Of course, I was going batty myself with the videogame regulation news. They were making it sound like the ESRB ratings are a brand new thing finally introduced to keep kids safe.
THEY'VE BEEN AROUND FOR 10 YEARS!!!
It's just been recently that retailers have finally started to really clamp down on selling M-rated games to kids, but that doesn't avoid the fact that the rating system itself has been around for 10 years now.
They even had a phone in on City-Online today about whether games were too violent these days. Of course, that's a loaded question in and of itself. I couldn't watch it because I knew that I'd probably get so annoyed at the callers that I'd have a stroke.
It was nice that some of the newscasts actually broke down the rating system for the uneducated so they'd know what their kids are actually playing. They were also saying that most retailers and even gamers don't really have a problem with the new enforcement.
That's a good thing. The only people who usually whine about the age restrictions are either people who are completely against any kind of censorship (which some see the rating system as, if only from the fact that certain big retailers won't carry M-rated games, thus making it less desirable to make them) or the kids who are too young to get the games, thus making them rather ticked that they can't get the latest Grand Theft Auto to show to their other 12-year old friends.
I am for it because this now puts the onus on parents to be aware of what their kids are playing. If you don't care if your kid plays GTA, then you can buy it for them. But you won't be able to say that you didn't know that the game was brutally violent...
Of course there are also those that say that while the game rating system is good, the kids will still find a way to play the games. Sure they will. It may be just as simple as going over to their friend's place who has an 18-year old brother and borrowing the game or playing it there. That said, you can make the same arguement for R-rated movies and even books.
Kids will always try to get their hands on stuff that they really shouldn't and it's up to the parents to do their best to educate themselves and the kids as to why it isn't a good idea. This might not always work, but at least it takes the retailers and game developers out of the parenting role and puts it back on the actual parents.
I hope this shows that Canada is serious about making sure the proper audience is able to access the appropriate material. I am worried that this could be a step towards making us like Australia, which has already started the outright banning of various games for various reasons. At least let people make the decision whether or not they want the game.
Now I'm not one of these Xbox Fanatic idiots who thinks that unless a game is rated Mature, it's no good. Heck, both Sly Cooper games and Katamari Damacy are up there in my pantheon of the best of the best and they're both rated E for Everyone (aka the Kiddy Game rating).
That said, I also love the Grand Theft Auto games, Ninja Gaiden and the Silent Hill series, all Mature games. It just depends. Just like movies, you can enjoy Finding Nemo and The Princess Bride and also enjoy Fight Club and American History X just as much. They're not all mutually exclusive.
I just wouldn't let Garrett watch Fight Club or American History X until he's MUCH older :)
And on that note, I'm off to flake out on the couch for my day off and play a good ol' M-rated RPG (Shadow Hearts: Covenant, which is awesome and absolutely hilarious) and make a big pot of chili :)
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