Game ratings

[Highseraphime]

Now maybe im just venting but i thought what happened to me brings up some questions i'd like to hear some opinions on. Ok so today i went down to the local future shop for a lil' browsing. To the point i was looking for 3 mnt XBL but couldn't find it so i found a copy of: the elder scrolls 4 Oblivion for the 360 which is rated M and i belive was released in 2005 sorry if im wrong, the point is it's not a current game. since i couldn't find a 3 month card and had played oblivion before and really enjoyed it i decided i would get that instead. Now i'm 16 and considering that its and old game, and its no where near as violent as gears2 i went to the checkout and pulled out my wallet to pay.

(some of you can see where this is going)

there were two people at 1 checkout, a young woman who was obviously a trainee and a not too much older guy "training". I put the game on the counter opened my wallet and pulled out what i assumed to be the aproximate amount it would cost me. the trainer began to show the woman what to do but the "girl" looked at the rating and asked me if i was 17, i not one for lying and told her i was 16.she then grabed the game and put it under the counter and said with the attitude only a woman can "Then you can come back for this when your 17" im not one to make trouble but i was thinking "Don't give me this BS, i told the truth and im paying with cash"and she was rude. the look on the guys face was something like this>

like i said i didin't want trouble so i spun on my heel put my wallet away and walked out the door, the only saisfying thing about this was what i heard the guy say to her on the way out "Are you kidding me?". as a note there werent many people there and no lines.


So heres the points i want to disscuss:
- is it fair for that woman to be so rude to a paying customer?
- do you find this is something that happens with female sellers? (i was just at an EB with my mom 2 weeks ago i bought an M rated game and the lady there had the nerve to ask my mom if it was OK that it was M rated)
- Is the rating system too general? (theres a big difference between shooting someone in the chest with and arrow in Oblivion and blowing peoples heads off and cutting them in half with your lancer and having blood smear the screen in Gears2)
-shuold a games rating be able to change or be updated in light of bigger and better games? (best example is horror movies as time goes on they get creepier and gorier and old movies look like kid shows.

*has been edited for simplification

 

[clonesniper666]

See this is why you look for the t rated version of oblivion, which was the first batch, because after that they changed the rating to an M instead of T.

 

[Deleted member 35947]

So heres the points i want to disscuss:
- is it fair for that woman to be so rude to a paying customer?
- do you find this is something that happens with female sellers? (i was just at an EB with my mom 2 weeks ago i bought an M rated game and the lady there had the nerve to ask my mom if it was OK that it was M rated)
- Is the rating system too general? (theres a big difference between shooting someone in the chest with and arrow in Oblivion and blowing peoples heads off and cutting them in half with your lancer and having blood smear the screen in Gears2)
-shuold a games rating be able to change or be updated in light of bigger and better games? (best example is horror movies as time goes on they get creepier and gorier and old movies look like kid shows.

1: No, not exactly fair to be rude to a paying customer. She could have said it a bit more politely, but she was still in the right, whatever way you think about it.

2: No, I find it can be equal among both in any store.

3: It's still violence at the end of the day, so not really... Besides they wouldn't want too many ratings for the general populace.

4: No. Why should it matter if it's older or not. It shouldn't have any influence on the rating of a game. It'd cost money to have the game re-evaluated anyway.

 

[DeMoN]

1. Yes she was rude, but more so, she was being a bitch when she taunted you.
2. Yeah, it definitely happens a lot more often with female sellers. Maybe their natural motherly instincts are kicking in. Or guys are just lazy.
3. Definitely too general, but so are the ratings for movies. Nothing much we can do about it.
4. As mentioned before, games can have their ratings changed, but not for the reason you described. I say within the first month or so, but after that the rating stays.

 

[Highseraphime]

Thx Demon, and Edhel your right violence is still violence but when you think about it nothing can be so bad in a game that it out weighs anything in real life, lancing up the horde will never be so gory psycologicaly as to out measure a shooting at a college down the street where 3 kids die, i respect the rating system but 16, cmon seriously,why 17? thats such an insignifigant age unlike 16 or 18. its those ratings that keep me from having to hear whiny voices online. if they are trying to avoid affects on impressionable kids then stop making games about real life like gta, last month i had my bike stolen from the space between my house and my neihbors, i go over to my cousins and he's playing GTA and he is stealing bikes, pedal bikes, thats something any reasonably prepared kid can and has done.

Edit: sorry clone i overlooked your post, i didnt know i used to be teen, but it was the only copy there anyway

 

[UltraMagnus]

I hate the rating system, Its ageism at its worst.

and oblivions rating is an example of the worst of the system, its rating was put up that high, not because of all the violence, but because the is a mod for it that gives you naked avatars.

 

[Law]

I hate the rating system, Its ageism at its worst.

and oblivions rating is an example of the worst of the system, its rating was put up that high, not because of all the violence, but because the is a mod for it that gives you naked avatars.

And the sad thing is, is that the mod isn't even available in the Xbox 360 or PS3 versions of the game.

But yeah, game ratings are total shit. I'm 17 and I can't get served for a 15, mainly because I'm quite short (5'5"~), but also because apparently Student ID doesn't count as ID.

 

[Santee]

I completely agree with you ESRB rating say right before the rating recommended for meaning there are no laws that I know of that say stores have to ask for you ID when you buy games which every store had seemed to started doing which means that I have to start shopping online or at walmart which seems like the only place that doesn't check ID.

 

[Deleted member 35947]

But yeah, game ratings are total shit. I'm 17 and I can't get served for a 15, mainly because I'm quite short (5'5"~), but also because apparently Student ID doesn't count as ID.

Totally off topic I know... but can't you get like some other form of ID. Passport, or an age card or whatever it's called over there?

Never heard about the Oblivion mod thing, but that's just a silly excuse to up the rating from an unofficial mod.

 

[UltraMagnus]

But yeah, game ratings are total shit. I'm 17 and I can't get served for a 15, mainly because I'm quite short (5'5"~), but also because apparently Student ID doesn't count as ID.

Totally off topic I know... but can't you get like some other form of ID. Passport, or an age card or whatever it's called over there?

Never heard about the Oblivion mod thing, but that's just a silly excuse to up the rating from an unofficial mod.

at least here, a passport you have to pay for, and the only other real form of ID is a driving license, which, I am sure you know, you have to pass a test for.

 

[Highseraphime]

I hate the rating system, Its ageism at its worst.

and oblivions rating is an example of the worst of the system, its rating was put up that high, not because of all the violence, but because the is a mod for it that gives you naked avatars.

And the sad thing is, is that the mod isn't even available in the Xbox 360 or PS3 versions of the game.

But yeah, game ratings are total shit. I'm 17 and I can't get served for a 15, mainly because I'm quite short (5'5"~), but also because apparently Student ID doesn't count as ID.

I know where your coming from with the height ^ at 16 my growth spurt has only just warmed up, and puberty hasnt' seen fit to bless me with facial hair... I'm starting to think that may have helped, or if it was only the guy there.

And the student ID, what a peice of crap , after picture day i toss em in my locker and leave em there until the end of the year. in the last 2 years ive only used it once for the school library

 

[Highseraphime]

sorry if im bumping but i just checked xbox.com and they say oblivion it rated for 16+ wtf with all the mixed messages?

 

[Law]

I hate the rating system, Its ageism at its worst.

and oblivions rating is an example of the worst of the system, its rating was put up that high, not because of all the violence, but because the is a mod for it that gives you naked avatars.

And the sad thing is, is that the mod isn't even available in the Xbox 360 or PS3 versions of the game.

But yeah, game ratings are total shit. I'm 17 and I can't get served for a 15, mainly because I'm quite short (5'5"~), but also because apparently Student ID doesn't count as ID.

I know where your coming from with the height ^ at 16 my growth spurt has only just warmed up, and puberty hasnt' seen fit to bless me with facial hair... I'm starting to think that may have helped, or if it was only the guy there.

And the student ID, what a peice of crap , after picture day i toss em in my locker and leave em there until the end of the year. in the last 2 years ive only used it once for the school library

I started puberty pretty late too, but most of these staff are just jerks. Also my Student ID gets me free bus travel, so it's incredibly useful.