Mature Games and Mature
Gamers
James Cain
What affects a game’s rating?
Why do they do it?
• To shock or frighten gamers (ex. Horror games)
• To add a touch of reality to a game’s look and feel
• To appeal to the gamers that can handle (and may
even enjoy) adult content
• The development of new technology has created
new possibilities that game makers want to exploit
When did video games become so
violent and scary?!?
How did it all begin?
• The first major campaign
came in 1976, over the
game Death Race
• In 1993, the games
Mortal Kombat and Night
Trap caused a Senate
hearing to propose
federal video-game
regulations
• Toy stores pulled Night
Trap from their shelves,
and the ESRB was
founded
You
Pedestrian
Dead Pedestrian
How did it all begin?
• On April 26, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it
would rule on the constitutionality of a California law passed
in 2005 (but struck down in lower courts)
• This is the first instance of the Supreme Court getting involved
in the video game industry
• Legislators have waged a failed war against virtual violence for
nearly 20 years
• An estimated 80% of retailers voluntarily refuse to sell mature
games to minors
What’s the difference?
• Games are interactive
• Some games include
parts that must be
repeated (unlike
movies)
• Certain parts of games
are “mandatory” – they
can’t be fast-forwarded
through
Violence
Profanity
Addiction
What harm does it do?
• Violent video games
cause players to
become more
aggressive
• A University of Missouri
study suggests that
their brains become less
responsive to violence
What harm does it do?
• Profanity—profane
actions, lyrics, etc.— can
be found in a large
number of popular games
• The appeal and overall
value of these games is
lost to many gamers as a
result
• The profane parts are
hard to overlook in some
games due to repetition
What harm does it do?
• Gambling can either be
simulated or real
• Slotland.com provides a
number of online
games in which actual
money is wagered and
(maybe) received
• Addiction to games in
general can be made
worse this way
Is it worth it?
• Playing M-rated games
is comparable to
drinking (addiction,
mood changes, etc.)
• Making M-rated games
is inconsiderate of your
potential audience
• This audience will
become smaller
References
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www.esrb.org
www.gamefaqs.org
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1985999,00.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110525151059.htm
wwnivny.wordpress.com
www.armchairempire.com
www.flickr.com
brucemhood.wordpress.com
www.dailytech.com
www.retrogamer.net
gamerillaz.com