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The AO Debate: Is the Industry Censoring Itself?
>> From biz.gamedaily.com:
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Given the news that Rockstar's Manhunt 2 is now cleared for a North American release, thanks to a spiffy new M rating, we can't help but wonder if this is really the right move for the ever-growing video game industry. After all, on its face what's so wrong about an AO-rated title? Shouldn't game developers have the freedom to create games according to their vision, rather than have their vision essentially forcibly altered?
We understand that the ESRB is just doing its job and that retailers certainly have the right to carry or not carry whatever products they wish, but if we all trust the ESRB system and the retailers to enforce the ratings (not to mention parents to properly monitor their kids), then why shouldn't console manufacturers allow AO titles on their platforms? Ultimately, what it boils down to is that the same industry that cries foul while fighting legislators month after month to protect First Amendment rights is seemingly censoring itself - even if no one single party is at fault.
It's a delicate situation, so much so that when contacted by GameDaily BIZ, the ESRB told us to contact the ESA and then the ESA sent us right back to the ESRB. We were given the runaround. Console manufacturers were equally difficult to get any real answer from. Sure, Microsoft provided us with their usual filler, reiterating that they don't support AO-rated titles on 360, and that they've "always been a strong proponent of all game rating systems in effect in the different parts of the world, as well as parental controls which are part of both the Xbox 360 as well as Windows Vista." And Nintendo and Sony offered similar sentiments, but none of the big three could really give us an adequate "why" to the AO question.
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Full Story: biz.gamedaily.com (2 pages)
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