Rated “M” for “More Censorship Not Needed”

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Recommended: video game violence research studies

Since the moment video games became a commercial success there have been people who have pushed for unfair amounts of censorship to be placed upon the content of the games and its availability to children. These groups push for increased regulations on content but there is already an appointed group to handle this issue, the ESRB. Even though there has been an increase in mature content in the video game industry, increased censorship is not necessary because the current rating system and current censors make it nearly impossible for kids to reach this content without the help of a parent.
A lot of the people who complain about violence and other mature subject matter in video games are parents, but parents need to buy or at least be there when a game rated “mature” is purchased. When a game is labeled with an “M” the game has been noted as having mature content and cannot be bought by anyone under the age of seventeen. The ESRB notes that games rated “M” have “content [that is] generally suitable for ages 17 and up” and this “May contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language”. Ironically enough, the conditions to enter and watch R rated movies are the same as buying a M rated video game. Now even though the requirements for viewing are the same, the list of things that could be in an R rated movie are far worse than the content of an M rated game, the Motion Picture association Of America states that an R rated movie may contain “adult themes, Adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse, or other elements”. All of the possible content for an R rated movie is far worse than an M rated video game but yet games get all the flak for indu...

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...e content by children and teenagers nearly impossible without the help of a parent or elder. In the end, if a child is exposed to content that is to mature for them; it is in no way the fault of the ESRB, the games developers, or the games publishers, the blame for that is solely on the ones who purchased the game for them.

Works Cited.
"ESRB ratings." www.esrb.org. Entertainment Software Rating Board , n.d. Web. 17 Oct 2013.
"rating process from ESRB." www.esrb.org. Entertainment Software Rating Board , n.d. Web. 17 Oct 2013.
Majoras, Deborah. united states. Federal Trade Commission. Marketing Violent Entertainment. 2007. Print.
Walters, Lawrence. "Sex, Lies and Videogames." www.gamecensorship.com. Lawrence G. Walters, Esq., n.d. Web. 8 Oct 2013.
"What Each Rating Means." www.mpaa.org. Motion Picture Association of America, n.d. Web. 10 Oct 2013.

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