oh, and you may not have liked the game, but admit it: it was pretty bad-ass when Kratos said “You succeeded”. I nearly stood up and cheered.

Definition: Imitative of a style or design from the recent past.

PS: Since when is 2004 retro?

Here are a couple of base issues. Using media as babysitter and a growing trend in realism.

It this faced paced world it is difficult for parents to know what their children are up to all the time. The easiest route is to let tv, music, games, or movies occupy the childrens’ time. I cannot speak for or against this, what I can stress is that if they are going to do this they should monitor the itmes purchased and set boundries for what is acceptable. Communication and understanding go a long way.

Pete nailed it with the realism. Which gets to me at times. In Bioshock I did not have the malice to destroy the little sisters, I just felt too darn bad. Which I think is pretty darn cool for a game to accomplish. However you could always go the other route.

First off, I devoured God of War. And it’s not because I’m a perveted and violent teenager. It was fun, and that was it. I’m not going to sell my soul to the God of War because I played it, and I’m not going to run around whacking people with crowbars because I play half-life.

It’s in these “angry mom get-togethers” that I feel insulted. I mean, I know there are some unstable children out there, but is that the fault of a videogame? No.

Parents are so quick to pass the buck to the games we play.
Why should I be punished to not be able to play amazing games (like Bishock, that I hear had controversy about beating women) just because a bunch of people didn’t bring their kids up properly?
It’s madness, and I say let the angry moms stick to drunk driving.
Also, it’s my firm belief that the ESRB banning games is directly contrary to their own NAME. It’s the “Entertainment Software RATINGS Board”, not the Entertainment Software BANNINGS Board” Their job is to inform of a games content. Its up to the rest of us to figure out what games should or should not be played.

You guys seriously think these games are warping my “impressionable young mind”? Here’s the truth: Hell naw.

@Hot Coffee: It’s a pile of polygons moving up and down. Get over it everybody. There is more sexuality in shampoo commercials these days.

Midway’s Blitz: The League was rated M by the ESRB and was released for the PS2 and Xbox in 2005. Your memory is accurate; the game did feature injections (and other steroid use) that could be used to drastically reduce injury time or to make players stronger or faster.

There is certainly a trend for parents (or politicians) to use gaming as a scapegoat for bad behavior in children these days, and it does seem a bit easy for parents’ groups to get games pulled from store shelves for no real reason.

Parents should get more involved in what their kids play, as far as games go. Take a look at web sites (like Games Are Evil!). Read some magazines. Ask kids what they’re playing… and maybe even watch them as they play to see what it’s all about. Education can be effective in getting parents to steer their kids clear of games that are not necessarily meant for them.

The education, in my opinion, can be given by retailers as well. It takes just a moment to point out the ESRB content descriptors on a box.

“Just to let you know, miss, this game is rated M and is suggested for players 17 years old and beyond. There is some graphic violence and also some strong sexual content. Would you still like to purchase this game?”

Thanks for your thoughtful comments, Manda. If (or when) you become a parent, it seems evident that you’ll keep close tabs on what they’re playing… and that’s outstanding.

Perhaps it’s the parents of children that need to be better educated and not be allowed to complain about the ESRB ratings and take responsibility for the games they allow their children to play.

I echo Jason’s sentiments here. The ESRB isn’t over-the-top with its rating decisions. If anything, developers have chose to go with more controversial content than we’ve ever seen on the whole in this industry.

We’ve been shooting and beating up enemies for decades now, but the enemies have never been this lifelike and the content has never been this graphic. We’ve gone from shooting faceless army guys to slitting the throats of relatively real-looking people in all of its bloody glory.

That kind of content should not be viewed by children, but it shouldn’t have to be completely cut out for adults to miss out on.

But I digress.

Having done time in the gaming retail sector, I can honestly say that more people ignorantly gripe about the ESRB system than there should be. Be thankful that we’re not (yet) to the point that governmental intervention forces developers to shy away from what could arguably be described as questionable content.

I don’t get what the problem is. If you’re not 17, ask a parent to buy the game for you. Explain why the system is what it is, and explain why you are mature enough to understand and deal with the content. If they won’t buy it for you, maybe there are some underlying reasons why that you’re not willing to accept.

Case closed.

But I see your point, and I agree with it 100%

Loved the article though.. some great points in it.