Content Ratings

[VRAndy]

We just want a way to summarize the content of a game so parents don't BAAAAAW at Craig for selling a system that can watch / play porn.

Are you sure you're not just inventing a problem because you already know the solution?

 

[craigix]

I think we're (as in the scene) big and clever enough to monitor things ourselves on a case by case basis.

 

[mali]

+1

 

[matzesu]

To rat our software is quite divicult: one exemple: in germany: tits and obzene words in games no problem, violents and blood, a big problem, in other countrys like the usa they have no probleme whit blood and violants, but whit tits and obzene words, you see: other countrys, other ratings,

quake 3 is on the index in germany: it is probitet to make marketing about it, or give it to peaple under 18 Yeahrs, only peaple over 18 Yeahrs can bought it under the shopdesc, the ratings are only for sell software, free software cant get ratet, becaus nobody can this controll..

 

[mali]

It's ridiculous. My 13 year old son is allowed to play Quake3. I'd rather decide myself what's appropriate and what isn't. I confiscated GTA3 Vice City(16+) though, which is _much_ less appropriate for young gamers, imo. Some of those people who rate software must really be braindead by now :rolleyes:

 

[Chip]

There are any number of software repositories on the internet that don't bother with ratings. Cnet's Download.com is one of the biggest freeware / shareware sites on the net. They have over 10,000 games listed, and move several tens of TB worth of software per day. If they don't waste their time with ratings, we certainly don't have to. Content ratings are neither necessary nor desirable.

 

[NLS]

There are any number of software repositories on the internet that don't bother with ratings. Cnet's Download.com is one of the biggest freeware / shareware sites on the net. They have over 10,000 games listed, and move several tens of TB worth of software per day. If they don't waste their time with ratings, we certainly don't have to. Content ratings are neither necessary nor desirable.

Thus why I assume developers putting up their apps would be responsible enough to just add a quick "Contains Boobs" or "Extreme Violence" if they feel it's reasonable.

 

[javaJake]

Am I the only one who lives in a family and doesn't want to hide in a corner to use his Pandora?

 

[Jourdy288]

I dont think that a full rating system is necessary. Ports of commercial games like Quake need the original game data, which is already rated and has nothing todo with the appstore. Other stuff should also be treated with common sense. Most games won't be too realistic anyway and p0rn should be pretty rare, I guess. Critical games could just be tagged "mature" with a popup warning when trying to download from the app store.

Right, and what I'm aiming at is a universally recognized warning for stuff like that, one that spreads across all the content.

I think that the other stuff that might be considered 'iffy' but not quite NSFW doesn't need it as much, but should perhaps have a short explanation in the description.

Take, for example, the game Jet Force Gemini. It was rated T by the ESRB (disregard that for a sec) now let's say that it was in our Application Shop (I can't bring myself to say AppStore, it rings of iCult-R).
Now JFG might offend some people but not others, because you run around shooting stuff, and there is blood (neon green blood showers from giant ants after they explode, unrealistically). That kind of thing wouldn't need to be covered under our ratings system, but it would sure be responsible of the devs to perhaps make mention of it in the de

 

[timofonic]

Who cares about content ratings? I've even seen kids playing GTA games. It's responsability of the parents, if they are stupid then content ratings are pointless.

Pandora it's too geek, who cares about kiddos. I can assure you young geeks are more than smart enough to watch pr0n or playing violent games without their parents knowing it, content ratings will be simply bypassed by those keyboard junkies.

The only good thing about ESRB is their rating texts, they are hilarious!

 

[Wheels]

Am I the only one who lives in a family and doesn't want to hide in a corner to use his Pandora?

Yep.

 

[panik]

1 vote against a rating system.

I will not say all I have to say about it as that'll probably upset some people, but I feel strongly about it.

 

[grasshoppir]

i'm offended by stupid warning labels and ppl who confuse nudity with sex

 

[Wheels]

Seriously?

I don't see the problem with content ratings in and of themselves. They're informative, and lots of people like to base their decisions on things like violent, sexual, or obscene language content. I think it's better for people to make informed decisions than uninformed ones.

What I do have a problem with are when these ratings are enshrined into law so that, for example, no Mature or Adults Only games can be sold in Australia. I don't like censorship laws so restrictive that even a game where the player kills Nazis is banned because it depicts Nazi paraphernalia. Then again all my information on these situations is second hand, so I may just be raging against an imaginary problem.

 

[darien]

Content ratings would really only apply to the app store. As an open console, you'll have all kinds of unrated apps coming in and out across other delivery systems. I think this really only pertains to official app store releases. Basically, they're just labels, you can't fault OP team any more than you can fault Sony for a kid having porn on his PSP.

 

[moxie]

Am I the only one who lives in a family and doesn't want to hide in a corner to use his Pandora?

I don't understand. Why would you have to hide in a corner? Do you think Craig personally will fill your pandora with boobies when you're not looking?

 

[panik]

With a good labeling system, ratings are an imaginary problem

 

[Wolenber]

Do you think Craig personally will fill your pandora with boobies when you're not looking?

Confirmed: The Pandora will regularly download large amounts of prawn without warning.

 

[calc84maniac]

I think ratings would be useful so we don't get surprised by unwanted content.

 

[paulguy]

I think just leaving it up to devs to put it in the description would be best. If not, maybe in comments.

Also, I think most people could just use their brain a little when determining whether something might possibly he violent. I mean, it's not that unintuitive. If not, they probably wouldn't care what the rating says if there is one there at all.