Where would Jesus invest?

[Quasar]

Ratings are bullshit.

I honestly believe ratings have their place. Not all parents can know about every game coming out and what all is going on it. Ratings give a semi-accurate understanding of the content. Game ratings also are given in a very different manner than movie ratings. Movie ratings are bullshit and the process is veiled in secrecy and lies. I suggest watching This Film is Not Yet Rated to understand the bullshit behind it all.

I'll have to look that film up: I've never seen it. Sounds very interesting.

Actually, as a bit of an amatuer game developer myself, here's a few question for those of you who are gamers: what sort of content do you like to see? Do the games at the top of the Tim list take it too far? Is one type of content (eg. violence) more acceptable than another (eg. sexual themes)? How far should the developers take it?

[ExPatMatt]

Quasar,

I couldn't care less what the content is really; it's the playability that does it for me every time. That's why the Wii is so damn popular; they remembered that people play games because they want to have fun, not necessarily have an audio-sensory experience that kicks the bollocks out of going to the cinema.

I must say though, I do like killing people in games...

[BeamStalk]

It is all about a good story line Quasar. That is what makes a game.

[ExPatMatt]

It is all about a good story line Quasar. That is what makes a game.

Like Pong! Cracking storyline there; "2 Lines. Divided by space. United by Ball."

[BeamStalk]

It is all about a good story line Quasar. That is what makes a game.

Like Pong! Cracking storyline there; "2 Lines. Divided by space. United by Ball."

And how well would a pong clone do in this day and age?

Plus I am an RPG guy.

[ExPatMatt]

Ok, pretty hard to have an RPG without a good storyline, I'll give you that!

I did once complete Final Fantasy 7 on the Playstation - that was a great game.

[Quasar]

Like Pong! Cracking storyline there; "2 Lines. Divided by space. United by Ball."

That should be the tagline for "Pong: The Movie".

[Benjamin Franklin]

Rock Band 2 got a 3 on the immorality scale. And here I thought it was a family game.

Kaitlyn, don't you know that all Rock and Roll music is Satan's tool?

Seriously, a couple of years ago when my stb ex-wife was looking into private schools for my oldest son, one of the questions on an application for Maranatha Academy was "Do you listen to rock and roll music in your home?"

[Unethical Chum Tin]

I'm more of an RPG guy, as well. It's all about maxing out my character's potential. All the Final Fantasy games I've ever played, however, had that s-l-o-w combat system that really made me dread combat. It was like pulling teeth. I've not played any of the latest FF titles, however. I believe I heard they may have finally fixed this.

That's why I'm enjoying Fallout 3. It's an RPG shooter. It has all the elements of an RPG plus fast paced combat. My only beef with the game is that you can't level up past level 20 (which you do fairly quickly).

As for game ratings, my son (3.5 yrs old) isn't old enough for it to matter and, as a gamer, I'll probably never need to refer to ratings to make my decision. I am, however, happy that they are there and especially that they are self imposed (They are still self imposed, right?). I like the idea that game publishers take it upon themselves to say:

"Hey. Just to let you know... This game allows you to play an evil character (if you so choose), who kills everyone on sight. This game also, at times, shows you a slow motion rendition of human heads exploding off of their bodies, including brain matter, eyeballs and identifiable skull fragments. If you want to get a good night's sleep, you might not want the kiddies viewing this."

[BeamStalk]

As for game ratings, my son (3.5 yrs old) isn't old enough for it to matter and, as a gamer, I'll probably never need to refer to ratings to make my decision. I am, however, happy that they are there and especially that they are self imposed (They are still self imposed, right?). I like the idea that game publishers take it upon themselves to say:

"Hey. Just to let you know... This game allows you to play an evil character (if you so choose), who kills everyone on sight. This game also, at times, shows you a slow motion rendition of human heads exploding off of their bodies, including brain matter, eyeballs and identifiable skull fragments. If you want to get a good night's sleep, you might not want the kiddies viewing this."

There is an external ratings board, but they don't have to submit to it. Certain places won't sell the product unless they do though, i.e. Wal-Mart. Movies also do not have to submit to the MPAA but very few theaters will show a movie that is not rated. The difference between the two is the ESRB will tell the developers exactly why the game got the rating it did and give suggestions about how to lower the rating. The ESRB is working to help promote the entertainment and art of video games.