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An Open Letter Regarding…Mature Rated Games

March 27, 2011 in Blog comments 1

While generations of gamers are getting older and there tastes are maturing, why is it that the industry is still targetting the 18 and under crowd primarily?

Isn’t it about time that “Rated M for Mature” actually became…..oh I don’t know……mature.

Lately though, I find myself becoming more disenchanted with my gaming. The grandiose adventures are now fewer and farther between, replaced by assembly line repetition in gameplay, and stories so simple a 2 year old could grasp their intricacies. Is it the games that have changed, or is it me? After a bit of self-analysis I’m comfortable saying that it’s actually a bit of both. As my generation grew older, our tastes matured as well. Unfortunately for us, video games as an interactive entertainment medium did not (outside of a few exceptions of course).
Komega via pixelapocalypse.com »
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  • 0
    Daweii Mar 28, 11
    They are? I look at my shelf a 90% of the games (I own 56 on PS3) are 18+ rated games. I go into Blockbuster and it is the same provided I ignore the Wii section. I actually find that it is the other way round that the modern gaming industry which started pretty much with the SNES and then Playstation, which was focused at children is now almost inaccessible to anyone under 18. I mean let me list some of the biggest games of the last few years;

    - Uncharted (15)
    - Gears of War 2 (18)
    - Resistance 2 (18)
    - God of War 3 (18)
    - Dead Space (18)
    - Resident Evil 5 (18)
    - Modern Warfare 2 (18)
    - BioShock (18)
    - Heavy Rain (15)
    - Grand Theft Auto IV (18)
    - Dead Space 2 (18)
    - Killzone 3 (18)
    - Bulletstorm (18)
    - Crysis 2 (15)
    - Fallout 3 (18)

    I could go on and on and on and on... I could pretty much only find a few that are playable legally by those 15 or under. The rest were all 18 and over games and I am talking about the biggest titles the titles that people tend to get excited about. This industry is aimed at adults as surveys over the years have stated that the average gamer age is between 18 and 35...

    I'm also not saying that many of those games listed and many others I couldn't be bothered to list are only 18 because of violence and gore. Many of them are violent yes, but at the same time they also tackle themes that other less mature games don't tackle..

    Heavy Rain for instance tackles the complexities of human emotions through a series of sombre and unspeakable events. Modern Warfare 2 used it's rating to highlight the horrors of terrorism. Killzone 3 gave gamers an insight into military politics and xenophobia while Dead Space 2 touched on mental illness through the main characters visions.

    Yes there will always be games like Bulletstorm made for the grown up that still believes he is 5 that finds dick jokes hilarious, but some of the latest games are also tackling some very very mature themes that only come up if you pay attention to the story.. I don't think games are dumbing down or catering for a younger audience despite their age rating.

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