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The Most Violent People On Earth

#1

Hylian

Hylian





:laugh:


#2



Koko

I believe there is a direct correlation between the decrease in violence among youth in the past two decades or so and the explosion of popularity of video games.

Video games provide an outlet for naturally occurring emotional desires within humanity's DNA.

And I feel those who *are* negatively influenced by violent videogames, where they commit a similar crime to one enacted in a videogame they played, have deepseated issues that stem from something far more impacting than a game.


#3

bhamv3

bhamv3

That's it, I want to work for the ESRB when I grow up.


#4

General Specific

General Specific

I actually checked their job postings out of curiosity... they don't have any.


#5

Hylian

Hylian

I personally believe the ESRB has a very poor method of rating a game since there is no set guidelines for a rating. It all depends on the "raters" views on what is appropriate for each rating. Granted they probably have some form of basic rules but still too much of it is dependent on who watches it. Now I understand that there is no way they can higher enough people to play through every game that gets released but I still think the process could be better setup.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entertainment_Software_Rating_Board

To obtain a rating for a game, a publisher sends the ESRB videotaped footage of the most graphic and extreme content found in the game. The publisher also fills out a questionnaire describing the game's content and pays a fee based on the game's development cost:[5]

  • $800 fee for development costs under USD $250k
  • $4,000 fee for development costs over $250k
On its website, the ESRB states that three trained raters, working independently, watch the footage and recommend a rating. If all raters agree on the rating, content descriptors are added and the ESRB notifies the publisher of its decision. If there is no consensus, additional raters review the footage and materials, or the majority opinion rules. After the rating is agreed upon, the ESRB in-house personnel review the footage and all materials to ensure that all information is accurate and a certificate is sent to the publisher. However, that decision is not final. If the publisher wishes, they may edit the game and resubmit the footage and questionnaire in order to achieve a lower rating, or appeal the information. If this is the case, the process begins anew. The publisher may also appeal the game's rating if they wish. The appeals committee is composed of entertainment software industry representatives.


When the game is ready for release, the publisher sends copies of the final version of the game to the ESRB. The game packaging is reviewed, and the ESRB says that its in-house personnel randomly play games to ensure that all the information provided during the rating process was complete and accurate. Penalties may apply to the publisher if it is eventually found, either through the in-house personnel's playing or consumer comments that the game's content is more extreme than the publisher stated in its application.


The identities of the ESRB raters are kept confidential and selected randomly from a pool of full-time ESRB employees who live in the New York City area. According to an ESRB introductory brochure from 1994: \"The raters represent a wide range of backgrounds, races, and ages and have no ties to the interactive entertainment industry. Raters include retired school principals, parents, professionals, and other individuals from all walks of life.\" Raters are supposed to review games as if they were the customer and receiving their first glance at the game. They are then required to take testing before becoming ESRB raters.[6]
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