13th October 2004, 7:36 PM
Well actually a lot of parents have no idea what the ratings mean, namely because they never see the expanded version on the back of the box, BECAUSE THEY NEVER LOOK ON THE BACK.
They see an "M", that's it. Really, as obvious as it really is, I still wonder why they didn't go with the same ratings that movies and shows go with, G through R and all. Are they copyrighted or what? Also, what's with that tilt? Is it trying to make the ratings look "cool" or something? Well, at least they got rid of that cheesy stylizing with the granualated look on the ratings. Just a perfectly boring looking, straightened out, G, PG, PG-13 (honestly, no one knows the diff between PG and PG-13, I mean, isn't PG-13 implied by PG anyway?), R, or the rest, that's all they need. I really don't think the people handing out those ratings would have an issue letting the ESRB use them. Sure the ESRB is a bunch of idiots, but they generally nail the mark. Well, except for one thing. After rating the first game they rate in a game series, you can pretty much be assured every single sequel will get the same rating, whether it is deserved or not. Look at Final Fantasy, really, look at it. There is no way FF1 deserves the same rating as FF7, there just isn't.
Anyway, there's a big rant. I TRIED uniting it all under one point, but failed.
Okay, so let's get it into a nice bullet point list, but since I don't know what the ascii for a bullet is, I'll just go with asterisks. ééé
* Too many parents are idiots for not at least trying to find out what their kids are into, at least enough to learn the rating system games have at least.
* ESRB is idiots for not using an already established rating system, and for going all stupid by trying to "stylize" the rating letters on the cover. What is with that anyway?
* ESRB is also idiots for being very inconsistant in their ratings. Really, so since Link's Awakening's DX remake got an E rating, every single Zelda game made since somehow deserves an E, despite what I've seen? (Honestly, I"m shocked Conker's Bad Fur Day didn't get the same rating as the first, apparently that's JUST enough of a change in content for them to take notice and not carry ratings through.) And also, what's with Chrono Trigger being rated E back on the SNES and T on the PS1? They didn't change ANYTHING you idiots! The cutscenes were added, but watch those! It's all the same content, only it looks better! And there's not a single scene they recreate that's more violent or intense when done that way, namely because of the scenes they picked! Okay, maybe if they animated Frog killing Magus with his sword you'd have something, but they didn't, they just animated Frog slicing the magic cave.
They see an "M", that's it. Really, as obvious as it really is, I still wonder why they didn't go with the same ratings that movies and shows go with, G through R and all. Are they copyrighted or what? Also, what's with that tilt? Is it trying to make the ratings look "cool" or something? Well, at least they got rid of that cheesy stylizing with the granualated look on the ratings. Just a perfectly boring looking, straightened out, G, PG, PG-13 (honestly, no one knows the diff between PG and PG-13, I mean, isn't PG-13 implied by PG anyway?), R, or the rest, that's all they need. I really don't think the people handing out those ratings would have an issue letting the ESRB use them. Sure the ESRB is a bunch of idiots, but they generally nail the mark. Well, except for one thing. After rating the first game they rate in a game series, you can pretty much be assured every single sequel will get the same rating, whether it is deserved or not. Look at Final Fantasy, really, look at it. There is no way FF1 deserves the same rating as FF7, there just isn't.
Anyway, there's a big rant. I TRIED uniting it all under one point, but failed.
Okay, so let's get it into a nice bullet point list, but since I don't know what the ascii for a bullet is, I'll just go with asterisks. ééé
* Too many parents are idiots for not at least trying to find out what their kids are into, at least enough to learn the rating system games have at least.
* ESRB is idiots for not using an already established rating system, and for going all stupid by trying to "stylize" the rating letters on the cover. What is with that anyway?
* ESRB is also idiots for being very inconsistant in their ratings. Really, so since Link's Awakening's DX remake got an E rating, every single Zelda game made since somehow deserves an E, despite what I've seen? (Honestly, I"m shocked Conker's Bad Fur Day didn't get the same rating as the first, apparently that's JUST enough of a change in content for them to take notice and not carry ratings through.) And also, what's with Chrono Trigger being rated E back on the SNES and T on the PS1? They didn't change ANYTHING you idiots! The cutscenes were added, but watch those! It's all the same content, only it looks better! And there's not a single scene they recreate that's more violent or intense when done that way, namely because of the scenes they picked! Okay, maybe if they animated Frog killing Magus with his sword you'd have something, but they didn't, they just animated Frog slicing the magic cave.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)