Byron Report Released in U.K.

[Eric]

From Gamepolitics.com

http://gamepolitics.com/2008/03/27/byro ... w-it-here/

[Zeus]

Figures it would take a Brit to bring reason and logic into the equation....

[SineSwiper]

Figures it would take a Brit to bring reason and logic into the equation....

Uhhh...what? This is just nanny regulation that the Brits are famous for. What the fuck are you talking about? Logic and reason, my ass!

In the same way you wouldn’t let your 11 to 12 year-old watch the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which is an 18-rated film, you really shouldn’t be letting them play 18-rated video games.

Sorry, bitch. That should be my choice, not the government's. If I think my 12-year-old is mature enough to watch something like that, then he should be allowed to watch it.

The ratings aren't the problem. THIS is the problem:

Goddammit! Penny Arcade is down. Anyway, you probably know what strip I'm talking about.

[Zeus]

Figures it would take a Brit to bring reason and logic into the equation....

Uhhh...what? This is just nanny regulation that the Brits are famous for. What the fuck are you talking about? Logic and reason, my ass!

In the same way you wouldn’t let your 11 to 12 year-old watch the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which is an 18-rated film, you really shouldn’t be letting them play 18-rated video games.

Sorry, bitch. That should be my choice, not the government's. If I think my 12-year-old is mature enough to watch something like that, then he should be allowed to watch it.

The ratings aren't the problem. THIS is the problem:

Goddammit! Penny Arcade is down. Anyway, you probably know what strip I'm talking about.

I have zero issues with 18+ games not being sold to minors. It's no different than an R-rated movie. I never sold adult games to minors. But if an adult wanted to buy it for the minor, I tell them "lots of violence, pretty bad" and my bud at EB does the same. But it was still their choice. The woman even referred to the choice thing up there with the Massacre reference. She's basically saying "it's the same thing, as an adult, you decide". I actually hate the "R" rating in Canada 'cause it won't allow an adult to bring their child in. But the good thing is it's a lot harder to get an "R" rating here than down there.

What I've always hated is the fact that you can't have an AO rated game 'cause the manufacturers won't allow it and retailers won't sell it. That's insane. Maybe with a plan like this games will get treated the same as movies.

All my bitching in the past with US legislators has been that they want to eliminate the M-rated game with insane penalties, even going so far as to fine the child for buying it. Are you fucking kidding me?

If at the end of the day games get treated the same as movies, I'm happy. That's why I like this report, it doesn't single out games as the devil's spawn like essentially every legislative bill in the US in the last decade has.

[Julius Seeker]

The situation with AO games is similar to X-rated movies. Most retailers won't carry them, and many publishers won't publish them. In the same way you won't see AO games on major consoles, you won't see X-rated movies in major theatres or major TV stations.

As for penalties against selling M-rated titles to minors, I can see why parents would want these laws in place. There are a lot of retailers out there just out for the quick buck and have no reservations selling violent M-rated titles to children.

[Zeus]

The difference between and AO game and an X movie is that you don't have the DVD player manufacturers tell you that you can't play those movies on their players. There's still a market for it (a fucking huge market) and you can still get it. But M$, Sony, and Nintendo won't even allow you to play AO games on their systems effectively killing those types of games for anything other than PC

[Julius Seeker]

The difference between and AO game and an X movie is that you don't have the DVD player manufacturers tell you that you can't play those movies on their players. There's still a market for it (a fucking huge market) and you can still get it. But M$, Sony, and Nintendo won't even allow you to play AO games on their systems effectively killing those types of games for anything other than PC

I am sure if the porn industry shoved enough money into Nintendo, Micro-errr-$oft, or Sony then you would start seeing porn there as well.

[Zeus]

The difference between and AO game and an X movie is that you don't have the DVD player manufacturers tell you that you can't play those movies on their players. There's still a market for it (a fucking huge market) and you can still get it. But M$, Sony, and Nintendo won't even allow you to play AO games on their systems effectively killing those types of games for anything other than PC

I am sure if the porn industry shoved enough money into Nintendo, Micro-errr-$oft, or Sony then you would start seeing porn there as well.

No chance. They have a hard enough time with legislators as it is. What do you think would happen if the politicians would EVER be able to use the term "sex machine" when referring to any of the systems? Look how insane Mass Effect as a "sex simulator" became.

We're talking about people who voted for Bush here......

[SineSwiper]

If at the end of the day games get treated the same as movies, I'm happy.

You're happy?! Have you seen what the MPAA does to movies? An entire rating is blacklisted by the industry because the fuckers at the theaters won't show it. (It's NC-17 that is the real rating. There is no such thing as an X-rated movie, you jackasses!)

Now, the same thing is happening to games. It's the same nightmare all over again. AO games are blacklisted, so there ends up being this upper boundary, and one organization responsible for it. Reports like this to CREATE LAWS on these ratings are patently absurd! That just hands over the power to do whatever the fuck you want with the ratings to the rating boards.

[Julius Seeker]

NC-17 is just the US version of an X-rating.

[Chris]

something about cock

[Zeus]

If at the end of the day games get treated the same as movies, I'm happy.

You're happy?! Have you seen what the MPAA does to movies? An entire rating is blacklisted by the industry because the fuckers at the theaters won't show it. (It's NC-17 that is the real rating. There is no such thing as an X-rated movie, you jackasses!)

Now, the same thing is happening to games. It's the same nightmare all over again. AO games are blacklisted, so there ends up being this upper boundary, and one organization responsible for it. Reports like this to CREATE LAWS on these ratings are patently absurd! That just hands over the power to do whatever the fuck you want with the ratings to the rating boards.

You can't buy pornos? There are tons of NC-17 movies out there, just not in theatres and none with big budgets. But they do exists.

Again, the issue ain't the ratings, the console manufacturers shouldn't be allowed to blacklist a rating. They the ones who aren't allowing the games to be made with AO ratings 'cause they've eliminated the possibility of the games being playable on anything other than PCs. Hell, Atari had porn games for cryin' out loud.

You get reports like this and what happens is the mentality of the non-gaming, religious, Republican fanatic who runs your country may start to think of games on the same level as movies. Considering where the industry has been for the last 25 years, that's a good thing.

Much of the attacking that games get from idiot politicians and teachers/parents/religious groups is due to ignorance and misinformation. Making them equal to movies in those idiots' minds means they only get attacked to the level of movies. Women in bikinis don't get any flack anymore in movies, but DoAXtreme sure did.

It's a positive step but not a perfect one. It sure as hell is the most sane suggestion I've ever seen from a non-gaming-related source and if the government's on board, good

[SineSwiper]

You can't buy pornos? There are tons of NC-17 movies out there, just not in theatres and none with big budgets. But they do exists.

No, I'm saying that the MPAA does not have a rating called "X". It was a made up rating by the porno companies. If a porno was sent to the MPAA, they would either make it NC-17 or wouldn't even bother to rate it.

And, there are plenty of movies that either get or almost get a NC-17 rating. Big budget movies, too. Many of them dodge the bullet and get it down to R; some don't.

[Zeus]

You can't buy pornos? There are tons of NC-17 movies out there, just not in theatres and none with big budgets. But they do exists.

No, I'm saying that the MPAA does not have a rating called "X". It was a made up rating by the porno companies. If a porno was sent to the MPAA, they would either make it NC-17 or wouldn't even bother to rate it.

And, there are plenty of movies that either get or almost get a NC-17 rating. Big budget movies, too. Many of them dodge the bullet and get it down to R; some don't.

Yes....but NC-17 or X movies or whatever still come out, AO just don't 'cause the systems are closed. You can't even make a small-budget AO game like you can with a movie. And we do see some movies rated R in theatres include additional scenes on DVD that likely would net them NC-17 if they were in the theatres.

So we need to find a way to make the systems open to anyone who's willing to pay for an SDK. That's part in parcel with this change. But even without it, getting moron-fucks like Lieberman to at least see games on the same level as movies would be a huge step forward from where they are now

[SineSwiper]

I blame Lieberman for getting Bush elected. So, he in effect caused 9/11 and the War on Iraq.

[bovine]

I blame Lieberman for getting Bush elected. So, he in effect caused 9/11 and the War on Iraq.

You sure you don't mean Nader?

[Julius Seeker]

I blame democracy for allowing millions of the dumbest people in the first world to vote.

[Kupek]

With a few exceptions, NC-17 movies don't come out. (Porn isn't even NC-17, because they would never submit it to get rated; it's porn, it doesn't need a rating.) I don't disagree with a rating system, but the way that the MPAA does it is amounts to censorship. I could go ahead and argue this point, but instead just link to a movie that makes the case far better than I could: This Film is Not Yet Rated

I'm not familiar with how the ESRB goes about rating games. Does anyone know?

[SineSwiper]

Not as bad as the MPAA, but give it 20 years.

And the sad part is that Zeus has already watched "This Film Has Not Been Rated". Yet, he's still arguing like he has been.

[SineSwiper]

You sure you don't mean Nader?

Though I voted for Nader, I at least made sure that it was in a state with a Gore majority. So, I made a statement (that really didn't matter), but still didn't cost Gore the state of KY. Many people who voted for Nader thought in the same way.

However, many other people voted for Bush instead of Gore. I'm sure the Liberman/Tipper ticket was really scaring people, myself included. Gore didn't really hark his enivoriment record as much as he should, but then again caring about the planet wasn't really fashionable back then.

[Zeus]

Not as bad as the MPAA, but give it 20 years.

And the sad part is that Zeus has already watched "This Film Has Not Been Rated". Yet, he's still arguing like he has been.

I'm not saying it ain't broke and don't need fixin', I'm sayin' it's a small step forward and something the industry needs