The “Mature” Rating Exists for a Reason
Guest Blogging
Hi everyone, my name is Daniel Franjac; Grant and I swapped blogs for this week. I’ll be
discussing why the “mature” rating exists and how the consumer should interpret the
rating.
Consumer Maturity
Many video game retailers refrain from selling “M” rated games to children under the age
of seventeen without accompaniment by a parent or guardian [2]. Children under the age
of seventeen are much more likely to be influenced by the media they consume, which
includes these violent video games [1]. While these games are highly unlikely to inspire
violent crime (in fact, crime rates usually fall with high video game sales), children can
display behavioral aggression based around imitating mature games [1]. “M” rated games
are explicitly designed, marketed, and rated for individuals age 17 and older. Thus,
parents should not blame the game or the developer for violent video games’ possible
negative influence on their children when the video game industry itself has stated that
those children are not part of “M” rated games’ intended audience.
Not all “M” Rated Games are Created Equal
While “M” rated games earn their rating for a reason, some games earn their ratings far
more than others. Games such as Halo and Grand Theft Auto may both carry the
“mature” label across their entire main series catalogue, but the level of graphic content
contained within the two games differs extensively. Halo 4, the most recent main series
Halo title, contains an “M” rating for “Blood,” and “Violence” according to the ESRB
[5]. In the game the player takes control of Master Chief, using a wide variety of
futuristic weapons to kill alien soldiers, which bleed multicolored blood when injured [5].
Grand Theft Auto V, on the other hand, bears the same “Mature” designation, but for
“Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong
Sexual Content, and Use of Drugs and Alcohol” [4]. Players can kill civilians and police
officers, take illegal drugs, be exposed to nudity and sex, along with a myriad of other
activities that are illegal or questionable in real life [4]. Whereas Halo might be
appropriate for more mature members of a younger audience, Grand Theft Auto clearly
markets itself to adult gamers.
What Should We Do?
Research games before buying them for underage audiences. Games found in retail
contain ESRB ratings ranging from “Early Childhood” through “Adults Only”
specifically to illustrate a game’s intended audience and level of graphic content [3]. The
rating also contains specific indications of aspects such as language or violence to make
parents aware of disparities between games like Halo and Grand Theft Auto [3]. Should a
parent desire more information on a game’s content, the ESRB website contains full
descriptions of exactly what questionable content a game contains [4, 5]. Websites such
as YouTube also contain in-game footage should parents desire to see exactly what their
child will see before purchasing an “M” rated game.
Grant returns next week, as will I at https://selfvstraditionalpublishing.wordpress.com/
where I explore how to publish a novel in 2015.
Signing off,
Daniel Franjac
Sources
[1]. Carey, B. (2013, February 11). “Shooting in the Dark.” Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/12/science/studying-the-effects-of-playing-violentvideo-games.html?_r=0
[2]. Caron, F. (2008, May 8). “FTC Report: retailers clamping down on M-rated game
sales.” Retrieved from http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2008/05/ftc-report-retailersclamping-down-on-m-rated-game-sales/
[3]. ESRB. (n.d.). “Entertainment Software Rating Board.” Retrieved from
http://www.esrb.org/index-js.jsp
[4]. ESRB (n.d.). “Grand Theft Auto V.” Retrieved from
http://www.esrb.org/ratings/synopsis.jsp?Certificate=33073
[5]. ESRB (n.d.). “Halo 4.” Retrieved from
http://www.esrb.org/ratings/synopsis.jsp?Certificate=32424