31-07-2005 13:59									#151
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Didn't realise Aussies were such prudes.

	31-07-2005 14:27									#152
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quote: Originally posted by Carolus Rex Adagio, What was wrong with my link? Carolus

I skipped a large part of this thread... I guess I skipped a few posts too much

	31-07-2005 18:54									#153
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It didn't seem to be much of a problem with San Andreas though, so maybe they are more in-touch with reality now. Or perhaps the version available on the net has yet to be edited to the ratings board's liking.

	01-08-2005 06:24									#154
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quote: Originally posted by Carolus Rex I think ravagon will have a thing or two to say about that...

I am, once again, as mortally offended as I have ever been.

Or at least as mortally offended as I've been since I was last referred to as Australian.


Gameswarehouse seems to have suddenly pulled their stocks of GTA:SA. It was available last Friday but now it isn't. Gamesmarket is (apparently) still selling it though.
Neither of them pulled it when the row surfaced so I guess it'd taken a while for it to filter through.

Both of the others are available though. I'm not sure what was editted out but there's a fair bit of rather, erm, 'harsh' language left in.

Not to mention the use of various antisocial implements for those occasions in which a harsh word just isn't enough ...


As an aside I'm not sure the words 'delicious' and 'kangaroo' can be even be used together in the same sentence. Not without a qualifier before delicious anyway.

quote: Originally posted by DrSpike Didn't realise Aussies were such prudes.

You did too! You posted almost exactly the same thing in the thread about that last LSL game.

	01-08-2005 06:56									#155
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quote: IS - of course Rockstar has the right to not have their games rated if they choose. And retailers have the similar right to not carry them if theyre not rated (I think many of the largest bricks and mortar retailers wont carry unrated games) If you think Rockstar and Take Two are going to make that decision out of first amendment idealism, rather than business decisions, i suspect your misjudging them. I cant see what good would be accomplished by ending the rating system - its already hard enough for parents, who have to follow different ratings systems for movies, games, and TV, each rating system being rather arbitrary (as some here have already pointed out wrt games) - do you really expect parents to know the content of each and every game?

Not my point to have Rockstar leave by itself. My point was to do away with the entire ****ing ESRB and have parents involved in their kids purchasing decisions. It'd be hard? So ****ing what?! Parents can't just drop their kids off at the interactive highway and except that the world will take care of them. Get involved with what your kids are doing! If they ask for a game, do some research.

I mean my believe in personal responsibility means that you can't just blame it on someone else when you aren't keeping tabs on your kids.

	01-08-2005 12:24									#156
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quote: Originally posted by ravagon As an aside I'm not sure the words 'delicious' and 'kangaroo' can be even be used together in the same sentence. Not without a qualifier before delicious anyway.

You may wish to retract that statement lest someone question your sanity.

	01-08-2005 15:55									#157
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Yummy koala too?

	01-08-2005 18:34									#158
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quote: Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui [ Not my point to have Rockstar leave by itself. My point was to do away with the entire ****ing ESRB and have parents involved in their kids purchasing decisions. It'd be hard? So ****ing what?! Parents can't just drop their kids off at the interactive highway and except that the world will take care of them. Get involved with what your kids are doing! If they ask for a game, do some research. I mean my believe in personal responsibility means that you can't just blame it on someone else when you aren't keeping tabs on your kids.

I think parents should be watch what their kids buy and play (though its not always possible - you cant monitor everything that happens at other kids houses). But to expect them to play through every game, to see whats in it, is absolutely unreasonable. Not every parent wants to play games, and not everything shows up till you get to certain levels, etc. I mean parents deserve to have a life too, ya know. They could rely on unofficial ratings by game review sites, but I dont know how that makes the situation any better than the ESRB ratings - it just makes it less convenient for parents.

If there were no ESRB rating, some parents might be more inclined not to allow their kids any games at all. Many would lean on the cautious side, and only allow those few games they knew to be ok. And of course the less responsible ones, who are just responsible enough to not buy their kids an M game, might abandon all control whatsoever, and let their kids have whatever they want (which may be what some posters prefer all parents did)

Im happy that this is rather academic for me - POTM isnt very interested in games, and the ones she is interested in I know and can judge (and are NOT violent)

	01-08-2005 18:37									#159
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quote: Originally posted by Skanky Burns Our ratings board like to ban things very much. Sex + violence is enough to get something banned here. To get around that, GTA3 was actually edited so that you could not have sex with prostitutes (and then go on to bash them to get your money back). You can try this if you have the game by setting window's language to English (Australian) if you really like being ignored by prostitutes. We like killing kangaroos though. They taste delicious.

bannings - so OZ is a christian Taliban theocratic dictatorship also????

Roo's - there must be a roo hunting game, like our Deerhunter, no?

	01-08-2005 23:15									#160
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quote: Originally posted by ravagon You did too! You posted almost exactly the same thing in the thread about that last LSL game.

I'd forgotten that.

	02-08-2005 08:46									#161
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quote: Originally posted by Skanky Burns You may wish to retract that statement lest someone question your sanity.

I dislike kangaroo so much that I wouldn't even feed it to another kangaroo.

	02-08-2005 08:50									#162
	Suffering from ads?

I don't think it's parent's duty to put the nose into games?

	03-08-2005 00:01									#163
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quote: I think parents should be watch what their kids buy and play (though its not always possible - you cant monitor everything that happens at other kids houses). But to expect them to play through every game, to see whats in it, is absolutely unreasonable. Not every parent wants to play games, and not everything shows up till you get to certain levels, etc. I mean parents deserve to have a life too, ya know. They could rely on unofficial ratings by game review sites, but I dont know how that makes the situation any better than the ESRB ratings - it just makes it less convenient for parents.

They don't have to play the games, they just have to read the back of the box! Games aren't shy about what they are about back there. If they have gore or sex, they make a point to put it back there (it's a big selling point). Parents should get more involved in buying games. If your kid wants $50 for a game, you should be there with them to see if the game is suitable for the kid. Or, spend 5 minutes (at least) watching them play the game to see if it's ok. If you want to abrogate your responsibilies as a parent, don't call for the heads of the game industry.

quote: If there were no ESRB rating, some parents might be more inclined not to allow their kids any games at all. Many would lean on the cautious side, and only allow those few games they knew to be ok. And of course the less responsible ones, who are just responsible enough to not buy their kids an M game, might abandon all control whatsoever, and let their kids have whatever they want (which may be what some posters prefer all parents did)

Yes, many would lean on the cautious side and actually BE PARENTS! They would do their homework for once and not really on the X-Box to be a babysitter.

	03-08-2005 01:06									#164
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quote: Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui They don't have to play the games, they just have to read the back of the box! Games aren't shy about what they are about back there. If they have gore or sex, they make a point to put it back there (it's a big selling point). Parents should get more involved in buying games. If your kid wants $50 for a game, you should be there with them to see if the game is suitable for the kid. Or, spend 5 minutes (at least) watching them play the game to see if it's ok. If you want to abrogate your responsibilies as a parent, don't call for the heads of the game industry.

Quite.

	03-08-2005 01:29									#165
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for all the ESRB ratings have been problematic, I cant see that box art is a clear guide to content - i mean thats a couple of pics, and a brief description, of sometimes huge game worlds. I mean i dont usually buy this kind of game, but my general experience is that box are leaves alot to be desired in really understanding what a game is all about.

And of course doesnt help at all if youre buying a jewelcase edition, or whatever. And i hardly see how reading the marketing material on a box means being an involved parent - its not time spent interacting with your kid.

Also i fail to see how it addresses the issue in question here - the material that Rockstar failed to inform the ESRB about, it also failed to describe on its boxes, I presume.


Ive tried to avoid saying anything about the specific content of GTA, as i havent played it. It would be nice if those who havent actually parented would show some humility in regards to whats involved in parenting.

	03-08-2005 18:30									#166
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quote: Originally posted by lord of the mark Ive tried to avoid saying anything about the specific content of GTA, as i havent played it. It would be nice if those who havent actually parented would show some humility in regards to whats involved in parenting.

Well... Why shouldn't you be entitled to have opinions about GTA even if you haven't played it? I haven't played it either and any view I have on its gameplay (well, I have none) is necessarily less initiated than someone that has...

But we're talking about general principles here (censoring/rating games or not; the extent of parents' responsibility for their children's gaming habits etc)... We have the same right to participate in that debate as the worst GTA addict...

Carolus

	04-08-2005 04:30									#167
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quote: for all the ESRB ratings have been problematic, I cant see that box art is a clear guide to content - i mean thats a couple of pics, and a brief description, of sometimes huge game worlds. I mean i dont usually buy this kind of game, but my general experience is that box are leaves alot to be desired in really understanding what a game is all about. And of course doesnt help at all if youre buying a jewelcase edition, or whatever. And i hardly see how reading the marketing material on a box means being an involved parent - its not time spent interacting with your kid. Also i fail to see how it addresses the issue in question here - the material that Rockstar failed to inform the ESRB about, it also failed to describe on its boxes, I presume.

I see you happened to neglect the second part of what I said (coincidentally?). Parents should be around at least a few minutes to see what kind of game their kids got. See if it is suitable for them. If not, you take it away.

In the case of GTA, if a parent is buying it for a 13, 14 year old, then they have failed as parents. I'm sorry, but when the box talks about being in a gang and engaging in gang wars. And then when you sit down for 10 minutes with the game you hear every curse word and drug usage and killing of civilians/cops/whoever, that should clue you in.

Rockstar's "mod" is also something that requires people to download a key to unlock.

	04-08-2005 05:12									#168
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13 or 14 is old enough for that game.

But what I hear is among 8 or 9 year olds, nearly all of them say their favourite game is GTA.

	05-08-2005 08:06									#169
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the lawsuits have begun.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/fun.ga...t.ap/index.html

	05-08-2005 08:08									#170
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FTC is now investigating the game makers.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/fun.ga...e.ap/index.html

	05-08-2005 18:05									#171
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Everyone in the FTC should be lynched.

	05-08-2005 23:47									#172
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quote: Originally posted by Dis the lawsuits have begun. http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/fun.ga...t.ap/index.html

Hehe, her grandson is 14 and it was previously M rated, and deemed suitable for 17 and over. Obviously the violence wasn't a problem.

	06-08-2005 08:25									#173
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Yeah, that lawsuit is dumbest thing I've heard of. I can imagine the judge saying, yes, the game isn't suitable to be marketed for 14 year olds... that's why it WASN'T! It was falsely misleading... I thought it was suitable for 17 year olds, but it was only suitable for 18+! My poor 14 year old was harmed!

	06-08-2005 13:06									#174
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yes but it's like a rated R movie. A kid can watch a rated R movie with parental consent. But cannot watch a NR or NC-17 movie at all.

not that I agree with this. As this would be akin to the movie shipping with the hardcore scenes in the container of the film, but not actually on the film reel. And the teenager would have to manually splice the hardcore stuff into the film itself. Yeah I'm stretching that analogy, but you get my point.

	06-08-2005 13:25									#175
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quote: Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui Yeah, that lawsuit is dumbest thing I've heard of. I can imagine the judge saying, yes, the game isn't suitable to be marketed for 14 year olds... that's why it WASN'T! It was falsely misleading... I thought it was suitable for 17 year olds, but it was only suitable for 18+! My poor 14 year old was harmed!

It's your country, and your legal system, of which you are a part yes?