Re: Dante's Inferno Proves Corrupt ESRB

I am writing this blog in response to this article, which was posted on PS3center.net on 12/19. I would highly encourage you to read that article first, and for your own opinions and conclusions about the ESRB. I had a few thoughts on both the article and the ESRB that I would like to address.

First of all, Dustin (the author of the article), you do make a good point - complaints, potential lawsuits and all kinds of other PC shit (and I mean "politically correct, not PC game/games. Please don't strangle me with your LAN cords. Yes, I stole that from The Guild) muddle the standards by which games are judged. Nowadays, it seems that you have to be between the ages of 2 and 4 to enjoy an "E" rated game, when even a few years ago there were plenty of "E"-rated games that were "fun for the whole family," if you will. For example, look at one of my favorite SIM-type games of all time: Viva Piñata. It was rated "E," but the majority of gameplay was spent trying to get the animals to do the nasty and make tiny piñata babies. Granted, it all revolved around a mini-game where you collected hearts, but anyone over 4 would understand what the unicorns were doing when they went into their magical tent.

My point? It's all about perception. In ratings, it matters how you present sex and violence. And on top of that, the ESRB appears to "prioritize" sex and violence; i.e., I would argue sex and nudity are more likely to get you and "M" or the dreaded "AO" than violence alone. I mean, it's kind of tough to play ANY adventure, platformer or RPG without killing everything in sight. What matters is whether they just disappear when you kill them (ala Final Fantasy), or end up in a bloody messy at your feet with your character covered in blood (ala Dragon Age... which I love, btw. I want to WEAR my victories!! MUHAHAHAHAH!). In contrast, because six isn't considered "necessary" to most video game story lines or gameplay, I (personally) believe if it judged more harshly.

To that same end, any "combination" of language, sex & violence can get you an "M" rating. Dustin pointed out that while he may let his younger brother play COD, he probably wouldn't let him near Dante's Inferno. COD has plenty of violence, but there are other more "practical" adult themes at play her - namely, war. In COD, you theoretically are killing your fellow man; another human being who feels differently than you do. That theme is arguably much more controversial than killing demons from hell. In contrast, the sheer VOLUME of violence and sex in Dante's Inferno won it it's "M" rating. I think people operate under the false assumption that all "M" games are created equal, and that is simply not the case. You can't just say, across the board, all "M" games are fine for my kid (or younger brother). There are a myraid of factors that got that game there, and there's not substitute to doing a little research.

Is it a pain in the ass? Yes. But it works the same way with movies and parental advisory stickers - there's a committee, somewhere, that (for better or worse) is trying to tell you something. They can't write a novel on the back of the game giving a play by play of each bit of questionable content. But I believe that, at the end of the day, the ESRB is a "warning" system, not a babysitter. If someone has personal morals that forbid their kids from exposure to certain kinds of adult content, it's up to that person to find out which games are offensive in that manner. And I think that overall, the ESRB does that better than any other entertainment rating system out there.

Please don't get me wrong; I'm not bagging on Dustin or holding up my flag for the ESRB. I'm simply pointing out that all "M"s are not created equal, and it's dangerous to operate under that assumption.

For more information on the ESRB and it's rating system, please visit esrb.org.