"Parental Guideline" ratings (kind of spoilery)

[Sexbad]

I've just looked for fun and noticed that Amnesia doesn't have any ratings from groups like the ESRB or PEGI, and a thought just struck my mind.

I remember in a blog you fellows said that one organization was going to not rate your game because it had real instructions for building explosives. You circumvented it by replacing dextrin with "baxtrin."

Now Amnesia... It has things far more sensitive than explosive instructions. It has demonstrations, explanations, and instructions for various forms of medieval torture. Not to mention penis, which of course makes Americans really angry.

So it made me wonder about what would happen to sales if some group deems the game so unsafe that it becomes "adults only" or possibly even banned in some countries. Is this possible to happen? Would you protest in any way? Or have you not even submitted it to these boards because of how volatile it is? I'd like to know more about this whole (possible) ordeal.

[mtomato]

To me, Amnesia doesn't seem like a game that deserves any other rating than (ESRB) or (PEGI).

[graykin]

I was very curious about this too. I never remembered seeing any ratings for the game, so I didn't know if it was rated Mature (17+ years or older) or Adult (18+ years or older) in America. Very curious indeed.

http://www.esrb.org/ratings/faq.jsp#1

I found this FAQ from the ESRB to be quite interesting actually. I thought it had been illegal to distribute games without an ESRB rating, but it only really applies to distributors who worry about the kinds of game they sell. I'm not much of a legal aficionado.

I could see a lot of people--mainly angry mothers, or groups supposedly representing angry mothers--taking offense to the game, probably more so because of the penises (despite the fact that they look more like nubs than actual penises) then the actual violent content. It's strange in America (and I'm sure in other places of the world), as movies and TV shows with violence are given moderately-high ratings, but show a pleasant scene, with two people sharing a tender moment (involving sex) and suddenly you are slapped with the most restrictive rating possible.

It's strange...why is violence tolerated more than sex? Just what do we have against penises and vulvae anyway?

[Adeno]

Lol I remember covering a dead man's vienna sausage with a bucket just for fun

You know I didn't notice that Amnesia had no rating at all. I always thought those ratings were required by law. I guess it's something that those in the gaming industry fraternity just join in for its mass appeal towards the "family minded" types.

I wonder what would happen if the next game like Grand Theft Auto went on sale without any ESRB rating.

[Harry]

To me, it's real simple. If you're offended by the game...my gosh, just don't buy it! If you're a mother/father/guardian, don't buy it for your kid!

Honestly, if you've set them up with a steam account, given them credit card access and then become morally enraged as to what games they've played, the only thing thats failed is the parent, not the system.

Oh no, the game features a penis! So what, real life features penises too. We find out pretty early on what 50% of the population has in the downstairs department then relatively soon after that we have a fair idea what the other 50% has. Hardly something that will ruin children.

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.

-end rant-

In regards to the ratings though, I'm pretty sure they're voluntary, but most places wouldn't stock hard copies of unrated games because of the hullabaloo that goes on. Seeing as Amnesia and Penumbra are mostly sold online then it pretty much makes no difference.

[Adeno]

Oh yeah that's logical. Games that are sold in stores "should" have ratings because if an overly moralistic irresponsible parent finds out that a game shows his little boy that the little friend he has downstairs isn't alone in this world, then there would be another outrage or rally, which the media seems to feed off. Then their stores would lose the business of overly moralistic irresponsible parents.

Hmm...when did this rating thing start again? During the Mortal Kombat days if I remember...

[Crabski]

I'd say Amnesia gets a Mature rated easily, but for it to get a truly restricting rating? I doubt it, since there have been similar or worse games like Condemned which got M (Christ, even Manhunt, the game where the player must use a variety of household objects to brutally murder other people from up close).

[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.

[Frontcannon]

I wonder if some Amnesia vids will get flagged because of the penises (think Morgue)

[kuato]

help i let some children play this game bbut the penises turned them all gay and they wont stop making out.. their parents come back soon this is serious!!