"Parental Guideline" ratings (kind of spoilery)

[superluser]

I find ratings, in all honesty, a noose around the gaming industries neck. They get forced into toning down parts of the gameplay that don't affect the average gaming adult just get it through all the hoops (Not to mention Australia's lack of an R rating) and then parents complain their child can play violent games just because they didn't even bother to check what classification was on the box in the first place.

I disagree in the strongest terms. The ESRB is strictly voluntary, and the game developers who support it (well, most of the game developers who support it) *like* it. It lets them claim to be producing more wholesome games. Or, in some cases, less wholesome games. Got a FPS that only pulled a T rating? Throw in a cutscene where the hero goes to a strip club, and you'll instantly get a more profitable rating.

Granted, it would be a noose if the gaming industry weren't a complete waste already.