The M Rating and Video Games; Who is Exactly Responsible for the Protection of the Consumer Public ?

Video games has always been a hot topic for today's recent pop culture insurgence, with the medium springing up everything from gaming guilds to clubs to blog spaces on MySpace. But, ever since we picked up our Atari 2600's to move two large rectangular boxes back and forth across our TV screens, the global community has been hooked. But, now with the evolutionary steps that have been made in graphics, gameplay, realistic physics, and so forth, we now can come forth and ask a question that has been on our minds now for quite some time: What do we do about the M Rating?

The M Rating, you are thinking? What exactly does the M rating, (and ratings in general), have to do with our enjoyment of blasting away at enemy warriors or beating the living snot out of an opponent until they are rolling around on the ground in imminent pain and watching as their lifeless bodies curl up and fade away? It actually has everything to do with it, in truth, as the reason that we as players in this medium are allowed to see these things is due to the fact that there is a ratings system in place that allows content such as this to be brought forth into own private little world. Since the early days of the Atari 2600, the most that we were able to do is to move simple implements, such as a rectangle to bounce a ball, or use a boxy-looking man to swing from vine to vine and avoid boulders and other traps and so on, and for that time period that was all fine and great for us. We would be looking for the large box under the Christmas tree or at our tenth birthday parties, hoping and praying that the large box that was sitting in the center of the table was that icon, that very thing that would be the envy of everyone in the entire neighborhood and we would have friends galore that we have never had or experienced before. All of this, and we would be contented. At least, until the next new system came out and we would be picking up cans to make money for the next year until we could buy it.

I know that the reader is probably still asking what this has to do with the current ratings system, but I am getting to that. The facts of the matter that I am about to lay before you are simple, and they are simple because video games are more than just a simple way for us to act out our frustrations or to have a good time. The real reason that video games exist is also for another reason...to make money. By far, video game companies have just as much of a following as any movie studio or celebrity, and their sole purpose to exist is to give the global public exactly what they want, which is electronic entertainment to eat away our free-time hours by giving us new worlds and new ways to interact with things. With this being on the table, this is what will keep the medium in business for a very long time to come. Another thing that most people may not think about is that the current state of content in video games is not 100% determined by the developer, but rather by the consumer. Companies base how they make a lot of their video games by having what are termed as 'focus group meetings', where people are invited to beta-test upcoming software and give their opinions on how the game engine works, what kinds of things that they would like to see from the upcoming title and so forth. These are not people that are experts in the field, but rather simple people like you and I who were given the opportunity to present their opinion. This is partially why the content in video games is so varied and, at times, more mature than some people are used to.

So, now comes the question that I asked before when I first began this article: Whose responsibility is it about the M rating or ratings in general? Lately, consumers have not been taking the opportunities to affect change in this arena because they are not informed. Not informed? What exactly do I mean by not informed? Again, a simple answer: Most consumers do not take the time to truly examine a product for the video game consoles because they know nothing about this large and growing sub-culture. Most parents today will simply just buy a game because their child or teenager wants it, not taking into account what content may lay within the screens. In most M-rated titles, the subject matter may carry as less as three and up to and not exceeding between five to eight of things that most people would not think of looking for, as the companies make it a policy not to include screenshots of this matter. It can range from something as simple as an expletive all the way to a full-frontal nudity shot. These categories are as follows : Strong Language, Partial or Full Nudity, Strong and/or Sexual Themes, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, just to name a few.

Now that this has been explained, the next question is: What can be done about it? Who will ultimately take this responsibility? One person has tried to do this, Alabama attorney Fred Thompson, who several years ago went before the Supreme Court to have the M rating abolished after an Alabama teen went into a State Police station and killed two Alabama state troopers with a firearm. The lawsuit came forth from the lad's parents that this would not have happened if he had not played Rockstar's "Grand Theft Auto", which had supposedly did something to him mentally to cause him to commit the crime. However, with these kinds of crimes apparent now, where Thompson was right was that video game developers do not take into account as to how their product could affect the person's mental state as to how they perceive reality and problem-solve in reality. Then, would it not be more proper to have the family member step in and take command of the situation rather than file lawsuits against the game developer? With this being taken into account, would there, therefore, be three levels of responsibility? The first being the developers, as they need to be more complete in how they present their software, making it less likely that an underaged child would get their hands on it by showing more of what the game entails and being more descriptive on why the title received the M rating to begin with, such as citing examples or making them less accessable to underaged consumers in retail outlets. As it is, it used to be that you could only see an M-rated title if the consumer was able to produce identification. This leads to the second level, the retailers. Retailers have become more relaxed about selling M-rated titles becuase those who work in such establishments work on commission or minimum wage, as they only make money if they make a sale. Even with a more scrutinizing selling method, who is left to determine who the final user would be, thus leaving the parent to be responsible for their child's playability and behavior.

After this tragedy, it was taken upon himself that Thompson do something about the problem, therefore a hearing with the Supreme Court to have M-rated titles removed from the consumer market to prevent tragedies such as these. But, even with good intentions, Thompson lost his suit due to his uninformed opinions concerning electronic entertainment after presenting the issue of the 'Adult Sim' .MOD file that was available on the Internet for those who played Maxis' title phenomenon, 'The Sims', and labeled them as being 'anatomically correct'. It is because of blunders such as these that cause this issue to be tossed to the wayside, never to see the light of day again.

In order to affect change in this form of electronic media, we as consumers need to let developers know when they have gone too far. We need to educate ourselves on the ESRB (*Electronic System Ratings Board) ratings, and always make oursleves aware of what we are putting in front of our children. Video Game retailer, Game Stop, has already begun the process with public service announcements on how we, as consumers, need to make ourselves responsible with what our children play as well as what we play. What may be good for some may not be good for others. I am a person that plays the occasional M-rated title myself, but I even know when to watch my limits as to how far I am willing to push my mind in this form of entertainment. I have been a gamer now since I was thirteen, and I am now thirty-five, and back in my day, these were not issues that I ever had to worry about. I had things like 'Super Mario Bothers' and 'Duck Hunt' to play, but now, I have even become more scutinizing on what I put in front of myself. I like to be able to play, as well as become engrossed in a game that will allow it to be a memorable experience for me. I don't want to have to consistently wonder why I'm not playing what's popular. I like a good game, and that game does not always have to have the letter 'M' placed upon its box in order for me to buy.

In conclusion, it is up to us as consumers to figure out a better way to manage ourselves on this ratings system, and not be tempted to fall under the spell of a shiny box with cool pictures on the back. Education is key in this matter, as well as awareness of those that provide these forms of entertainment to us. To coin a very old and very overused phrase : 'Do not judge a book by its cover'.