Oblivion Slapped With an M-Rating

[NavNucST3]

Well, I'm not quite sure how I feel about this one maybe like this

Retroactively changing the game's ranking because of a mod-makers work? This is the direction the ESRB wants to take rating games? Like one editor at 1UP said, "It's like buying a copy of Entertainment Weekly, drawing breasts on Jessica Alba, and calling it a porn magazine." What if instead of nudity, mod-makers had increased the gore factor for the game - in the future will the ESRB retroactively change games that mods make more violent? Sure, right now it's about elf breasts, but this is still a dangerous precedent.

edit: I posted this here more as discussion than anything else, considering they are speaking of the PC version. CORRECTION: The 360 version has been changed as well.

 

[TrungGap]

Now, that's just wrong...The rating should be based on the accessible content of the game, not based on mods or hacks. If so then even the orginal Wolfenstien should get a AO rating.

 

[skmanga]

any online game too

 

[Serenity Painted Death]

They don't claim it was just for the models and the mod. This is just what everyone is sensationalizing (for good reason I suppose, breasts are harmless, especially so if a Mod is required to access them and they aren't actually in the game to begin with [I don't care about this point, but I thought I'd mention it]). The ESRB clearly states that they reassessed the levels of blood and gore in the game. The reason they reviewed it, perhaps, was the nudity mod, but there is more than enough there, sans mod, to justify a M rating.

I don't think they should go changing it after the fact, but Oblivion is PLAINLY a M rated game based on content (sans mods) alone. Many have expressed puzzlement over the fact it was only Teen, especially if they've completed the Dark Brotherhood questline (or perhaps been to the plane of Oblivion).

There is a lot of blood in the game and many NAKED MUTILATED CORPSES HANGING ON CHAINS is a definite sign of a M rated game.

I just fail to understand how the ESRB didn't get it right the first go around. A shame their mistake is costing Bethesda/Take 2.

 

[Karma Police]

I completely disagree, if Lord of the Rings (trilogy), is only considered a PG-13 movie, why in the world should Oblivion be considered 17+? That reasoning only gives justification to people who say that, because games are interactive it has more of an influence on us.

There is more infulence on a persons behaviour when they make the decision themselves and act it out personally versus that same person watching someone elses behaviours based on that other persons behaviour.

Games vs Movies; if both have the same amont of immersiveness, the game will have more impact than the movie. So ratings should definitely be different between games and movies.

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

There is more infulence on a persons behaviour when they make the decision themselves and act it out personally versus that same person watching someone elses behaviours based on that other persons behaviour.

Games vs Movies; if both have the same amont of immersiveness, the game will have more impact than the movie. So ratings should definitely be different between games and movies.

There's simply no evidence for this. In fact, when you watch movies, your mind goes into a much more passive mode and there's no evidence that you are more likely to be influenced by what you see than passively than when playing interactively and making your own decisions.

What happens in games when you decide to play a "good" character, doing the morally right thing? As opposed to a movie where you passively see people doing horrible things that you would never do in real life?

As usual, games are targeted more harshly "for the sake of the children" (despite the fact that most games are played by older people), because they are an easier target than the movie/tv industry that has half the lawmakers in the US in it's pockets.

 

[creon100]

I completely disagree, if Lord of the Rings (trilogy), is only considered a PG-13 movie, why in the world should Oblivion be considered 17+? That reasoning only gives justification to people who say that, because games are interactive it has more of an influence on us.

Oblivion has like dead, naked corpses hanging from dungeon ceilings and a whole gaggle of other such sights. If you can find any of that in the LOTR movies I'd be interested to know where.

Aside from that, the two bodies that rate games and movies are completely different and independent so trying to judge one relative to the other is ridiculous. This is more like the game rating board trying to cover up the fact that they obviously didn't review the content well enough and give it the appropriate rating in the first place. If they could get away with blaming Bethesda (or whoever was responsible for making the material used in the rating) for not providing appropriate material to make the right judgment in rating the first time you know they would, but they probably don't have a leg to stand on in that case. This is just ESRB negligence and they don't want to pony up for it.

 

[Mordecaii]

This just goes to show why I don't even glance at the ESRB rating anymore... Seriously, if they can change a game's rating purely based on some third party making changes to the game, then why aren't a lot more games rated 17+? I mean seriously, the "nude patch" for Tomb Raider, people doing the same for The Sims, countless other games getting more violent or getting nude patches applied... It's not the fault of the makers of the game if someone does this.

 

[scooby_dooby]

This just goes to show why I don't even glance at the ESRB rating anymore... Seriously, if they can change a game's rating purely based on some third party making changes to the game, then why aren't a lot more games rated 17+? I mean seriously, the "nude patch" for Tomb Raider, people doing the same for The Sims, countless other games getting more violent or getting nude patches applied... It's not the fault of the makers of the game if someone does this.

Well, why do developers include nude upper body character models in the first place? Seems this would be an easy problem to avoid by just not putting the questionable content in there to begin with.

I think that's the important distinction here, these models were already in the game, they were just exposed by modders, while some of the other 'nude' patches were actual midifcations to the game assets (or weren't they?).

 

[Mordecaii]

Where is the proof that the models were already in the game? Honestly I have yet to see that. And if that's the case, it could be because they didn't know if they were going to be able to get the exporters needed in order to change and add new skins on existing models, so they added it in for those that would have modded it in otherwise.

 

[Karma Police]

There's simply no evidence for this. In fact, when you watch movies, your mind goes into a much more passive mode and there's no evidence that you are more likely to be influenced by what you see than passively than when playing interactively and making your own decisions.

What happens in games when you decide to play a "good" character, doing the morally right thing? As opposed to a movie where you passively see people doing horrible things that you would never do in real life?

As usual, games are targeted more harshly "for the sake of the children" (despite the fact that most games are played by older people), because they are an easier target than the movie/tv industry that has half the lawmakers in the US in it's pockets.

There is so much pure hardcore evidence of this it's not even funny. As a psych major all we do is make fun of people that think that they could not possibly be influenced by things like this. It's all conditioning, and so easy to map that we can easily predict the time it takes a person to react agressively from before playing games and after. There is just no physical way possible for a person with 3 times that amount of adrenaline per day will react the same in their social situations compared to a person that has the normal amount of adrenaline.

So, go ahead. Keep thinking that you can't be influenced by what you see, hear, and experience. It's that kind of igonorance that keeps Corporate Marketing in business. I wonder why they've been in business for so long? hmm....

btw, say this five hundred times:

"Coca-Cola is tastes great!............Mmmm, Mmmm, Good!..........."

 

[kyleb]

The 360 version was upgraded for Blood and Gore, Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence, can you show me where that is NOT a part of LOTR, and that is merely one example, pick it apart if you wish, but we could go on and on...

Seriously man, if LoTR had naked corpses hanging all over the place and the like then it would have had a stricter rateing as well.

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

There is so much pure hardcore evidence of this it's not even funny. As a psych major all we do is make fun of people that think that they could not possibly be influenced by things like this. It's all conditioning, and so easy to map that we can easily predict the time it takes a person to react agressively from before playing games and after. There is just no physical way possible for a person with 3 times that amount of adrenaline per day will react the same in their social situations compared to a person that has the normal amount of adrenaline.

Better ban all sports then - we don't want those fans, let alone the players getting all full of adrenaline. And hunting. And movies. And religion. And TV.

So, go ahead. Keep thinking that you can't be influenced by what you see, hear, and experience. It's that kind of igonorance that keeps Corporate Marketing in business. I wonder why they've been in business for so long? hmm....

btw, say this five hundred times:

"Coca-Cola is tastes great!............Mmmm, Mmmm, Good!..........."

Of course we're influenced by what we see/do/interact with - that called "life". My point was how is it different playing a video game from watching a movie, going to a sports game and supporting your team, or getting religious at a ceremony of your choice? Most people understand that a video game is not life.

There's been more violence done in real life in the name of sport or religion than video games, so maybe we're better off sorting those out first - after all, they "affect" more people don't they?

 

[Blade]

My argument is: Who, under 17, is going to play Oblivion anyway?

 

[rabidrabbit]

My argument is: Who, under 17, is going to play Oblivion anyway?

What do you mean? It's not that it's so complex a 15 year old couldn't master it.
A M rating imo what I've yet played of Oblivion sounds a bit too high.

 

[London Geezer]

Does it even matter the rating a game gets these days, where 10-year-olds can buy all sorts of material ranging from porn to violent movies. That's why our streets are so full of criminals and rapists anyway. It's the TV! It's the videogames! It's the books!

People should be born without eyes, that's the only way they can avoid being in contact with material that turns them into law-breakers.





/sarcasm

 

[Karma Police]

Of course we're influenced by what we see/do/interact with - that called "life". My point was how is it different playing a video game from watching a movie, going to a sports game and supporting your team, or getting religious at a ceremony of your choice? Most people understand that a video game is not life.

I've already answered your question in my first post. And please leave the rhetorical and redundant questions at the door. We don't want any more confusion in the Console forum than we need to.

 

[Martin Eddy]

My argument is: Who, under 17, is going to play Oblivion anyway?

My twelve year old daughter wants to play it. At first I thought it was okay until I got to the plane of oblivion, then my opinion quickly changed.

Oh and BTW, in Australia the game has an M+ rating anyway.

 

[Chris123234]

I've already answered your question in my first post. And please leave the rhetorical and redundant questions at the door. We don't want any more confusion in the Console forum than we need to.

Don't you guys hate it when self proclaimed psych experts says we're all on the verge of becoming raving criminals.

Do your assertions of people start with the question, "Which side did you choose in Star Wars, Light side or Dark?"

 

[Karma Police]

Don't you guys hate it when self proclaimed psych experts says we're all on the verge of becoming raving criminals.

Do your assertions of people start with the question, "Which side did you choose in Star Wars, Light side or Dark?"

Did I miss something? Where did I say anything of the sort? Maybe I accidentally said something in code?

Fortunately I'm not self promoting. I have a nice piece of paper that says it for me. But what I do love are people that boil everything down to Star Wars analogies! Never can get enough of that......

Maybe you should read the rules about derailing threads?