So please tell me, anyone, why is sex more vile than violence? Why are acts of pleasure and the creation of life (and the processes of life and living) more repugnant than acts of pain and death? How warped is society that we're less offended by violence than by sex?

Because violence doesn't go againt the retarded social norms of the american people. There is worse sexual content in movies and TV, but because videogames are new and the audience is still rather young. I know that a majority of people who play games are over age 18, but we are still pretty young in the grand political sence.

Books, music, TV, and movies all had to deal with this exact same type of retared threat. The main differance here is that the Media gives the vocal minority an outlet with which to twist the issue.

I think it is fairly obvious.

Sex involves two people while violence only has to involve one person.

Two is more than one and that is how the politicians like it.

Look it up, you will see that I am correct.

I've said it at least three times by now, at various places; Jack Thompso is giving evidence of rhis own prosecution by lying.

I was in a gameshop today. Someone came in looking for GTA:SA. Nobody in town (Minneapolis) is selling it. All the major chains have a no 'AO' policy. Go figure.

"We found a witch may we burn her?!"

Hey, if the stores don't carry it then you could always become a Pirate.

_>

Don't look at me. I have had GTASA for months!

_>

I would love to know what video games Jack Thompson considers to be appropriate for today's youth. Why should games be rated based upon mods that people outside of the game's development make for them? If I can download a mod that somebody made for 3D Monopoly which replaces the game's monacled mascot with a fully nude porn star, does that game deserve an AO rating as well?

Now that I think about it, Spore is filled with sex and violence too. Won't somebody think of the children?

I wish someone would go up to this guy and ask him who's forcing people to download these mods. If a guy goes out and buys a magazine(just using an example), that's his choice, no ones forcing him to get it and no one else has to get it.

Well... that is one of those details they like to leave out.

Cause the masses dont know what a mod is... so why bother to tell them if it will faurther their case?

I was in EB games today with my friend. He wanted to buy the game FlatOut, but I was telling him that it sucks. He wasn't convinced, but luckily they had it on one of the consoles they display. He picked up the controller, and the guy behind the counter began to tell us that we have to be 18 to play the game. I asked him,"Why, it's rated teen." He said, "Not anymore, it's rated M now."

In case you didn't feel like reading my story, here's the short version. Flatout is rated Mature. Flatout is rated MATURE because your driver can fly through the window. This is ridiculous.

Wait... so was it rated Teen as one point?

This is getting ridiculous.

I will be honest, if they arent going to let me get a game because I am not old enough, I will just download the damn thing.

...

Which is the entire problem. If people stop buying the games because of the ratings for whatever reason, that's less money for the developers and that means less games for everyone.

Case in point... look at the movie industry. Most movies aim for a teenage audience unless they are purposely targetting adults - Why? Look at the age group of people in the movie theatres lots of teens and some 20 somethings. It's in the $$.

Thats what I have been saying.

If they keep things up with the ratings piracy is just going to go up.

I am a perfect example of that!

Yay, Piracy!

You know, after the revolution, this d*ck is going to be the first against the wall ;)

As I have said before, and will undoubtedly say again: I hate stupid people!!!!!!!!!

Ah!! No matter where I go I can't get away from these stupid people waiting for a revolution!

Oh good lord I thought this was news... Tompson is a dick looking for publicity as always. Hell no one in the media even cares what he says. No worries here he's just looking for some action too

Ha! Today I've found the Hot Coffee mod on a CD of a gaming mag sold in a supermarket! ANYONE could buy it! As long as you're big enough to reach it on the rack, that is. No one gives a shit over here in old europe, and that's the way it should be.

Hopefully that lawyer has enough publicity now. But if I were him, I probably would do the same - milk the retarded for even more money!

Isn't "Its de ja vu all over again" a redundant statement.

I personally think the government should stay out of this...slowly they are limiting our freedom to buy videogames and make new videogames. I mean, is there really nothin better for a politican to do than belame games for todays violence. They should be focasing on more important things that videogames. Give me a %$@$ing break.

Slowly but surely taking our freedom away...I think it should be up to the parents on what their kids should and should not play, not the politicans.

Now I'm getting Pissed off...what next. Attacking Halo 2 for killing aliens...OMFG!

Maybe the world would be better off without Halo....

The reason violence is acceptable and sex is not is because violence in video games has no effect on us. It won't make us go out and kill people randomly as the Jack Thompsons of the world would have us believe. Sex on the other hand does have an effect, obvious because people go online to see naked pictures of women and get excited, whereas they play, say Counterstrike, for the competetion and the comradery.

Well... I heard somewhere that if a person plays a violent game or see a violent game it is not uncommon for said person to be grumpy afterwards.

Either way... If he can't keep it in hi spants when he plays a game that is his problem, not everyone elses.

I Live in USA, and it's must remove ESRB, it's hurting our freedom in usa and hurthing violence game developers because some people sueing for money or they zeal lazy not to watch thier kids so they are free worry. I think it's need to remove ESRB, So we have freedom to buy, play and dont force us what we should buy (I know government dont force us buy it but they force market to make less game or lot of crap game or kids game if has ESRB) and it's dose not make us violence, beside before PC Games or other games, there is lot of war, violence, after PC Game, other it's less violence unless people dont have PC, because they forget violence while playing violence games, see violence PC game replace real violence, if government removes PC game violence then violence go up just like old day, but I'm not that person, however, with or without I dont violence unless government try to tell us what our live should be then I will doing violence vs government, I'm not going sit down in fornt of government city hall or white house to speak, it's waste time and dose not work.
Bah! That's just me.

Can I assume that you were not born in the United States?

Just... wanted to get that out there.

And I agree that the ESRB does, in a way, limit our freedoms... but... I dont mind the ESRB. It is a good scale. The only problems are when the outside interferes.

The Sims 2 worse than GTA (of any flavor)... are you joking? I seriously hope so.

The hot coffee mod in GTA:SA is not just crappy sex like the "woo-hoo" in the Sims. If you actually seen the mini-game in action, they you'd understand. If not, they I'd suggest doing so before implying that the Sims is worse. That's just nutz.

GTA:SA should have been rated AO from the beginning due to the gross misuse of violence which is basically streamed through out the game as well as the ability to kill virtual police. If it was rated AO at release time if would have never sold very well, Rockstar knows it and the ESRB knows it.

Sigh...

Oh, I'm born in USA, I'm hard of hearing, my left ear is deaf, right one kind of, it's effect my english skills lower.

Ah! Gotcha.

Sorry.

:D

I work in the gmaes industry, and we've just been told that our game, which contains a large amount of what I would consider adult entertainment (the ability to gamble in a casino) has been rated T.
We have been told that one of the lines of dialog by a side actor that you might bump into in the casino will have to be removed or our rating will go up to M.
The problem? The person in question is gay, and is talking about what his partner will think when he find out how much money he spent.

Apparently, children of 13+ can gamble in a casino, but can't here someone talk about their gay relationship.

Does anything the ESRB do with regard to actually judging whats appropriate make sense?
Does it have any consistancy? Why in some games (like the sims) is homosexuality allowed, and in others it's not for a T rating.
How comes violence doesn't make the rating go up.

Nudity is NOT pornography. There's a world of different between the modded content in GTA versus the nude patch in Sims. Artists’ sketch and paint nude models all the time; this sort of art hangs in many houses as art. Several world famous statues are nude (e.g. Venus, Michael Angelo's David, and so forth).

Whereas the movie ratings became relaxed, the game ratings have become strict. This really makes me worry, because many of my designs contain a little bit of raciness. It would definately grant a PG-13 or less for a movie, but considering that comment about a homosexuality = mature, I can't help but be disgusted at what politicians who have absolutely no right to interfere with something they clearly have no idea about, and it turns into bad news for us all.

sims 2 naked skins are immature and a waste of time!

Well, I think the reason GTA is rated AO is because that's what it focuses most on; sex, violence, drugs, yadda. In the Sims 2, what you're mostly trying to do is just live out their lives however they want, and sure, sex and...bathing should be included, because that's just how it goes in life. Well, it's not all sex and poo, but you see what I'm saying. Maxis was just trying to make it as realistic as possible, while still keeping the dirtiness mild. Now, the customizable skins and clothing is completely the consumer's choice to download and use, and completely the consumer's choice to make them, too.

If someone develops an "adults only" mod for a game, and you want that game to be rated Adults Only, then you might as well make EVERY game Adults Only (even ones for little kids like Barbie / Disney games). Any game can be modded. It's just a matter of how much work it takes to implement such things.

I'm 14, and i bought battlefield 2 rated 16+, Rise & fall rated 16+ etc...

That was in england.