News Police commissioner calls for Adults Only game rating

Will parents take any notice though.

A common complaint from my son, for several years now, is that his mates are allowed to play 18 rated games. Basically, some of his mates have been playing 18s, with the consent (negligently or knowingly) of their parents, since they were nine or ten years old. I'll wager fewer of those parents would allow their kids to watch 18 rated DVDs though.

 

I'd argue that there's no such thing as an uncorrupted 12-17 year old mind in the country (other than ultra conservative religious types or those with mental disabilities).

Protecting small children from images of unrelenting horror is one thing, but there's this really big problem - older siblings. You can't hide everything from kids forever any more.

 

To be perfectly honest, between you, me and the internet, I'd consider letting him play some 18s when he reaches 15, but not while he shares a room with his younger brother. That means it won't happen until I can afford to relocate the bathroom downstairs, convert the current bathroom back into a bedroom and build an en suite shower room off our bedroom.

 

What exactly will the difference be between an 18 rated game and an adult only game?

 

Nothing. It's about educating people that some games are not suitable for children because, thus far, age ratings on computers games have been largely ignored.

 

In that case, would it not be simpler to educate people what the current ratings (which I understand are legally enforceable) mean? I fail to see why a new rating would be needed.

 

I wholeheartedly agree.

This smacks of "we need to be seen to be doing something, but can't actually think of something to do".

 

I have been an online gamer since the early days, and i have NEVER seen anyone kicked from a server that is hosting an over 18 game.
Even when the player has clearly stated that he/she is 14-15, nobody has ever batted an eyelid. So does that need to be enforced by site hosters?

 

Age ratings of any kind are at the absolute height of idiocy, from the inconsistencies of what you 'can' or 'can not' do, to the overwhelming lack of responsibility and enforcement.

A movie with a sex scene that doesn't show full nudity gets an 18, legally able to pop out your own kids at 16.

A £15 jackpot fruit machine gets an 18, National Lotto with a potential multi-million £ jackpot, 16.

 

I think another big problem is that the games ratings almost are meaningless from even a content perspective.

For example (using the UK film ratings) if I go to see a 15 rated film, I know exactly what I'll get in terms of content, same goes for an 18. 12a can be a bit sketchy as they like to push the boundaries of the rating a lot, but for the most part it's simple.

Games on the other had make no sense whatsoever. Halo is a 15, but features cartoony violence, next to no swearing and you're shooting brightly coloured Aliens. CoD MW2 was an 18, but if you played it you'd know that it's purely because of one controversial mission. GTA on the other hand is a proper 18 rated game. It has bucket loads of bad language, violence, dark themes, drugs, sex, racism everything. There's no consistency there. MW2 I would say is fine for a kid, GTA however not so much, despite them having the same rating.

As such, people just don't give a crap about the ratings.

 

I agree that there is no need for a new rating, there is a need for parents to take responsibility for what their children are doing and not just bleat "something needs to be done."

It would be impossible for site hosts to enforce any age restriction, not least because they have to rely on people being truthful when completing age checks.

 

So remove them and let 9 years olds buy the next Manhunt game then?

 

If the parents don't care, how could any of this stuff ever even be relevant? Plenty of parents do of course, but lots don't and it's the peer influence of those unguided kids that will eventually infect its way into your child's life.

I'd let a 10 year old play Mass Effect games because they handle the language, violence and sex in a fairly rounded, non-explicit way. I wouldn't let the same child play the Witcher or GTA though. However, I'd argue that by the age of 15 most youths have probably developed the cognitive skills and seen enough "in the wild" to handle just about anything presented to them in games, cinema or otherwise.

You change a lot in the first half of your second decade.

 

Good call but I still doubt it would make much difference with a parent that gives in to a kids persistant nagging for the games they see many hyped about.
Plus you got digital downloads that can easily bypass a parent.

I think US got it right with M for mature rating, matured mind knows the difference between make believe & reality.

 

Game ratings have been ignored for almost as long as they have been around, i dont see how adding another rating will affect things

how would they enforce it ?

would they enforce it ?

remain the 2 big questions, as currently the age restrictions are totally ignored by most ( if not all ) law enforcement bodies

 

Isn't that comment rather hypocritical? Didn't you earlier say:

??

 

Hey, there's a county on fire, has anyone got a mug I can use to throw water on it?

Parents ignorance of video game ratings is the problem, not the rating system. People in these positions should really be better informed..

Since when did 18 + not make you an adult in this country anyway?

 

Nope, not in the least. All I seem to do is spell out the obvious to people lately:

Some parents may be choosing to ignore age ratings, but removing them altogether means shop staff cannot be expected to differentiate between My Little Pony and Postal 3, and have no right (or reason) to refuse sale to a kid.

The system may be sh!t, and the onus is currently on parents, but shops caught selling age rated materials to the wrong age customers can at least be legally held to account. Deterrents work better on those whose livelihood is potentially at stake.

 

Age ratings are totally pointless for games, they will just go to a friends house who has the game and play it anyway. Here's a question to many would you rather see what there playing or not knowing and have them doing it anyway.

When I was under 15 I just asked my parents to buy it if I had the money they would check back of box which shows nothing and buy it anyway. All the sales staff knew the game was for me as I had tried to buy it. Games don't turn people into killers or any other crazy stuff.

Games kept people I know out of prison and away from gangs and drugs.