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[Suikoguy]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/07/07/news_6128702.html

Yee says he has long advocated that the ESRB rate San Andreas AO, and his ardor was reinvigorated by recent reports of the game's hidden sexual content. "This particular game has been known to include extremely heinous acts of violence, and now it has been uncovered that the game also includes explicit sexual scenes that are inappropriate for our children," Yee said. "I have urged the ESRB on numerous occasions to rate this game AO based on its blatantly graphic nature."

:lol :lol

Good luck accessing that on the PS2 and Xbox versions

 

[Fatghost]

When I was teenager, back when the whole Night Trap/Mortal Kombat debate was happening, I was thoroughly against age restrictions.

Now, I kinda want to see an enforced, legal age classification. I don't think it would be harmful at all, and might even benefit several genres.

 

[Kon Tiki]

Game should have been OA. It would have shut these jackasses up, while not affect the game or it's sales one bit (since noone but the jackasses care about the ratings).

 

[Suikoguy]

When I was teenager, back when the whole Night Trap/Mortal Kombat debate was happening, I was thoroughly against age restrictions.

Now, I kinda want to see an enforced, legal age classification. I don't think it would be harmful at all, and might even benefit several genres.

I don't have a problem with requiring people to be 17 to purchase M rated games either.

However, you have to laugh at people who are pushing this, when they really don't know what are in the games either :lol

 

[Fatghost]

I don't have a problem with requiring people to be 17 to purchase M rated games either.

However, you have to laugh at people who are pushing this, when they really don't know what are in the games either :lol

Well the whole issue is just a way for political wash outs to get noticed and make a name for themselves.

 

[Sanjuro]

I don't have a problem with requiring people to be 17 to purchase M rated games either.

However, you have to laugh at people who are pushing this, when they really don't know what are in the games either :lol

I agree the people who are pushing for it are most likely fools. But the ESRB is a complete joke having Halo and San Andreas having the same rating yet give any of the James Bond games a T. I believe San Andreas should absolutly be AO, but working in retail it wouldnt sway my decison to sell this game to one person or another unless enforced. It would just balance out the ratings alot more.

 

[wandering goat]

It's not much of a difference though, is it? You have to be 17 to buy M rated games and 18 to buy AO games.

 

[sangreal]

I'm all for age restriction as long as its only on who can buy the game, not who can use it. If parents want their kids playing that crap its their problem.

 

[Azure Dream]

Many major chains like Wal-Mart refuse to carry AO games. They might've changed their minds for GTA:SA, but they may not have, and that'd be a HUGE hit into the sales.

 

[sangreal]

It's not much of a difference though, is it? You have to be 17 to buy M rated games and 18 to buy AO games.

The difference is in the stronger wording and the way stores handle them

M is: "content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older."
AO is: "content that should only be played by persons 18 years and older."

 

[PC Gaijin]

It's not much of a difference though, is it? You have to be 17 to buy M rated games and 18 to buy AO games.

I imagine that an AO rating would hurt retail distribution. For example, would Wal-Mart carry an AO game?

Edit: I see Kulock already made the same point. It's like movies doing everything they can for an R rating versus NC-17 for wider distribution.

 

[Link]

The ratings system is a joke. Publishers will always make sure their games avoid an AO rating. When even Manhunt gets by with an M, you know there's a problem.

It's not much of a difference though, is it? You have to be 17 to buy M rated games and 18 to buy AO games.

Well, in the case of AO games, kids can't buy the game even with an adult present. Plus, stores like Wal-Mart and Best Buy won't carry AO games, which is the biggest reason publishers make sure to avoid it.

 

[sangreal]

I'm surprised Wal-mart carries GTA anyway. I mean we're talking about a store that covers up fucking Cosmo because they think they headlines are too offensive. They also banned Maxim & Stuff.

 

[sangreal]

Playboy: The Mansion is rated M :lol

 

[APF]

MATURE
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.

ADULTS ONLY
Titles rated AO (Adults Only) have content that should only be played by persons 18 years and older. Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity.

Why is GTA more an AO game than an M game?

 

[Sanjuro]

Why is GTA more an AO game than an M game?

graphic sexual content

 

[SolidSnakex]

graphic sexual content

The GTA games show penetration? If so then yes it deserves a harder rating, if it doesn't then it got the correct rating.

 

[Sanjuro]

it shows oral sex and sex toys which in comparison to MPAA PG-13 movies cannot show and most cases rated R.

 

[SolidSnakex]

It shows oral sex? Where at exactly? Are you talking about the prostitutes who just sit in the car along with the main character and don't actually do anything? As for sex toys? Why would that earn a harder rating?

 

[Sanjuro]

It shows oral sex? Where at exactly? Are you talking about the prostitutes who just sit in the car along with the main character and don't actually do anything? As for sex toys? Why would that earn a harder rating?

Its in the opening cinema or one of the first ones. Sex toys shaped as the male sex organ in film are pretty strictly untolerated in film and in games should be the same.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

please. GTA SA doesn't show anything that would be out of place in an R rated movie (and a comedy at that. C'mon, beating people up with a dildo? the GTA games are so not intended to be serious, they are like parodies of pop culture eras. the 1970s, scarface/goodfellas, gangsta rap). Hell, most of the sex scenes in late night FX cable shows like Shield or Rescue Me are more graphic. The M rating is pretty much the videogame equivalent of R rating for movies, so thats just fine.

 

[Deg]

17 and 18 years of the age is the same bloody thing.

 

[Sanjuro]

please. GTA SA doesn't show anything that would be out of place in an R rated movie (and a comedy at that. C'mon, beating people up with a dildo? the GTA games are so not intended to be serious, they are like parodies of pop culture eras. the 1970s, scarface/goodfellas, gangsta rap). Hell, most of the sex scenes in late night FX cable shows like Shield or Rescue Me are more graphic. The M rating is pretty much the videogame equivalent of R rating for movies, so thats just fine.

Its not quite fine otherwise we wouldnt be having this discussion right now.

 

[Ghost]

Killing, stealing, pimpin' = OK 4 KIDS


Killing, stealing, pimpin' & Sex = EVIL.


You know society is fucked up when simulating killing someone is more acceptable than simulating sex.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Its in the opening cinema or one of the first ones. Sex toys shaped as the male sex organ in film are pretty strictly untolerated in games should be the same.

Are you talking about that giant purple dildo you can get in SA? There are sex toys like that in movies and they never earn a NC-17 rating for the movie. Go rent Not Another Teen Movie one of the first scenes is a girl using a vibrator on herself and it was rated R.

 

[Sanjuro]

17 and 18 years of the age is the same bloody thing.

Yeah I guess so. I mean your 17 might as well be able to go into porn stores and buy porno too......Oh wait....doesnt quite work that way does it.

 

[sangreal]

Its not quite fine otherwise we wouldnt be having this discussion right now.

Except that you're comparing it to PG13 movies which aren't equivalent to the M rating. M is equivalent to R and AO is equivalent to X.

There are plenty of dildos and sex in R rated movies.

 

[Sanjuro]

Are you talking about that giant purple dildo you can get in SA? There are sex toys like that in movies and they never earn a NC-17 rating for the movie. Go rent Not Another Teen Movie one of the first scenes is a girl using a vibrator on herself and it was rated R.

Not all movies or games are rated the same. Look at Orgazmo. It revieved the NC-17 rating by having no nudity and having dildos strapped to peoples heads.

 

[sangreal]

17 and 18 years of the age is the same bloody thing.

Again, the actual AGE difference isn't a lot, but the way it is handled is. Look at the list of AO rated games. They're all porn games. You're not going to see these prominently displayed at any of the big retailers like Wal-mart or Best Buy and you're not going to see ads for them during normal TV hours or in respectable magazines.

 

[Sanjuro]

Except that you're comparing it to PG13 movies which aren't equivalent to the M rating. M is equivalent to R and AO is equivalent to X.

There are plenty of dildos and sex in R rated movies.

What PG-13 movie did I compare it to?

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Its not quite fine otherwise we wouldnt be having this discussion right now.

its a very dumb discussion to be having. The guy in the first quoted article in the first post says "this isn't appropriate for our 'children""? Uhh, hello jackass. The game was rated M. Your children weren't supposed to be playing it in the first place. Go into any Blockbuster/Best Buy/Target/Walmart and you'll find dozens (if not hundreds) of movies with content that is as bad if not worse (i'd say seeing REAL actual people commiting these acts of violence and sex is far worse than poorly modeled polygon characters). AO is basically an X rating. IIRC most retail stores like WalMart won't even carry a game with an adults only rating.

 

[sangreal]

What PG-13 movie did I compare it to?

it shows oral sex and sex toys which in comparison to MPAA PG-13 movies cannot show and most cases rated R.

...

 

[Sanjuro]

its a very dumb discussion to be having. The guy in the first quoted article in the first post says "this isn't appropriate for our 'children""? Uhh, hello jackass. The game was rated M. Your children weren't supposed to be playing it in the first place. Go into any Blockbuster/Best Buy/Target/Walmart and you'll find dozens (if not hundreds) of movies with content that is as bad if not worse (i'd say seeing REAL actual people commiting these acts of violence and sex is far worse than poorly modeled polygon characters). AO is basically an X rating. IIRC most retail stores like WalMart won't even carry a game with an adults only rating.

I think its fine that retail stores wouldn't carry games like that. More reason to have more game shops around.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Not all movies or games are rated the same. Look at Orgazmo. It revieved the NC-17 rating by having no nudity and having dildos strapped to peoples heads.

Yah and there are ways to get a R rating by removing a few small scenes. Nothing in GTA qualifies it for being a AO rated game.

 

[Sanjuro]

...

I didn't compare it to any movies....

I was stating a comparison of the difference of the MPAA ratings. Not impling that PG-13 = M or even R = M at that matter.

 

[Sanjuro]

Yah and there are ways to get a R rating by removing a few small scenes. Nothing in GTA qualifies it for being a AO rated game.

Sure does. Could remove some of the language, violence, sex. I'm not saying they should have done this. But could have if faced with the AO and wanted the M.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Sure does. Could remove some of the language, violence, sex. I'm not saying they should have done this. But could have if faced with the AO and wanted the M.

why should they have to remove any of the language, violence or sex if none of it was at AO/X rating level? It was all typical M rated stuff.

 

[Sanjuro]

why should they have to remove any of the language, violence or sex if none of it was at AO/X rating level? It was all typical M rated stuff.

Yes oral sex and sex toys are in all rated M games. I'm going to stop repeating myself and leave this thread.

As a game retailer and hardcore gamer I still think most of you are foolish trying to fight this. The benfits to this would be..

-Less Government Complaints / Parents complaints / Children blaming games and killing people
-More reason for game specialty stores to carry more copies and open more stores. Potentially starting new franchises that directly go for the AO rating to sell their product at these stores.
-Smarten the parents up when it comes to purchasing their games if enforced correctly

 

[Barrage]

I'm not sure about this, but weren't Blade Trinity and Not Another Teen Movie rated PG-13? They had dildos.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Yes oral sex and sex toys are in all rated M games. I'm going to stop repeating myself and leave this thread.

They're in R rated movies. Those could be in other M rated games if the developers chose so as long as they don't show any sort of penetration. People fight games being rated like this because it'd mean they're being treated differently from movies which makes no sense.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Yes oral sex and sex toys are in all rated M games. I'm going to stop repeating myself and leave this thread.

As a game retailer and hardcore gamer I still think most of you are foolish trying to fight this. The benfits to this would be..

-Less Government Complaints / Parents complaints / Children blaming games and killing people
-More reason for game specialty stores to carry more copies and open more stores. Potentially starting new franchises that directly go for the AO rating to sell their product at these stores.
-Smarten the parents up when it comes to purchasing their games if enforced correctly

oral sex and sex toys might not be an all M rated games but that isn't the point. All games don't have to have the same content to get a certain rating. One might have excessive voilence, and that might garner and M. Another might be because of foul language, or sex scenes, ect... You're going to sit here and tell me that the voilence in games like Halo or resident evil is worse than some BJ scene in GTA? Typical of what is fucked up with this culture. Guns and gore=ok. Sex=evil. To say that GTA should get an AO rating just so you can be all "Hardcore" and go buy it at a specialty store is stupid. I still have yet to see you give a valid argument for why the content in GTA is worse than in most other M rated games, or R rated movies for that matter.

as for specialty stores, screw'em. Let me go to bestbuy and get whatever game i want, for probably cheaper than some crappy specialty store thank you very much.

as far as parents/government complaints go, those will never be gone. They were bitching before the rating system was implemented during the Mortal Kombat days. The ESRB finally gave them a rating system and they still bitch. They got a "Parental Advisory" sticker on music albums, and they STILL bitch. They got a stricter rating system for movies and even a rating system on television shows, and they STILL bitch. The most vocal douchebags won't stop until these kinds of games/music/movies that they see as obscene are gone so they can live in their ideal little Jesusland where everyone watches reruns of The Waltons and listens to Conway Twitty.

 

[Amir0x]

I'm not sure about this, but weren't Blade Trinity and Not Another Teen Movie rated PG-13? They had dildos.

They were both rated R.

Anyway, GTA:SA is fine at M rating. No need for any other changes, the content is not out of place at that rating.

 

[sangreal]

I didn't compare it to any movies....

I was stating a comparison of the difference of the MPAA ratings. Not impling that PG-13 = M or even R = M at that matter.

You said that GTA:SA should be rated AO because it contains "graphic sexual content" that wouldn't be found in a PG-13 movie. That is implying that M should be held to equivalent standards as PG-13.

 

[Amir0x]

Listen, with the addition of E10+ we really should be having this argument. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is, without a doubt, a M rated game. Nothing in it is even remotely indicative of an "AO+" game, and it is just useless posturing by people who wish to curtail its popularity.

 

[Sanjuro]

Yeah San Andreas is fine with the M rating. I just wanted to feel what it would be like to be one of those bitchy people as I mentioned. I really couldnt get many points across without sounding foolish.

 

[The Faceless Master]

i still remember back in the 90's when people were worried that stores wouldn't carry M rated games...

i was one of them... boy was i wrong! :lol :lol :lol

 

[Servizio]

Good luck accessing that on the PS2 and Xbox versions

Hi

It shows oral sex? Where at exactly? Are you talking about the prostitutes who just sit in the car along with the main character and don't actually do anything? As for sex toys? Why would that earn a harder rating?

there

 

[teepo]

Hi
there

that is from a hacked version of the game.

 

[Wafflecopter]

Sanjuro needs to simmer down.

 

[binary]

based off the ESRB's model for what entitles an AO rating GTA undeniably deserves it. it doesn't most certainly for money reasons. An AO rating would be retail death. i wouldn't be surprised if the ESRB is being paid off or influenced by execs at Rockstar.