Jump to content
Create New...

What is the point of ESRB ratings?


Recommended Posts

it's the parents responsibility to discipline their child, not a publisher's or developer's job.

 

anyway.

 

if the gov't or a company were to make a PSA in regards to this, it needs to be brutal and realistic. real language, real people, not actors and shitty script. i'm sure they could get a celebrity or two on board, like sam jackson. in fact, he'd be perfect. have him sitting in front of a screen, playing MW2, goes into a room and nobody's speaking english. what does he do? plug in his mic, and scream "ENGLISH MOTHERFUCKER DO YOU SPEAK IT?" IMO, that'd be CLASSIC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

SILENT_JRITE ]

if the gov't or a company were to make a PSA in regards to this, it needs to be brutal and realistic. real language, real people, not actors and shitty script. i'm sure they could get a celebrity or two on board, like sam jackson. in fact, he'd be perfect. have him sitting in front of a screen, playing MW2, goes into a room and nobody's speaking english. what does he do? plug in his mic, and scream "ENGLISH MOTHERFUCKER DO YOU SPEAK IT?" IMO, that'd be CLASSIC.

 

lol! :laugh:

 

If I was a unsuspecting parent, just seeing someone t-bagging someone in gameplay would be enough for me...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

SILENT_JRITE ]

it's the parents responsibility to discipline their child, not a publisher's or developer's job.

 

anyway.

 

if the gov't or a company were to make a PSA in regards to this, it needs to be brutal and realistic. real language, real people, not actors and shitty script. i'm sure they could get a celebrity or two on board, like sam jackson. in fact, he'd be perfect. have him sitting in front of a screen, playing MW2, goes into a room and nobody's speaking english. what does he do? plug in his mic, and scream "ENGLISH MOTHERFUCKER DO YOU SPEAK IT?" IMO, that'd be CLASSIC.

 

OMFG!! Then mental picture of Sam Jackson playing MW2 and yelling "ENGLISH MOTHERFUCKER!! DO YOU SPEAK IT?" is sooo f'ing hilarious. Infinity Ward has the moola to ge this done. Their latest commercial's are pretty funny.

 

EVERYONE'S DOING IT (TOO DIRTY FOR TV)

 

WATCH MY DOG WATCH ME DO IT

 

WATCH ME DO IT WITH MY FRIEND

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The punishment should fit the crime. My Mom broke a couple wooden spoons over my ass, and at one point slapped my sister in front of everyone. But after looking at it, all were deserved and my sister learned that calling our mother a "F-ing B****" to her face wasn't appropriate. That's how we learned respect.

 

We also had Time out's and one of the worst punishments I ever had was having to sit on a log and watch everyone else playing and having fun. So for me, corporal punishment when it was needed was doled out, and a more mental punishment was levied at other times.

 

The one thing that people miss, is ya I was hit by a spoon, but it never REALLY hurt, and there was always a conversation after everything had cooled down. It was never "this hurt me more then it hurts you" It is more about getting a childs attention. Their full and undivided attention. Sometimes the scare of the spoon is enough, the count to three that we always quit doing whatever was the problem at about two and a half. It's about boundaries.

 

Parents today are afraid to set boundaries for fear of hurting their childs feelings. But trust me, a few tears today can save jail time in the future. They're to busy running their own life and children are a nuisance that they tolerate because society says they have to have them. And these parents won't ever be 'bothered" to investigate a game properly. If they had there wouldn't be 20 million players on MW2. That's for sure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alright, I'll enter my opinion from a child's standpoint. (If you think that 14 is still a child. I do...)

 

I agree with almost all of the posts on here about discipline. Strangely enough, I'm glad that my parents spanked me. I was never grounded until I hit age 11. Back when I was younger, my parents would spank me any time that I did something wrong. And then, my dad would have a conversation about morals with me. If I ever did the thing again, it would result in another spanking. When I would do stuff like that in public though, my parents would count to 3, if I didn't stop by then, they would drop what they were doing, and take me home for an immediate spanking/talking to. I really thought this has made me a better person. I'm glad they did it now that I see what the teenagers do that weren't disciplined properly. I have kids bringing in weed and other drugs into my school.

 

I also agree with most of the gaming posts. Even though I'm not even old enough to play the game, I still do. My parents were very strict at first, and they have become more lenient over time. When I first started playing games (before I could read), my parents would read the game out loud to me (of course censoring out the bad stuff). I could beat my dad at Star Craft and War Craft (the ORIGINAL War Craft) by the age of 6. When my dad realized that he was getting beaten, he transfered me to Racing games on the PS1. I played the hell out of Crash Bandicoot. He also took it upon himself to get me into sports and comic books, so that I would be a well-evened boy. But if I did not make strait A's on my report card by 2nd grade, all of my stuff would be taken away + a good spanking. I learned that I must do well to get rewarded, which is not a trait learned much by children anymore.

 

I moved on to Sports games, and then to Action/Adventure games by the time I was 9. My parents knew the perils of online gaming, and didn't like the sound of it. (Even with my constant complaint of, "Everyone else has it!") When I turned 10, my parents let me play T rated games, which included a few FPS. The more I adapted to the FPS, the more my parents slackened up. When I turned 12, my dad bought me XBL. I was amazed by online gaming, and quickly became good at it. (Perfectionist qualities as well. :) ) I was monitored heavily, and was only allowed 1 hour of COD a day. My parents also put the block on other people's voices. When my parents saw my skill and interest growing, they allowed me to play with my friends on XBL. Then I had the wonderful pain of hearing my friends talking to non-existent voices. So my parents unlocked the talk feature to all other players. They also made it play through the speakers. Then, with my devious little mind. I would mute people any time my parents got near the room and say, "See! No one's bad on here!"

 

I did shadow my parents from what really happens in-game, but now they know. They also know that I'm mature enough to handle it, and not be a douchebag back. I think that children should slowly be let into the world of online gaming. And then still have a string on their foot, so you can pull them back anytime. Kids can be mature, they just choose not to.

 

My view on ratings: I was introduced to Halo 2 when I was about 9. I knew it was rated M, and that I shouldn't play it, but I did anyway. I found that it was less gruesome than most T rated games I had played. I told my parents about it, and they checked out a bunch of reviews. Most of them said, "Should be Rated T. Only really rated M for online play." I found this to be more and more true. Unfortunately, COD has a reason to be rated M in game. Language. Dropping the F bomb every once in a while just makes ESRB slap an M rating on it. If censorship was available in games, they'd probably all be rated T.

 

There's my view on all of it...

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BigMoneyNacku ]

I know all that, Bull. If the PS3 has the ability to turn off in game comms, I haven't found it. Usually when your headset is unplugged, it comes thru the TV. On Xbox, you can turn that off too, so all you hear is the game sounds. That was why my boy only played XBOX games online. The interaction with dipshits is taken completely off the table.

 

if you make an sub account for your son you can turn off voice chat on the PS3.

 

i made an account for my bro and cause it was days before he turned 18, i had to be the main account, when we logged on to play MW his mic wasnt working.. after a while i figured out that there was an option on account management to turn chat on or off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This should interest you guys. Just saw this today.

 

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — It's not just cyberbullets that are exchanged during firefights on the XBox Live version of "Call of Duty."

 

Many gamers also exchange hate speech over their headsets as they stalk each other across the virtual battlefields. Players trade racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic insults so frequently that game makers are taking steps to tone down the rhetoric.

Xbox Live

 

Xbox Live announcement at E3.

 

The comments would shock parents who may not realize their children are constantly exposed to language that might make a sailor blush. Most parental concerns have focused on violence, not language.

 

One gamer told an opponent he presumed to be Jewish that he wished Hitler had succeeded in his mission. Many exchanges involve talk of rape or exult over the atomic bombing of Japan. There are frequent slurs on homosexuals, Asians, Hispanics and women.

 

Such comments can be heard on all online video gaming systems, including PlayStation Network, Blizzard Entertainment (World of Warcraft) and others.

 

"Personally, I don't do a lot of online gaming for that reason," said Flynn DeMarco, founder of the Web site GayGamer.net, which has worked with Microsoft and other companies on steps to clean up online gaming. "I don't play with anybody I don't already know."

 

DeMarco said hate speech has been a problem for years. Game makers, despite some serious efforts, can only seek to limit the amount.

 

"A lot of the problem lies within the players themselves," DeMarco said.

 

The widespread use of the slurs is partly fueled by the same anonymity that provides cover for abuse throughout cyberspace. Players can compete with people thousands of miles away, and know them only by the fictional "gamertags" they use to identify themselves.

 

After years of tolerating abusive players, gamers have become more diligent about noting the gametags of abusive players and reporting them to game companies. Abusive players can be punished or even banned, but the process is slow.

 

"It's a baby steps kind of thing," DeMarco said.

 

Microsoft, maker of the XBox 360, has taken numerous steps to clean up the language on its Live service, which is by far the biggest online gaming service with some has 23 million members.

 

Stephen Toulouse, director of policy and enforcement for Microsoft's Xbox Live service, heads a team charged with providing a safe and enjoyable experience for customers.

Modern Warfare 2

 

Modern Warfare 2

 

"There is always a subset of humanity that goes toward miscreant behavior," Toulouse said.

 

With 1 million to 2 million players online at any one time, most of the policing falls to other users who report hate speech to the company, he said.

 

Those complaints are reviewed, and people who use hate speech can face punishments such as having their voice privileges suspended, making them unable to speak with other players in real time. They can also be banned temporarily or even permanently from the service, Toulouse said. Players whose conduct crosses into criminal behavior are reported to law enforcement, he said.

 

The company has created a Web site to help parents control their children's gaming, www.GetGameSmart.com. Parents can learn how to limit the people their children play with, limit the time and type of games they play and find other tools, he said.

 

Gamers always have the power to mute out any other player they find offensive, or can block an offensive player and not encounter him again, Toulouse said.

 

But the notion of companies monitoring and cleaning up cyberspace is troubling to some.

 

Joan Bertin, director of the National Coalition Against Censorship in New York City, said she is uncomfortable with game makers serving as "nannies."

 

"They respond occasionally and erratically and incompletely," she said. "Some people who are doing what everyone else is doing get caught."

 

The coalition, which works to protect First Amendment rights, does not generally endorse actions to limit speech, she said.

 

"The use of taboo language has a lot of different functions and they not all are evil," she said. "I don't think pulling the cover over it and hiding it makes it go away."

 

Gamers themselves are also somewhat split on the issue.

 

When Xbox Live banned the use of gamertags or profile information that revealed sexual orientation, in an effort to reduce taunting, some gays and lesbians were upset because they wanted to use such IDs, DeMarco said.

 

A simple solution would be having gamers use their real names, but that presents a host of problems involving privacy and the protection of children from predators.

Xbox Live Avatars

 

Not all online gaming is bad.

 

"I don't want everybody out there knowing my name and looking me up on the Internet or Facebook," DeMarco said.

 

Plus the fake names can be fun, DeMarco said, although they can also be offensive, making plays on ethnic slurs.

 

Still, Toulouse said the use of real names is being studied as one possible solution.

 

DeMarco said the best solution may just be continuing to educate people, especially parents of young gamers, about the problem.

 

"I'd like to see parents being aware of what their kids being exposed to," he said.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In regards to your post Prane;

 

Honestly I can't believe that they take this that seriously. If someone calls me a (excuse my comment) dirty pole smoking, rim jobbin', cock suckin faggot after they just got their ass kicked or even if they kicked our ass you really think I'm gonna take that personally? Half the time it's some punk 12 year old kid whose mommy isn't home from work yet or is asleep and is trying to be a badass. Just like the guys who start threatening to come to my house and rape my mother and jizz on my girlfriends face and shoot me in the face with their 12 gauge can just send it somewhere else cuz it doesn't phase any of us. I tell them guys I'll give'em my address. If anyone ever takes any of the shit talking or threats to heart then I feel for you. You can't stop kids from being rebels, there gonna curse and scream and do stupid shit without video games, rated R movies and rap music. Like it said in the your post, HIT THE FREAKIN' MUTE BUTTON!!!

 

That just takes me into people who yell and scream about people playing music or talking to joe schmoe and his drunk beligerent wife in the background. Just hit the mute button people its not hard. Sometimes it seems people in this country try and pull us deeper into the shitter than we already are

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

Military including Active, Reserve, Veteran and Dependents get 50% off of our Spec Ops Premium Experience

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By visiting this site you agree to our Privacy Policy and We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search