Rating Customizable Video Games

[Hazard]

What if you could choose what your video game was rated by choosing how much blood, violence, cussing, etc. was in a video game? It would allow kids to play the games their not allowed to play, it would make parents happier, and for all those kids that can play whatever they want, they can add MORE blood and violence to their lame T rated games.
It's still the same video game, it just has less blood, gore, etc. If Halo didn't have any blood, it would still be just as fun (and if you disagree your going messed up) it's just a nice little "add-on"
Of course some kids wouldn't be able to play these games still because some kids simply can't play shooting games.

tl;dr Just read the first paragraph
Still tl;dr Leave...

[Ad Bot]

[Rughugger]

I think they did it somewhat right when they had that option for the original mortal kombat. You had to put in a code in order to make it especially gory...for the olden days anyways.

[Chriz]

What if you could choose what your video game was rated by choosing how much blood, violence, cussing, etc. was in a video game? It would allow kids to play the games their not allowed to play, it would make parents happier, and for all those kids that can play whatever they want, they can add MORE blood and violence to their lame T rated games.
It's still the same video game, it just has less blood, gore, etc. If Halo didn't have any blood, it would still be just as fun (and if you disagree your going messed up) it's just a nice little "add-on"
Of course some kids wouldn't be able to play these games still because some kids simply can't play shooting games.

tl;dr Just read the first paragraph
Still tl;dr Leave...

when you said cussing I was about to leave the topic.

As much of a good idea as that is, that kind of destroys the purpose of what the creators of the game busted their balls for, mainly for the swearing because they would have to do several different voice actings.

[Hazard]

when you said cussing I was about to leave the topic.

As much of a good idea as that is, that kind of destroys the purpose of what the creators of the game busted their balls for, mainly for the swearing because they would have to do several different voice actings.

Good point but you get my idea.

[Saxophone]

If halo had no blood, then they need to make bubble guns, frebreeze sprayers, sticks, tomatoes, and books the only weapons.

TAST MEH KNOWLEGE OF BUKS NOOBIEES!!!!11!!

[Chriz]

Good point but you get my idea.

Indeed a good idea it would be.

[Chrono]

If halo had no blood, then they need to make bubble guns, frebreeze sprayers, sticks, tomatoes, and books the only weapons.

TAST MEH KNOWLEGE OF BUKS NOOBIEES!!!!11!!

That would be lovey. :D

[Saxophone]

That would be lovey. :D

Eat FREBREEZE.
(Shmals Sooo Gud.)

[Chrono]

IT BURNS SOOOO GOOD

[Wedge]

Some games do let you do this. ESRB bases it's rating on the most extreme content available when they rate a game, so there's not a huge incentive to include it. Even if these system did reduce ratings, such a system would have to be opt-out to work, if it were opt-in it wouldn't do a very good job of protecting the children. The issue with an opt-in system is that very few parents are going spend the time digging through the game options to censor some game they bought for their kid and no kid is going to opt out of a little extra blood. An opt-out system would basically remove the blood until you turn it back on. Purchasing a game and then being required to unlock the content would probably alienate many of their customers. If you put in some kind of adult validation system (probably using credit cards) to keep kids from turning it on, you open a whole new can of worms.

I know Windows Vista includes some kind of parental control similar to the ones included on television sets. Perhaps some developer could have the game base the content in the game on the level in the control panel. There's a bunch of issues with this too. It's still going to be rated M no matter what you do. Your parent is still going to have to buy it for you, and they are still going to have to actually USE the tools they are given. Some study cited by wikipedia stated that 15% of all parents had used the V-chip on their television sets. If this number holds true for computers as well, then no amount of effort on the part of the developer will be able to protect children when the children have no desire to use it and their parents simply do not use the technology.

Summary:
The two basic problems I think would need to be overcome are 1) creating a system that both adequately censors content and allows people who want to see the content to see it without any hassle 2) getting parents to actually use it. Kids don't want their content censored and for one reason or another, parents are not censoring it.

[Rughugger]

Yeah, I'll agree it's completely the parents lack of will/ability/power to be able to control what their kid is exposed to these days.

[Maor]

There were alot of games with "perental control"  Capabilites.
For example: SOF 2 Had that menu that lets you turn off gore and stuff.
And perental control exists in more videogames these days because of the risk.

[Rughugger]

Yes, but how is a parent going to control something owned by the kids short of taking it away? They'll only go to their friend's house and keep on doing it.

[JD]

In fact I agree with you.
Less blood/gore would actually HELP you play the game better (less to process), and decrease the rating.

But still, if your legal parent/guardian buys it for you, you can't be held accountable for having an M rated game thus making it legal for you to play it.

[Rughugger]

They only buy it because their kid won't stop making a horrid scene until they do. Or they just have an older friend buy it for them. As I said, parents have little control these days over what their kids are exposed to. I don't see how they're expected to in most cases. If it's in the house, then yes, I'd say whup a 13 year old for buying a game they know he/she is too young for.

Or at least be present to explain why it's only appropriate to do on the game and not in real life. Show some responsibility I suppose.