ESRB Adds New 'Tween' Rating 114
The Entertainment Software Rating Board announced yesterday that it was adding a new category to the entertainment software rating format. The new "E10+" "would mark games that might contain moderate amounts of cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes." This puts the category between "E" and "T", and allows for racing games with violent crashes and superhero violence.
Excellent. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Excellent. (Score:2, Insightful)
Yea, because we all know that Slashdotters want the government to regulate what children see not their parents. Heaven forbid that parents use the rating system to determine what they allow their kids to look at!
My kids know that they can't play Teen games unless I individually approve them. If there is any question then they ask me and I say whether they can or not. If I can't evaluate it then they have
Re:Excellent. (Score:1)
Seriously though, unless your kids are actually mentally deficient they should be fine playing (and watching) whatever they want from ~12 or so. Children generally aren't as stupid as most people think.
Re:Excellent. (Score:5, Insightful)
To continue that thought though, I might add that I was brought up in a free thinking environment, and I was free to watch, play, or read anything I wanted as soon as I was old enough to do so. (About 5 years old). My parents chose not to simply shelter me from the "bad stuff" like most parents, but to give me guidance on that sort of thing instead. As a result, I grew up much more prepared for the world than my peers.
I personally wish that the world would do away with the archaic belief that sex, violence, and profanity are unfit for children to know about. I believe that knowledge is power, and kids should have all that they want.
But yes, my original point was that there's absolutely nothing wrong with SSBM, and it just irritated the hell out of me to see parents blindly following the ratings without using any other form of judgement. I believe that people should think for themselves instead of just trying to get some letter on a box to think for them.
Re:Excellent. (Score:2)
I can't speak for games, but there are plrobably things I would have been bettr off not reading that I did.
An immersive environment that depicts you as the protagonist going around and brutaly murdering people in a realistic type setting cannot be a good thing for anybody, but especially not for someone 12 years old. I don't know if such a game exists, but such a blanket statement is just silly. Also anybody, of any age, that thinks wrestling is
Re:Excellent. (Score:5, Insightful)
l **
i *
v *
e
s ***
That is v is violence, s is sexual themes, l is language, e is for evil or demonic themes, and i is illegal or harmful behavior. Then underneath it could highlight some of the things parents should be cautious about in the movie or game.
Thus we can take a game such as Zelda.
l
i
v **
e *
s
Contains Mild Fantasy Violence
Contains Ghosts
Parents can then judge right away whether the want that game. Just as another example we can take Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
l *
i *
v **
e *
s *
Contains Mild Lyrics
Contains Resisting Authorities
Contains Fantasy Violence
Contains Sports like Violence
Contains Mild Romantic Themes
If we used a rating system like that, parents could more easily pick out the right movie/games for thier kids based upon their moral values of what kids should be exposed to.
Re:Excellent. (Score:2)
Re:Excellent. (Score:5, Insightful)
Girl: Um....What about this one?
Mother: Diabolo? Isn't that a devil game? Why don't you get a book with your money instead? All these games are too violent.
Girl: But I want a game! Oh, I like this one, mommy! (Picking up a copy of Roller Coaster Tycoon.)
Mother: (sarcastic) Are you sure? But you don't kill anybody in this one. (Puts RCT back on the shelf, picks up a copy of Spider-Man 2.) How about this one? You can kill this guy on the box here.
Similarly, when my boyfriend showed his mother the gameplay in Animal Crossing, she said, "I bet nobody really plays this game. It doesn't have any shooting." It's a sad thing when the parents are so convinced that video games are bad, they go after the violent games because they can't think of games having any other appeal. Geesh.
Re:Excellent. (Score:4, Interesting)
As you may have noticed, it's not around anymore. My guess is, it was too confusing for people. All that information is nice for some people, but a lot of parents just want to know, "Is it okay to buy for my 10-year-old, or not?" Frankly, I'm not sure I could look at your bar charts above and, without reading the titles of the game, know whether they were appropriate for kids or not.
Personally, I think the current ESRB system, with one big rating, along with several reasons why it got that rating ("Graphic violence", "Suggestive themes", "Super-exaggerated boobie animation", etc.) is probably a good comprosmise.
Re:Excellent. (Score:1)
Well, that gets to the crux of the problem. There are really only two sides. The parents who research (anywhere from actually reading the box to looking at a trusted online review) and those who can't be bothered (notice my bias).
Those parents who care enough to research, don't need a more detailed rating system, they have already evaluated the product for themselves.
But we already have CAPAlert... (Score:1)
Read it for a laugh, read it for a look into a closed mind; for whatever reason, it's an interesting place. And they count ALL of the naughty bits and tell you what they are.
http://www.capalert.com/capreports/ [capalert.com]
An excerpt from their analysis of Daredevil (The guy thought it sucked too), specifically the "I" from the WISDOM scale:
Impudence/Hate:
* six uses of the three/four l
Re:But we already have CAPAlert... (Score:1)
I think parents should be able to determine every minute detail of bad stuff in a movie. If a parent really don't want to glorify lies then that's their choice. If they don't want to glorify facial piercing then that's their choice.
I'm a grown man, but I don't like hearing four letter words in every other sentence. I don
Re:Excellent. (Score:3, Insightful)
M - Misrepresentation of non-western ideas as being evils.
O - One dimensional characters and/or one-sided plot which may promote the conception that ideas and people are either singularly good or singularly evil.
D - Discourages personal autonomy
Re:Excellent. (Score:1)
Re:Excellent. (Score:2)
I just think that treating sex, violence, and profanity as taboo is not a healthy thing.
Re:Excellent. (Score:2)
Part of it is due to the addition of the modifier thingys: the comic mischief, mild violence stuff, which was later slapped onto the FF series.
I wouldn't be surprised if FFXII is E10+... Although this may scare off the fanboys... lol
Re:Excellent. (Score:1)
Cheer This On! (Score:4, Insightful)
- Neil Wehneman
Re:Cheer This On! (Score:3, Informative)
Why don't they just specify an age? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Why don't they just specify an age? (Score:2)
Re:Why don't they just specify an age? (Score:1)
Re:Why don't they just specify an age? (Score:2)
Re:Why don't they just specify an age? (Score:2)
Joking aside I think tighter ratings are vital before we end up with games being forcibly censored or restricted.
Re:Why don't they just specify an age? (Score:2)
GWBB - Games with Big Breast - Ex: Tomb Raider
FLTT - Foul Language Trash Talking - Ex: Duke Nukem
LVFA - Loud Volume From Aliens - Ex: Doom 3
TEAA - Time Eating And Addictive - Ex: Anything
Re:Why don't they just specify an age? (Score:1)
Re:Why don't they just specify an age? (Score:1)
Re:Why don't they just specify an age? (Score:2)
you see, if game makers would just slap an age limit on their own there would be no need for a lengthy process of determining which kind of a new rating is introduced - they could just slap a big 17 on it or whatever.
Re:Why don't they just specify an age? (Score:2)
IIRC, the UK does something like this for movies. I would have preferred a numerical-based rating system for games in the US, anyway. It is much easier for a parent to see "13+" and know that little 8-year-old Timmy probably shouldn't play that game.
Re:Why don't they just specify an age? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Why don't they just specify an age? (Score:2, Insightful)
The current system gives an approximate age group to give you an idea of what level of maturity is needed (T meaning 13+, M
Re:Why don't they just specify an age? (Score:1)
Sometimes it's hard to tell from a box / book cover just what's going on inside the video / manga (especially with anime - it can be totally cutesy-looking, but really be a hardcore hentai nightmare inside). A quick flip over of the package tells you that it's "17+", "13+", "7+", etc. It's nice and easy for me to figure out, and I'm sure it's just as easy (and even more relevant) for a concerned parent buying something for their kids.
Good move (Score:3, Insightful)
Frogger 3D? (Score:2)
Damien
Re:Frogger 3D? (Score:1)
I especially love to see them get squished on the highway. Hey, wait a minute.. that VIOLENT!!!11one1!
Re:Good move (Score:4, Informative)
E-rated games are not only for preschoolers. E stands for "everyone". Gran Turismo 4 is rated E, and is surely a game that appeals to kids and adults. Dismissing an E-rated game as "for preschoolers" is missing the point of the rating system.
Having kids myself though, I do agree that the new rating is a good idea.
Basically, Almost No 'E' Games Anymore (Score:2, Interesting)
So what would qualify as 'E'? I guess puzzle games (not Super Puzzle Fighter, though) and stuff like Mary Kate and Ashley games.
Re:Basically, Almost No 'E' Games Anymore (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Basically, Almost No 'E' Games Anymore (Score:2)
Honestly, I we should just go ahead and follow Tycho's [penny-arcade.com] advice to just use the movie rating system that parents already know the meanings of.
Trademarks (Score:1)
we should just go ahead and ... use the movie rating system that parents already know the meanings of.
CARA's familiar ratings [filmratings.com] (G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17) are trademarked, and I don't see how CARA would agree to expand the scope of those ratings from films to games.
Re:Basically, Almost No 'E' Games Anymore (Score:1)
Upcoming ratings (Score:4, Funny)
IML8! Discusses teen pregnancy
Re:Upcoming ratings (Score:1)
Re:I wonder (Score:3, Interesting)
It will be interesting to see if any games in current release rated as T are retroactively rated to E10+ if appropriate. Obviously, this has serious marketing implications of the sort that drove the PG-13 movie rating's creation. The E10+ rating should result in a little upward tick in revenues as the group of "acceptable" games grows.
Re:I wonder (Score:2)
Look at how the King treats the Prince...after a strongly-implied night of substance abuse, he goes and trashes the house. He makes the kid clean up the mess (and offers some not-so-kind words at the start of each mission), and when the kid doesn't live up to the
Cartoon violence (Score:4, Insightful)
And now the games industry says only ten year olds and older are the appropriate category for it? What? This also implies that before now, it was higher? (Yeah, where have I been. I just never needed to look at or understand the reasoning behind)
If kids watch cartoon violence regulated by their parents, the same levels should be taken to games. As the cartoons become more realistic, then sure - but as the adult is still the regulator, this 10+ seems incomprehensible.
Re:Cartoon violence (Score:2)
compare that to DBZ where lasers shoot from each othes hands blowing up worlds and martial arts action in mid air.
obviously i agree with you somewhat. tom and jerry was cartoon violence. however can you see the diff
Re:Cartoon violence (Score:2)
Keep in mind that many of
Re:Cartoon violence (Score:2)
No, they were made for kids. The experience of a weekly movie visit was meant for the whole family, and each element ("picture", newsreel, and cartoon) had to appeal to all ages and genders (with a bias towards the adult males who bought the tickets). But the cartoons where intentionally the childrens' favorite parts.
Tween defined . . . (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Tween defined . . . (Score:1)
Thus, it's the age be'tween' youth and teenage.
A quick Google search will find lots of places to back that up.
Re:Tween defined . . . (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Tween defined . . . (Score:2, Funny)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tween [wikipedia.org]
Re:Tween defined . . . (Score:3, Funny)
This depends on where Tolkien's Universe is in time on our scale. If it discusses the distant future, then Mary Kate and Ashley could easily be the Hobbits' distant progenitors. They are both rather short...
Re:Tween defined . . . (Score:1)
Re:Tween defined . . . (Score:3, Insightful)
Twe(e)n'ties
Isn't this a little redundant? (Score:1)
Re:Isn't this a little redundant? (Score:2, Informative)
Violent Superhero racing games (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Violent Superhero racing games (Score:1)
This is good news. (Score:3, Insightful)
To be honest, I'd prefer a game rating system similar to the toy rating system - something that measured difficulty/playability rather than simple violence. I mean, there's nothing in FF7 that my daughter shouldn't see or hear, but that doesn't mean she's capable of enjoying it.
Re:This is good news. (Score:2)
Right. 'cause after all (Score:2)
Did you read any of the other comments?
Re:This is good news. (Score:2, Insightful)
FF7 had cursing, a whorehouse, sexual innuendos, and implied sexual situations. Would you be ok with your 8 year old daughter seeing or hearing all of that?
Re:This is good news. (Score:2)
I remember being 6 or 7 and I got Dragon Warrior on NES. My dad (who was never really into games himself) sat down with me while I played it and helped me with some of the strategy (don't waste all your MP at once), and understanding some of that god-awful pseudo-old-english dialog.
From there I moved on to Final Fanasy, then to the SNES with FFII/III, Breath of Fire/II, Chrono Tri
Hey, you don't need to convince me! (Score:2)
Re:This is good news. (Score:1)
I received The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening for GameBoy when I was in first grade, but I beat it within the next 2-3 months. Also, I received Super Mario RPG in second grade, and I beat it before I graduated to 3rd grade.
RPG's have helped me not only reason better, but expand my vocabulary, concentrate on puzzles more efficiently, and focus on the big picture, rather than what enemy I am currently facing.
All kids are different in how they learn, but they sure made
At least it will make more sense (Score:1, Interesting)
So yes, hopefully this will ease the minds of many a parent and makes the decision ea
Re:At least it will make more sense (Score:2)
Re:At least it will make more sense (Score:2)
Instead of letters.. (Score:2)
Do What Board Games Do (Score:1)
Still Doesn't Tell Parents Anything (Score:4, Insightful)
The basic flaw of age-based rating systems - this in includes movies, too - is that parents should know their kids best and determine what is most appropriate for them. A Mormon 13-year-old probably is going to be scandalized by relatively tame material.
That's why ratings should be based on content - language, sexuality, violence, etc. That way, that special population who think it's okay for games and movies to contain gratuitous violence, but absolutely no sex know which games to buy their children.
Re:Still Doesn't Tell Parents Anything (Score:2, Informative)
http://www.esrb.com/ [esrb.com]
IMO, the ESRB has a much better system than film or TV: the (extremely challenging) problem is teaching people about it. They can make the qualifiers more prominent, but it's hard enough trying to teach every mom who comes into Wal-Mart what a "T" means.
I disagree. (Score:2)
If you know your kid is precocious for a 9 year old, you might feel comfortable giving him a game rated for 12 year olds - but it still helps to know that the game is aimed at 12 year olds and not 22 year olds.
Re:Still Doesn't Tell Parents Anything (Score:2, Informative)
Congratulations! (Score:2, Flamebait)
Of course, the true litmus test is who you blame for your own actions.
PG -13 System Flawed as all get out (Score:2)
Absolutely wonderfull (Score:1)
Re:Might influence other ratings besides "T" and " (Score:1)
Tween (Score:1)
For Those Of You Who Are Confused About "Tween" (Score:2, Funny)
RE: (Score:1)