Mature Rating Analysis
Grand Theft Auto, Doom, Mortal Kombat, and Resident Evil. One thing all these games have in common is they are all rated M for Mature. The definition of a Mature rating according to the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is "Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content, and/or strong language." The ESRB states that the "ratings are designed to provide information about video and computer game content, so you can make informed purchase decisions." The ratings consist two parts one is the ratings symbol which can be found on the front of the box. One the back of the box the ESRB also includes a description of
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the game so the purchaser knows why a game is rated the way it is. Media Scope states that interactive video games revenue that exceeds $18 billion worldwide. That figure is over double what is spent on movies annually. Despite the ratings children have major access to these violent video games. By allowing children and youth access to play these kinds of games are we setting ourselves up for school shootings and violence? "Meet people from all over the world then kill them" was an advertisement slogan for the video game subspace according to PG News. Additionally according to PG News, in two out of five school massacres video games have been targets of blame. Researchers have also claimed that the military uses video games for training purposes. According to Lt. Col David Grossman, a U.S. Army expert and author of the nook On Killing, point and shoot video games make killing a reflexive response which is why the military uses them for training. Some researchers feel that children and youth loose touch with reality when they play these violent video games. Children and youth who play video games are also said to be more aggressive. Some research even states that children who are avidly involved in the gaming world performed more inadequately on their academic tasks then children who rarely play video games. Leonard Holmes, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and he agrees with researchers who have stated the violent behavior connection with video games. He also believes that "children tend to imitate the moves that they just 'acted out' in the game they played." This means that children may act out video games scenes with friends for fun. At www.infoplease.com there is a timeline of school shootings. The first documented story is from 1996 and the last documented story is on March 21, 2005. There are a total of 39 documented school shootings between 1996-today. Each shootings description describes the shooter or shooters as being quiet and reserved. Media violence which includes video games is the most cited source of blame in these shootings. Most people instantly assume that a troubled child would come from a poor neighborhood however "safe and quiet" and "religious/ churchgoing" neighborhoods found to be where majority of the documented shooters resided.
Some articles blamed parents, bullies, guns, video games, music artists, mental problems, society.
But who or what is truly to blame? Dr. John Grohol, who is a specialist in mental health services, has an interesting approach. He breaks down the shootings and looks at each blame factor. As he states "no where do your hear the blame on the shooter themselves." Dr.Grohol believes the shooters are to blame for their own actions. He believes that video games can not make someone do something that he or she does not want to do. He says that "Millions of kids play violent video games everyday in the U.S. 99.99999% of them do not go around killing their classmates because of it." He feels that if video games were the cause of school shooting then we would have shootings everyday all day long. So is it right to stop the sales of certain violent video games because of possible false blaming? Some children's parents may feel they are able to deal with games of Mature nature. For some children violent video games have been described as a way to relieve stress and anger.
Rockstar Games, The Company who makes the controversial Grand Theft Auto games, has been pulled into fire for its many controversial "Mature" rated games. One controversial topic was a hidden sex scene, in the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas game, know later to be called the hot coffee scene. Rockstar Games pulled the game and six weeks later released a new edited version of the game without the controversial hidden scene. Rockstar games stated that they never intended for the hot coffee scence to be a part of the game. Rockstar Games also released the following
statement:
"We fully support efforts to keep mature-rated video game content out of the hands of children. Although we may not agree with certain interpretations of our titles, we are looking forward to the opportunity for a balanced and open discussion of these issues. Now that video games are mainstream popular entertainment, parents need reliable solutions to ensure family members only play the games appropriate for their age group. Just as some movies are rated R, some games are rated M because they are intended for mature audiences ages 17 and older. Their plots and storylines are inappropriate for children. As the creators of Grand Theft Auto and other popular M-rated games, we join political leaders in fully supporting the video game rating system and any efforts to empower families to make the best choices for their homes."
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) website at http://www.esrb.com/esrbratings_guide.asp is very helpful. The website explains ratings in symbols detail, explains content descriptors, and offers a feature to find games ratings. The feature is easy to use; all you need is the games title. I personally agree with Rockstar games and feel that parents need to be aware of what their children are not only watching but playing. Parents can also limit the amount of time their children play a video game. If they notice an obsessive or aggressive behaviors associated with the video game the best thing for the child might be to offer an alternative activity to do. I also feel that stores need to have stricter rules and penalties for the sale of Mature and Adult games to children. There will still be ways to buy certain games A recent study by CBS news found that despite the warning labels, 50 % of boys age 7-14 have bought a game rated "M" for mature audiences and a stunning 87 % of the boys have played them. If we can limit the exposure to children maybe the rising violence in children today will start decreasing.
the game so the purchaser knows why a game is rated the way it is. Media Scope states that interactive video games revenue that exceeds $18 billion worldwide. That figure is over double what is spent on movies annually. Despite the ratings children have major access to these violent video games. By allowing children and youth access to play these kinds of games are we setting ourselves up for school shootings and violence? "Meet people from all over the world then kill them" was an advertisement slogan for the video game subspace according to PG News. Additionally according to PG News, in two out of five school massacres video games have been targets of blame. Researchers have also claimed that the military uses video games for training purposes. According to Lt. Col David Grossman, a U.S. Army expert and author of the nook On Killing, point and shoot video games make killing a reflexive response which is why the military uses them for training. Some researchers feel that children and youth loose touch with reality when they play these violent video games. Children and youth who play video games are also said to be more aggressive. Some research even states that children who are avidly involved in the gaming world performed more inadequately on their academic tasks then children who rarely play video games. Leonard Holmes, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and he agrees with researchers who have stated the violent behavior connection with video games. He also believes that "children tend to imitate the moves that they just 'acted out' in the game they played." This means that children may act out video games scenes with friends for fun. At www.infoplease.com there is a timeline of school shootings. The first documented story is from 1996 and the last documented story is on March 21, 2005. There are a total of 39 documented school shootings between 1996-today. Each shootings description describes the shooter or shooters as being quiet and reserved. Media violence which includes video games is the most cited source of blame in these shootings. Most people instantly assume that a troubled child would come from a poor neighborhood however "safe and quiet" and "religious/ churchgoing" neighborhoods found to be where majority of the documented shooters resided.
Some articles blamed parents, bullies, guns, video games, music artists, mental problems, society.
But who or what is truly to blame? Dr. John Grohol, who is a specialist in mental health services, has an interesting approach. He breaks down the shootings and looks at each blame factor. As he states "no where do your hear the blame on the shooter themselves." Dr.Grohol believes the shooters are to blame for their own actions. He believes that video games can not make someone do something that he or she does not want to do. He says that "Millions of kids play violent video games everyday in the U.S. 99.99999% of them do not go around killing their classmates because of it." He feels that if video games were the cause of school shooting then we would have shootings everyday all day long. So is it right to stop the sales of certain violent video games because of possible false blaming? Some children's parents may feel they are able to deal with games of Mature nature. For some children violent video games have been described as a way to relieve stress and anger.
Rockstar Games, The Company who makes the controversial Grand Theft Auto games, has been pulled into fire for its many controversial "Mature" rated games. One controversial topic was a hidden sex scene, in the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas game, know later to be called the hot coffee scene. Rockstar Games pulled the game and six weeks later released a new edited version of the game without the controversial hidden scene. Rockstar games stated that they never intended for the hot coffee scence to be a part of the game. Rockstar Games also released the following
statement:
"We fully support efforts to keep mature-rated video game content out of the hands of children. Although we may not agree with certain interpretations of our titles, we are looking forward to the opportunity for a balanced and open discussion of these issues. Now that video games are mainstream popular entertainment, parents need reliable solutions to ensure family members only play the games appropriate for their age group. Just as some movies are rated R, some games are rated M because they are intended for mature audiences ages 17 and older. Their plots and storylines are inappropriate for children. As the creators of Grand Theft Auto and other popular M-rated games, we join political leaders in fully supporting the video game rating system and any efforts to empower families to make the best choices for their homes."
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) website at http://www.esrb.com/esrbratings_guide.asp is very helpful. The website explains ratings in symbols detail, explains content descriptors, and offers a feature to find games ratings. The feature is easy to use; all you need is the games title. I personally agree with Rockstar games and feel that parents need to be aware of what their children are not only watching but playing. Parents can also limit the amount of time their children play a video game. If they notice an obsessive or aggressive behaviors associated with the video game the best thing for the child might be to offer an alternative activity to do. I also feel that stores need to have stricter rules and penalties for the sale of Mature and Adult games to children. There will still be ways to buy certain games A recent study by CBS news found that despite the warning labels, 50 % of boys age 7-14 have bought a game rated "M" for mature audiences and a stunning 87 % of the boys have played them. If we can limit the exposure to children maybe the rising violence in children today will start decreasing.