Avicus Archive

Do we really need the ESRB? by ImJeezus June 24, 2014 at 5:06 AM UTC

When you think about organization like ESRB, you can’t but wonder why people find the greatest pleasure in their life in causing harm to other people’s business and doing everything to find ways of depriving other people of pleasure. ESRB, or the Entertainment Software Rating Board, was founded in 1994, when the society considered that there was too much violence in a number of video games, such as Mortal Kombat, Doom, Lethal Enforcers(which wasn't even that violent) and others, and that the game industry needs to be regulated. Since then almost no game passes without being submitted to the ESRB (though it is voluntary, many retailers won’t sell games that haven’t passed the rating, as well as console producers won’t license such games), the content is being removed or suppressed in order to get more lenient attitude from the board, scandals are brought about, when yet another piece of adult content passes unnoticed into a “Teen” game and the publishers are forced to make cosmetic and not just cosmetic changes in their products in order to please the ESRB. It is hard to say how many people feed on it while producing nothing but ESRB logos to be placed on the boxes with games, but I still can’t understand what it changes. Does the society really believe that children that are supposed to be protected from harmful content have never seen or heard anything about violence, sex, drugs and alcohol? Does it think that a child won’t find a way to get an “M” rated game if he wants to? The only thing that happens is that a number of people found themselves a sinecure and dictate their will to honest businessmen, who try to make money, and honest buyers, who want to get their share of joy.

Not to mention that 6 year olds play COD and GTA.

Joao_Victor June 24, 2014 at 5:06 AM UTC

Is it illegal for it not to exist?

Shoto_ June 24, 2014 at 5:06 AM UTC

Not if parents are ignorant enough to use XBL as a daycare. Not if people make fake IDs. Not if people are not going to "respect the ratings."

Eklip_Z June 24, 2014 at 5:06 AM UTC

Whether or not it is rated or not people of young and old ages will still play the game. They believe that when young people play games like GTA or CoD it can make them really violent, I have played games like GTA since I was 7 or 8 and I am one of the last people you would see wanting a fight or even hurt someone. In my opinion it's how their raised, what environment they were in and how their parents explained to them how that it will ruin your life if you do things like killing people and doing drugs, my parents always told me that when I was little when I listened to most things they said and now I never even consider doing something like that.

ImJeezus June 24, 2014 at 5:06 AM UTC

Is it illegal for it not to exist?
The thing is most parents dont give a shit about it.
Making kids play "m" games.

Joao_Victor June 24, 2014 at 5:06 AM UTC

The thing is most parents dont give a shit about it.
Making kids play "m" games.
Exactly, a big problem in the gaming industry...

PsychoStoner June 24, 2014 at 6:06 AM UTC

Yeah my parents didn't give a sh*t if I was playing M or A games my dad bought me Leisure Suit Larry  and its an A game back in 2005 when I was 9 years old. But still if I had a kid and he or she where to start playing M games yeah I wouldn't care but if he or her got hands on an A game yes I would be kind of pissed off. I do kind of see the point why ESRB is necessary but  ESRB in reality is not needed.