The Entertainment Software Rating Board. Where would uninformed parents be without it? Well, probably in the same place they are now. You see, even though the group posts letter-based age ratings on all game software, many children still find a way to play titles like “Grand Theft Auto IV” and “Gears of War 2.” Though kids have many ways to procure uber-violent releases, much of the blame falls squarely on parents/guardians.
Not content to stand idly by, the ESRB has added rating summaries to its official web site. These are pretty self explanatory, but hit the jump if you want to dig a little deeper. (more…)
With Nathan Hale prepping for his ongoing campaign against the Chimera, I recently found myself wondering what the other Insomniac characters were doing to occupy their time this summer. I imagine Captain Qwark is sitting on his astro couch, sipping Dr. Pepper and munching Doritos. However, what about Ratchet and Clank? Do they have any plans for the future?
So, Supa doesn’t like the new Delaware ad. Come on Supa, give these people a break!
The great state of Delaware has decided it’s time to throw their hat into the violent video game awareness ring. We should give them an “‘atta boy,” not a smack in the face.
At least they’re trying a new approach. They didn’t team up with Thompson, they didn’t make an outdated list, and thankfully, they didn’t try to ban video games all together.
Let’s call this a test in video game marketing. The ad below is real, the brain child of two politicians in Delaware. It will run on billboards, in mall kiosks, etc.
Don’t get me wrong, I applaud them for trying to educate the clueless parents out there who STILL don’t realize video game ratings exist, especially during the holiday season and all.
The lack of ESRB awareness is part of why we have so many angry parents and you know, Jack Thompson, King of the Stupid.
If more parents understood the rating system we’d have less toddlers needing therapy and medication from seeing one too many heads blown off with a shotgun.
Now look at the picture. Couldn’t they have chosen something a LITTLE more attention grabbing?! Showing a smiling politician isn’t anywhere near as effective as something like this:
Namco Bandai, woke up this morning to some news that they were not expecting. The ESRB, the entity tasked with rating video games for consumers consumption in the US, has issued an AO rating for Beautiful Katamari.
Morgan Hedberg, spokeswoman for the ESRB:
We cannot in good conscience issue any rating for this title, except an AO. Most people think that just because there’s no violence or neck-hole humping, that a game is automatically safe for children. But after searching this game from top to bottom, and finding literally zero redeeming value, we decided that AO was the only possible way to go. I mean, how can we look at ourselves in the mirror, knowing we unleashed such an empty title on children. If we can keep just one child from playing this game and thinking that its the best that gaming has to offer, we’ve done our job.
I went to the Sarcastic Gamer forums, to gauge the reaction of our community. One such member, “Yousty”, expressed his frustration with the ESRB and the storm of negative publicity surrounding the title.
Did they even listen to the Soundtrack? I mean seriously, it’s not just about rolling a ball around a poorly rendered environment. It’s about rolling a ball around a poorly rendered environment with GREAT SOUND! Gaw!
Namco Bandai responded by issuing the following statement.
We were well prepared for this turn of events. We understand the ESRB’s position, and while we do not agree with it, we have decided to implement our backup plan, and add “math” to the game. In the Gold version, players are presented with a math problem, and then challenged to roll around our poorly rendered environments until they find the correct answer. It will take us about 5 minutes to add to the game, so there will be no delay in release.
With pre-sales already topping the dozen mark worldwide, the run-up to the release of Beautiful Katamari looks to have the makings of an historic event. Only time will tell.
Sarcastic Gamer brings you the most comprehensive Beautiful Katamari coverage on the globe. For more, check out these exhaustive articles.
Just last week, the ESRB dealt a pretty impressive finishing move to Manhunt 2 from Take Two.
Now, news from Joystiq indicates that in addition to providing ratings for games, they have deemed themselves to be the entity in charge of….. Game Trailers.
It would be great if Manhunt 2 released a trailer that’s so clean it’s rated E for Everyone. Talk about misleading.
Potentially different ratings for the game trailer and the game itself?
The only thing that this bright idea does is mislead people. There’s no way that a game that’s getting an T rating is going to have an M trailer. It’s not possible unless they put crap into the trailer that’s not in the game.
While they’re at it, maybe they could start rating the box art and instruction manual.
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