This week's post is focused on censorship; that is what the ratings system is for games, movies, the lack thereof for books, and how these ratings coincide with other forms of media in America. I can only give my own perspective, therefore I can't give a full opinion on other countries views of cultural norms and what is deemed acceptable for certain age groups.
First off, when you purchase a game in America, there's a little letter in the bottom left corner of a game (most anyway) that indicates the suggested or legal allowance of censorship. The ESRB or Entertainment Software Ratings Board provides ratings mostly for parents to make informed choices for their kids http://www.esrb.org/ratings/ratings_guide.jsp. Now note that as long as a guardian for a child buys the game (as many of you have probably come across) you get the issue of kids playing games that they might not be ready for maturity wise. I've been a Gamestop employee in the past and having a enraged parent come to return a game that they bought for their little darling that was overtly violent (occasionally) or sexual (usually the case,and with this it is predominantly of the female figure). The label is clear on the boxes, yet parents (or other guardians) either aren't understanding the ratings systems as they do the MPAA guidelines, or they fail to realize that games these days aren't only for children.
I haven't played any Animal Crossings yet as I know I would get sucked in just as bad as I did for Skyrim, but I have a feeling that I might try this one out...
Now before I go further on that thread, I'd like to outline the MPAA guidlines. The MPAA or Motion Picture Association of America was established much earlier than the ESRB http://www.mpaa.org/ratings/what-each-rating-means. The ratings for movies are also generally to be understood by mainstream America as well as movies are a pretty large chunk of popular culture today. Their site's ratings loosely define things that the said movie has that could offend parents or children of various ages. This ambiguous gray area is up to much subjection and can change with the popular values of when the movie was made. G rated movies in the 70's might be rated PG in terms of sexual issues and a PG-13 movie back then with a fair amount of violence then might only be labeled PG in 2013. This skewing between violence and sex is from my understanding somewhat revered in other cultures ratings wise, yet nevertheless persists in that vast gray area in terms of context. The issue is further complicated as how the MPAA compares to the ESRB. They are two independent organizations enforced by law (for M rated games and NC-17 Movies as you have to be 25 or older as a guardian to purchase something for a minor) that have some overlap between what is legitimate in a movie versus a game. I find this disparity and hypocrisy needs to be examined further in terms of how much censorship (and what exactly) should be kept from children and what is allowable.
This financial/economic issue with Adults Only rated games is that popular consoles will not allow such rated games to be played on their machines. Because of the negative image this would otherwise present for console makers trying to identify with a "family friendly" persona, you won't find an A rated game in your local Gamestop or any major retailer. The list Wikipedia displays is predominantly on the sexual side as well I'd like to note, which is why most of these games are on the PC, Mac, or mobile platform http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AO-rated_products circumventing the console "problem".
Obviously some 13 year olds will be more mature than others, yet the conundrum of how books are then thrown into the mix baffles me further. Unless it's going to be taught in schools, in this day and age banned books seem a historical hallmark rather than a current day issue when it comes to pleasure reading. Print Pornography aside, a child (with enough money) can go to a bookstore and buy a copy of a harlequin novel; complete with multiple amorous endeavors written out in explicit detail or the horrific killing of children by other children for survival as is in Lord of the Flies. The fact that the imagination prompted by words versus visual images renders a lack of censorship mandated by law seems an interesting (to say the least) paradox within our culture. I learned much more in books than I ever did in a movie or video games ironically because of this. Imagination or a certain perspective brought on by visual images then are differentiating factors that render censorship and ratings necessary. Yet the imagination is boundless and for now cannot be censored on its own. Because of this, it can be even more explicit, frightening, or valuable in growing up.
Now I didn't say they were literary canon material, but my, aren't these some delightfully cheesy titles?
Games like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas sparking outrage because of its Hot Coffee mod become irrational to me then when the game is highlighted because of the freedom to do violence on it's denizens (There are no children that you can kill in most of them however, which is a hallmark across the board with most games) such as killing hookers or police officers are lauded. While there is fun to be had and things to be learned from having the access to freedom and its consequences within these free roaming games, I ask that the next game you play to take note of how you would rate it based on your experiences. What do you think should be censored more and why? What would you do differently? Should parents be held more accountable for their children's game collection or should kids be taught earlier about decision making and why some complex issues are better encountered when they are a little older? Should there be ratings at all if parents are going to buy their child a copy of Amnesia or Dead Space anyway for their 8 year old?
First off, when you purchase a game in America, there's a little letter in the bottom left corner of a game (most anyway) that indicates the suggested or legal allowance of censorship. The ESRB or Entertainment Software Ratings Board provides ratings mostly for parents to make informed choices for their kids http://www.esrb.org/ratings/ratings_guide.jsp. Now note that as long as a guardian for a child buys the game (as many of you have probably come across) you get the issue of kids playing games that they might not be ready for maturity wise. I've been a Gamestop employee in the past and having a enraged parent come to return a game that they bought for their little darling that was overtly violent (occasionally) or sexual (usually the case,and with this it is predominantly of the female figure). The label is clear on the boxes, yet parents (or other guardians) either aren't understanding the ratings systems as they do the MPAA guidelines, or they fail to realize that games these days aren't only for children.
Now before I go further on that thread, I'd like to outline the MPAA guidlines. The MPAA or Motion Picture Association of America was established much earlier than the ESRB http://www.mpaa.org/ratings/what-each-rating-means. The ratings for movies are also generally to be understood by mainstream America as well as movies are a pretty large chunk of popular culture today. Their site's ratings loosely define things that the said movie has that could offend parents or children of various ages. This ambiguous gray area is up to much subjection and can change with the popular values of when the movie was made. G rated movies in the 70's might be rated PG in terms of sexual issues and a PG-13 movie back then with a fair amount of violence then might only be labeled PG in 2013. This skewing between violence and sex is from my understanding somewhat revered in other cultures ratings wise, yet nevertheless persists in that vast gray area in terms of context. The issue is further complicated as how the MPAA compares to the ESRB. They are two independent organizations enforced by law (for M rated games and NC-17 Movies as you have to be 25 or older as a guardian to purchase something for a minor) that have some overlap between what is legitimate in a movie versus a game. I find this disparity and hypocrisy needs to be examined further in terms of how much censorship (and what exactly) should be kept from children and what is allowable.
This financial/economic issue with Adults Only rated games is that popular consoles will not allow such rated games to be played on their machines. Because of the negative image this would otherwise present for console makers trying to identify with a "family friendly" persona, you won't find an A rated game in your local Gamestop or any major retailer. The list Wikipedia displays is predominantly on the sexual side as well I'd like to note, which is why most of these games are on the PC, Mac, or mobile platform http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AO-rated_products circumventing the console "problem".
Obviously some 13 year olds will be more mature than others, yet the conundrum of how books are then thrown into the mix baffles me further. Unless it's going to be taught in schools, in this day and age banned books seem a historical hallmark rather than a current day issue when it comes to pleasure reading. Print Pornography aside, a child (with enough money) can go to a bookstore and buy a copy of a harlequin novel; complete with multiple amorous endeavors written out in explicit detail or the horrific killing of children by other children for survival as is in Lord of the Flies. The fact that the imagination prompted by words versus visual images renders a lack of censorship mandated by law seems an interesting (to say the least) paradox within our culture. I learned much more in books than I ever did in a movie or video games ironically because of this. Imagination or a certain perspective brought on by visual images then are differentiating factors that render censorship and ratings necessary. Yet the imagination is boundless and for now cannot be censored on its own. Because of this, it can be even more explicit, frightening, or valuable in growing up.
Now I didn't say they were literary canon material, but my, aren't these some delightfully cheesy titles?
Games like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas sparking outrage because of its Hot Coffee mod become irrational to me then when the game is highlighted because of the freedom to do violence on it's denizens (There are no children that you can kill in most of them however, which is a hallmark across the board with most games) such as killing hookers or police officers are lauded. While there is fun to be had and things to be learned from having the access to freedom and its consequences within these free roaming games, I ask that the next game you play to take note of how you would rate it based on your experiences. What do you think should be censored more and why? What would you do differently? Should parents be held more accountable for their children's game collection or should kids be taught earlier about decision making and why some complex issues are better encountered when they are a little older? Should there be ratings at all if parents are going to buy their child a copy of Amnesia or Dead Space anyway for their 8 year old?
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