Does ESRB have too much power?

Warning: This is my opinion, please refrain from flaming even if you feel insulted


With the recent 'suggestions' by the ESRB to change the cover of Left 4 Dead 2, I feel it is time to bring this to the attention of others.

I feel gamers and developers are giving the ESRB too much power over the influence and production of gaming, originally, the ESRB was only supposed to rate the game to help consumers better understand the content within a game, but now they are getting too involved in the production of gaming itself, limiting the developers' ideas and the full beauty and artistic storyline, gameplay, and graphics to a dulled down version of dog excriment in a blender.

Video games are just like movies, and you dont see many movies being dulled down to such a level a small child could watch it, so why should games? Games rated M for Mature are goign to be played by people ages 17+, they see the gore and violence on basic cable television, why should a game that CANNOT be sold to minors have to be dulled down? I feel this is a great step back in the evolution of not only gaming,  but a step off a cliff into a machine that will grind you into a sticky paste to be sold in canned dog food. We are gamers, we are MATURE gamers, why should we be subjected to games that are not to its fullest, most bloodiest and gruesome nature? Goto a video store and goto the horror movie section, look at those covers, they havent been dulled down, Ive seen covers with severed arms and brain matter, what is a little rot on a video game box compared to that?

We as a community have to stand up against the ESRB, we are not children anymore, we are adults, and adults should be treated as such, give us the gore, give us the guns,  give us the nudity and hot coffee, we dont want to be stuck played childrens games, we want to play what we desire.

Thank you. and please place comments as to what you think.

[kparks]

i also think its stupid because its the parents that buy the game then they turn around and cry about how bloody the game is STFU there are web sites that tell you about the game and right on the box it tells you intence violence im 19 and wether i go to kmart walmart gamestop i always get my id checked so dont sell to people under age and problem solved..........and ceep checking blogs not enough get approved

[Cajun Chicken]

http://www.swearyfingers.co...

Its the fact that the game is sticking two fingers up to anyone that sees it in a retailer, specifically in the UK, can be very insulting. Say for example, would you buy a game which had a front cover giving you a middle finger aka The Bird before you even consider buying it?

I'm fairly sure that the ESRB aren't too happy with the possibility that someone could recognise it as 'F**k You' on the front cover.

"Palm facing the signer

* Two – indicating quantity although more common with palm turned around.
* Insulting (mainly 'f**k you') – largely restricted to the UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
* Peace – in the USA without respect to the direction."

Source; Wikipedia.

Basically, Valve didn't do their research. Might've well put this up. Its nothing to do with the amputated hand.

[Tony P]

Understood. But the new ESRB approved logo is essentially the same thing with the two fingers up so I don't see how that reasoning rings true.

http://arstechnica.com/gami...

It's the same gesture. I would say the censoring has nothing to do with it being offensive in those countries. If so, they didn't seem to solve much.

[theonlylolking]

I never ever licked the ESRB. I mean I would see a movie that is rated PG-13 then the game is rated M. That is wayyyyy higher than T for teen or PG-13. So Watching a movie with more of nearly everything and rated 13. Then the game thats toned down and graphics are not as good as the monsters in the movie and hte game is rated M. Also star wars battlefront. THat game was T and it really should not. It had minimal violence, and I did not here any bad language. I think ESRB are here to make games worse and end them rather than help. PEGI is miles better than ESRb. i WISH the US would have this rating company because its way better. Also I agree with every word you said.

[joeyisback2585]

they should start arresting parents when the kid does a crime and they find out the parent got them an underage game