ESRB… It was an idea. An idea that I even think was a good idea, but that I’m not happy about in execution. I’m not mad at it, I’m not sad or unhappy per say, but I am not happy about it.
@BandWidth, well see, getting a high rating from the ESRB still does effect stuff. Too high a rating and Walmart and the like will never sell you (Would I ever buy a game from Walmart? No. But it does matter to them if they can get out in the ‘mainstream’ or not) and that is a bad, sometimes deadly thing for a game. Sometimes censorship gets thrown into the mix if the company doesn’t want the rating too high.

I will pull the example of Xenosaga: Episode III. Not to say any spoilers, but this is a series with a history of cutting out the blood for the NA release. The fans weren’t happy, but we lived. But in this, the last game of the series, their censoring messed up two emotional and important scenes of the game. And this was done in the name of keeping the rating low.

Rating a video game is also hard, because of just how much is there. Movie? You can just sit down and watch it. A video game there’s a lot more ground to cover. So, again, I don’t hate or even dislike the ESRB per say. I just think… work is needed. Something. But then I find that true for a lot of things, and what we really need is more parents who do their jobs. The reason Timmy gets the game he’s ten years too young for is just as much the parents fault.

(I do point out I’m of the camp that thinks parenting… ya know, is the job of the parent. Not the government or corporations. Quite frankly I don’t think they should have anything to do with it, besides for the company making it clear to the parent what they’re buying, since you can’t do like a book or movie, and just say the adult should read/watch it first.)

Really, I wish more people would just read things like Killing Monsters by Gerard Jones….

The reality of the matter is that the ESRB does not garner nearly as much attention or respect as the movie rating system does — and so a game that’s rated M, that doesn’t have nearly as much weight as a movie that’s rated R.

I think the law makers who want to stem the sale of violent and graphic video games to minors need to be supported — or at least given a fair ear — while the ones who are looking for outright banning of the games to be slapped with some First Amendment legislation.

But through that extensive digression, I think I made it pretty clear, Senator Lieberman’s actions, though not necessarily in good intent, managed to turn things in our favor. So, in proper Rowling form, don’t go looking to tussle with a hippogriff if it’s already tipped its head to you.

Every now and again, the Senator throws in his two cents on the matter- usually in the wake of something Mr. Thompson or Senator Clinton crows about. He’s a nice guy otherwise, I’m sure; but the fact remains he’s not exactly a gamer’s best friend.

(by the way, unlike every other gamer ever, I liked Shadow the Hedgehog. And I make that statement after playing it just after finishing my original sonic on sega, so no yelling at the gamer for not knowing what he’s talking about )