainment medium. I always wanted to do everything I could to “link” Sierra, and the computer game industry, to Hollywood. Copying their ratings system I thought was a move in that direction. -
(re: Software Ratings)
this is an interesting piece of history!
the ratings didn’t affect me much because the system wasn’t in place until i was a teenager… i might feel differently if they’d kept me from playing games i wanted to play. i vaguely remember a store clerk at Egghead trying to keep me from buying a game with a mature rating — my dad was along, but i don’t remember if he made me put the game back or if he let me buy it. don’t even remember what game it was… i guess i wasn’t too upset about it!
🙂 emily
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(re: Software Ratings) Interesting. I certainly agree that that there are contents that kids under certain age shouldn’t be exposed to, and that games like “Leisure Suit Larry” or “Police Quest” were in this category. But as with any rating discussion, this one brings up the question of where the line is drawn.
I have a 1996 box of a “King’s Quest” collection (games 1-6 on two CDS). It’s marked as suitable for all ages (though this box came from England – maybe there were different ratings for these games in different countries). But is it really? Sure, the “King’s Quest” games had a fairy-tale background that could appeal to children. On the other hand, they also had scary and violent moments – these games were filled with monsters chasing the gamer and countless spots where the main character could die. And what about “Space Quest”? The contents of the SQ games weren’t nearly as extreme as the LSL series, but some of its humor did lean a bit in the “adult” direction. My point is, sometimes the line between “for kids” and “for adults” isn’t clear when it comes to contents.
The problem with rating today’s games, I believe, is different. The majority of today’s popular games come from the first-person-action genre, and these games have a very wide appeal. Unlike adventures, where you could say “this is a kid’s story” and “this is an adult story”, FPS games revolve around pretty much the same concept: you shoot people (or monsters). Though some people may argue that this is inappropriate for children, I can’t really see the game companies giving up the young audience for these games, which I imagine is pretty big.
Another angle here is that most of today’s game developers somehow refuse to acknowledge any kind of connection between their games and the real world. I remember reading the manual that came with Microprose’s “F-19: Stealth Fighter” simulation. That manual actually went through length to explain the political background of each campaign and actually made a serious attempt to discuss the moral implications of what you do in the game and what real-life combat pilots do. When have you seen something like that in a recent game? <sigh> -
(re: re: Software Ratings) Ratings systems that describe the product, rather than simple symbols (like: G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17) are better. These allow parents to make an informed decision before buying a product. Some parents are ok with nudity in a product, others aren’t. Some are ok with violent content, others aren’t. Some have different feelings about cartoon violence and “real” violence.
I’m generally opposed to everything related to sex or violence when it comes to young children. There were plenty of Disney cartoons that I thought were a little too violent for our kids when they were young. Other parents feel completely differently. There are even parents that don’t have an opinion (these people should rethink their responsabilities as parents).
I still have mixed emotions about having published Half-Life. It seems obvious to me that some percentage of teens who play violent games are going to lose sight of the fact that “it’s just a game”. 99.9% of teens understand the difference between a video game and reality – but not all. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think so. If in a video game, you give someone “real” seeming weapons, and then you have them chase “real” looking bad guys through real looking buildings, and then you give them points each time they “kill” someone – it sends the wrong message.
I’m a VERY anti-censorship kind of guy. But, that’s with respect to adults. There is a time in our lives when opinions are still being formed, and a time when we’ve made our minds up. This is not meant to be a political website – so, I’m not sure I want to comment more on this topic (especially since my opinions ae likely to alienate LOTS of people) – but, I really think that children, and even young teens, should be sheltered from violent content – especially realistic simulations – until they reach a certain age.
-Ken W -
(re: Software Ratings)
I remember when I started playing DOOM. I was about 13-14 yeard old. I loved the game. My parents constantly told me that it’s just a game and it’s not real, and that what is happening in the game is wrong. I told them I know and that I didn’t play it because of the killing things: I played it because it was fun. DOOM is still one of my favorite games, along with SQ1, Pac-Man, BC’s Quest for Tires, and The Legend of Zelda.
Now I’m a father, and I’ve adopted the same idea my parents had: review everything my kid sees (even “kid” stuff) and then let him play. I found some mature games (well, actuatly Quake 3) was child aceptable when you turn off the blood/gore settings and install a “non violent” addon, like freeze tag. You basicly go around freezing people!
I agree with you Ken: Ratings are important. Not as important to me because I know what game are about and my parents didn’t (so a rating is meaningless to me). But stopping mature people from getting the games/movies/etc they want is pretty stupid.
Parents should watch and play with their kids, not just buy them a copy of something and send them on their way.
On a personal note, I find most Disney cartoons to violent and prefer “Bear in the Big Blue House,” “Veggie Tales,” and “Seaseme Streat.”. I enjoy those too! 🙂
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(re: Software Ratings)
I’m not sure if this matters, because I could be in an outgroup (oh no! a statistics term! ^_^) but I’ve been playing Dungeons And Dragons since I was at least 7 years old. D&D is inherently violent and often very mature game, but it is still a game. I also remember playing Battle Chess, and staying up late at nights, swearing up and down that a knight was going to break into my room to chop off my arms and legs. As well, I grew up on both violent and non-violent games, but also on mature “adult-only” games. This includes Leisure Suit Larry for which I would actually ask my parents friends if they’d played and get hints or tips. I am still a “Disney-esque” person who abhores violence for anything less than protection. As I said, I may just be part of an outgroup, perhaps the group who had parents smack them silly when they were caught in Lefty’s Bar. XD
My personal belief has always been that it’s the parents responsibility to know what their children are doing when they do something. Period. If they don’t know what’s in the game, they need to do research and ask. (This is also the reason there are so many people getting ripped off buying computers. People fail to do any research on the subject and get …. …. …. well, let’s just go with ripped off. ^_~)
Sorry if this seems like a rant, but in reality, I’m very much torn between ratings. I’m not sure whether or not I like them. If they’re used for informing consumers of content, and only for that purpose, then I totally agree with it. However, it tends to be used in a “you must be this high to ride this ride” sense, so I tend to raise my voice a bit. 🙂
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