Politician tries to get GTA:SA bumped up from a M rating to a AO rating

[Jasonkhowell]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/07...s_6128702.html

Yes, I know San Andreas is full of crap, and is very violent, but the reason he is doing this is because of the scrapped sex mini-game found in the PC version that modders have put back in. Add the fact that kids should not even be allowed to buy, or play this game (although I know parents and store owners will overlook that).

Personally, I think he is nothing more then a politician using the tired "PROTECT THE CHILDREN!" excuse to score points with voters.

[Yakumo]

Well, the hole GTA series is aimed at your common thug. Fuck it, rase it to AO (what ever that means). I know some respectable gamers play GTA but really, since when did games need to be so pointless to includ gang wars, killings, fucking god knows what !! and yes I'm pissed (drunk ). Still I thing Rockstar games have no imagination. they just watych too many cop shows.

yakumo

[LeGIt]

I think the parents are dumb fucks.

Yeah it's M rated, but part of that rating should obviously include sex related stuff.

The ESRB mature rating sum's it up perfectly - it's the parents failing their children by being too ignorant to even research the game they're buying for kids or even simple things like reading the packaging, not the ESRB failing to rate effectively.

[XerdoPwerko]

True. And this guy is just scapegoating to gain politically. I'm not precisely someone who likes the GTA series, but I find this lobbying to be complete vote-whoring.

What gets me is that brutal killings are rated M, but sex is rated AO. I mean, why is love more obscene than hate? I think George Carlin has a number on this, about changing the word "kill" for the word "fuck" in violent movies. "Okay, Sheriff, we gonna fuck ya now... but we gonna fuck ya slow...!"

Anyway... I think this GTA and Ratings nonsense should simply fade away. Kids are gonna get it anyway, and then parents are still going to blame the publishers, and still, politicians will gain through the outrage and scapegoating. Just change "GTA" for "Night Trap" or "Doom" or "Mortal Kombat", and... well, this shit's been around for like 15 years.

Ratings were a good idea, for sure - but we really need to rethink what gets what rating, and what each rating means towards the sale of the products.

[Jasonkhowell]

True. And this guy is just scapegoating to gain politically. I'm not precisely someone who likes the GTA series, but I find this lobbying to be complete vote-whoring.

What gets me is that brutal killings are rated M, but sex is rated AO. I mean, why is love more obscene than hate? I think George Carlin has a number on this, about changing the word "kill" for the word "fuck" in violent movies. "Okay, Sheriff, we gonna fuck ya now... but we gonna fuck ya slow...!"

Anyway... I think this GTA and Ratings nonsense should simply fade away. Kids are gonna get it anyway, and then parents are still going to blame the publishers, and still, politicians will gain through the outrage and scapegoating. Just change "GTA" for "Night Trap" or "Doom" or "Mortal Kombat", and... well, this shit's been around for like 15 years.

Ratings were a good idea, for sure - but we really need to rethink what gets what rating, and what each rating means towards the sale of the products.

That is one thing I hate about the US: Pretty much every political figure and Christian groups (And other religions) views sex or nudity much worse then killing a person for no reason. Plus, we enjoy putting the scapegoat on things barely related to anything just for political, or monetary gain.

[PhantasyStar]

Has there been any other AO games besides Leisure Suit Larry Uncut?

[XerdoPwerko]

Looking at the ESRB website, there seems to be 18 titles with an AO rating. The only AO rated game on a console seems to be some CDI game.

Everything else is PC or MAC.

[socialdrone]

i think most M rated games deserve an Ao rating, any game that glorifies murder should be rated Ao. on the other hand i would disagree that sexual content in a videogame should be reason in of itself to place a mature or Ao rating on it.

you want to know the reason why people in america think nudity is worse than the murder. its because their morals have been in some way influenced by the puritans. read the bible as a puritan would read it, there is a strong case to be made that human sexuality is evil...more evil than murder. but its not just human sexuality its also anything remotely related or even indirectly conected.

its all englands fault, they should have shipped them off to australia instead of allowing them to settle here.

[Hawanja]

Man, when are people going to see through these dirtbag politicans? Just another scam artist asshole trying to rile up support for something to make himself look important. Get a name for himself, that kind of thing. Goddammit I hate politicians.

its all englands fault, they should have shipped them off to australia instead of allowing them to settle here.

Well, then somebody else might have settled here, and made the country worse. Say, French for example (Bada-Bing! Is this thing on?)

[A. Snow]

Rules of US politics (Although generally applies to any political system)

1. If your argument makes no sense use fear and outrage.
2. If you see an easy target that can score you votes with soccarmom's and old people then exploit it using fear and outrage.
3. If you need publicity find something to be fearful and outraged about.
4. If someone is not "donating" to you let them know that whatever they're doing is causing you fear and outrage.
5. If they're not "donating" enough remind them that you're still fearful and outraged.
6. If their competition "donates" more be fearful and outraged. Be sure to cash both "donation" checks first though.

[sayin999]

well said Asnow,as for the most titles deserving an ao rating, probably so, but youd be supriesed how much you can get away with in games, i mean the esrb is so effective on games now that even sega took out all teh streets of rages from sonic gems us release and put vectorman in there just os they wouldnt get a T. Still whats funny is that rockstar refuses to comment on the discovered sex minigame,which might have really been in the game and cut out at the last minute to avoid an ao raitng, still its extremely rare an ao raiting happens, and i have yet to see a game besides the latest leisure suit larry thats rated ao.

[XerdoPwerko]

I know the minor (12-17) teenage population is a huge market, but now games cater to the 18-35 crowd a lot more. They have the spending power, and all.
So really, why should the AO rating hurt sales, other than hypocrisy? I mean, if there's the rating, use it, dammit.

I guess, though, many retailers are afraid of having their stores burnt down by zealots or something, that might be a reason...

And A.Snow, yeah, you got your U.S. Politics (and probably many other countries) down pretty much on the spot. Good post, dude.

[kevster]

one question whats AO stand for

here we only have 12, 15, 18, so on

[the_steadster]

See Here for more info. Basically:
(US rating,age,description)
E,all,Everyone
T,13,Teen
M,17,Mature
AO,18,Adults Only

[WolverineDK]

Well this makes me laugh , (sorry it really does)
since i saw my first porn flick when i was 8/9 years old at a friends place.
And read my first porn magazine when i was 12(heck i think it was even before) and bought my first some times after. Well my hormones was rising when i was 11 (puberty). And i saw my first 16 year rated movie when i was 10 or something like that. And i admit we danes are maybe too relaxed. But seriously when Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was renamed to Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles (in the UK) well i read it was because they thought ninja was a too harsh word. Well i read on another forum that the kids could say all the swear words . That was around at that time when the cartoon came out.

So i must laugh, and it is not an offence.

Peace:

You know who i am.

[typo989]

If the M rating was actually used properly (17 and over), then the AO rating would be useless. Honestly, what a waste of rating...

[DJcrazymonkey]

This is dumb. The only video game that has ever affected me negatively was the Silent Hill demo back when I was say....9 or so. Now I play SH4 in the dark with the sound turned up and etc. etc.

[Putzi]

I dont think it matters if they change the rating almosteveryone has it and even if they do the people who want to buy it will get it anyways no matter what its rated. I like all of the gta games but I think that this game has some stuff that is just unneccasary they fuck every two seconds for what they didn't do that with three or vice city and they were just as good if not better.

[XerdoPwerko]

As I've said. It's just hipocrisy. They won't carry AO because it's going to hurt their image in society of being good, upstanding conservative citizens...

But they'll lose too much money if they stop selling M games to minors who shouldn't be getting them, so... the way to work it is Hypocrisy. This same hipocrisy and greed makes ratings useless.

It is somewhat funny.

[sayin999]

belive me the ao raiting is pretty pointless, its really suppose to be if a game is fully extreme or adult like, yet alot of M games easily qualify for ao, theyre not considered extreme enough, its all politics when it comes to certain games getting a rating.