Post by asakawa
1. All media can be easily accessed by young kids, There are ratings on them for "parental control" but that can be absent. We should never censor things just in case a kid might see it. Responsibility has to lie with the parents/guardians.
2. Yes, there is a huge double standard, and there will be for a long time.
3. I thought it was brave of them to attempt it, Both games had a M ESRB rating (18+ UK)
It was hardly graphic sex. Anyone who has a issue with it should perhaps vet the content of their games a little more thoroughly.
I remember the discussion being everywhere at the time, Anyone reading up on the game would have found the information about the potential scenes hard to miss.
I guess what I'm saying is parents need to take more interest in what their kids are playing.
We are no longer dealing with characters made up of blocks. (And even back in the days of 8 bit computing there were adult themed games)
You wouldn't let a 8 year old watch a 18+ DVD, why on earth would you let them play an 18+ video game?
I wholeheartedly agree with all of this.
slightly tangential:
The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) in the UK has had a chequered past (at one point being officially titled with the 'C' meaning "censorship") but their current methods are incredibly transparent and thorough. They have
a website where you can see a breakdown of the kinds of content in a film and they even have a
separate website specifically for parents that spoils the films completely in order to give an incredibly thorough, detailed report of what you kid will experience. I know far more about film classification than game classification but the info is out there for parents, they just have to be involved enough in their kids' lives to find it.