an idea on game censorship

[mailman187666]

I just picked up Manhunt 2 today for the PSP. As of this writing, I haven't gotten a chance to try it out yet, but I was thinking. Since it was originally labeled as a AO game it had to be changed to "M" audience inorder to be sold (in the US) at retail and for it to be allowed on the available systems. Here is my idea. Obviously for a lot of major purchases from any form of retailer or anything onilne you need a debit or credit card. Well what if some game publishers were to talk out some deals with sayyyyy Sony. If Manhunt 2 kept its original content, Rockstar could make a deal with Sony or somebody that a M rated version would be made available in all basic retail chains, but for the AO version, you'd have to use a credit card or debit card and buy it from Rockstar's website.

In other words, the company would have to make both an AO and M rated version of the game, and only sell the AO version off of thier own website, but still have it be liscensed by Sony. Who knows, maybe AO games being available only on PS3 might be what could sell the system better. But you would still have to purchase those particular game off the publisher's website. I really wanted to see the way Manhunt 2 was meant to be played, I like horror. I couldn't imagine Manhunt 2 being any worse than Saw 4 the movie. What do you guys think about something like that? I know some people don't care about that kind of thing, but there has got to be some way we could get our hands on what the publishers intended to put into the game, rather than what the censors and higher ups say what we are allowed to play. I'm 25 years old and it kinda sucks that the censors, the retail chains, and even the big game companies tell me what I am and am not allowed to see in videogames. If I was planning on killing somebody myself, I would have done it long before any violent games with AO ratings would have driven me to do it. All I'm saying is there has got to be some way that if something like manhunt 2 comes along, we should be able to purchase the game as long as we are the age to be able to order it. I can see where Sony, Gamestop, whoever don't want to make a bad name for themselves by having too much filth on thier systems. But if that was the case then they should maybe lock out the ability to play porn on our game systems too.

[Neil Koch]

It's a good idea, and I don't see why something like that hasn't been implemented already (ie, use your Xbox Live account info to download some sort of patch). I know a lot of people on this board are against digital distribution because they like to have the physical game, but this sort of thing is a definite benefit of it.

[udisi]

Not that I've seen any game yet worthy of the AO tag. I bet the original Manhunt 2 was probably not that bad either, but I'd love to see some actual AO games. Why have the rating, if you're not gonna use it. As it stands AO essentially mean rejected for release. I'm all for protecting the kids and such, check ID's, require the game to be bought online only with a credit card, I don't care. I just don't like the idea that no one will make more GOOD mature games because they'll get shut out of retailers. I like the 2 versions and AO online only idea, but I don't know if it's doable with the money side of things. I don't know how much code work and packaging and probably double liscening would cost. I do however believe that maybe you could online only order AO games. The big question, is can they move enough volume to make money to produce anything AO worth buying. GS moves sooooo much volume it's not even funny.

[Rob2600]

Not that I've seen any game yet worthy of the AO tag.

The only games I've ever seen rated AO are computer "games" that feature digitized nudity. Imagine something like that unlicensed NES slot machine game, but with a digitized photo of a naked woman instead of an old 8-bit drawing of one.

[ScourDX]

The only game I know of that does this was Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude. You only buy the censored version in store and uncensored version from Sierra website. It was originally uncensored and released uncensored in Europe, but they have to censored it in N. America to get the M-rating.

[Cryomancer]

AO is just like NC-17, "supposedly" meant to help the industry, but what it really does is censor. It's bullshit. They need to make a legal way of doing it, online seems to be the only option at the moment.

Has anyone went ahead and gone without an ESRB rating ever? You can do the same with movies but it restricts where you can sell it. With consoles however, there's evena manufacturing problem in doing it, I'm sure. How do datel and those kind of companies do things?

[UniHamachi]

Since PC is open, you can have AO games (you don't need to pay royalties to MS to make PC games). Consoles, OTOH, are a different animal. The license holders (Sony, Nintendo, MS) have the right to deny allowing your game on their console. Thus Nintendo can say, "no AO rated games, period" (which is exactly what they've said). If the console manufacturer doesn't want AO games for system, it doesn't matter what the distribution channel is.

[mailman187666]

Since PC is open, you can have AO games (you don't need to pay royalties to MS to make PC games). Consoles, OTOH, are a different animal. The license holders (Sony, Nintendo, MS) have the right to deny allowing your game on their console. Thus Nintendo can say, "no AO rated games, period" (which is exactly what they've said). If the console manufacturer doesn't want AO games for system, it doesn't matter what the distribution channel is.

so does that mean Rockstar could make a PC version of MH2 and be able to release it as an AO game?