Do you pay attention to age ratings on games?

Do you pay attention to video game age ratings?

  • Yes, I never try and buy any game or media it says I'm too young to play/watch

    Votes: 2 13.3%
  • I personally don't, but my parents/friends/whoever do

    Votes: 2 13.3%
  • No one I know pays attention to them, myself included

    Votes: 11 73.3%
  • What's a PEGI/ESRB?

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    15

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If you're over 18 to begin with (like myself), this is more a retroactive question than a currently relevant one, but it should be interesting to see what people answer here.

Basically, do you pay attention to age ratings on video games? And if you don't, do you family or friends pay attention to age ratings on video games?

Personally, I don't and never did even when they affected me. Sure I didn't have any interest in games rated M or the like back then (just like I generally don't now), but if I did I'd just get someone else to buy it for me or fake my age. Indeed, I guarantee you in 90% of cases pretty much everyone else is the same way. Oh sure you can stop a 12 year old walking into GAME/Gamestop and buying Black Ops 2, but you can't exactly stop their parents going in without them and buying the the exact same game to give them.

I just see the whole concept of these age limits on media as completely pointless, they deter pretty much no one. Same for the 'you must be over 13 to register' on websites. No one honestly just backs down if they're under 13 and want to join a gaming forum or website, they just say they're 20 or older and register anyway.

So yes, do you pay attention to video game (or other media) age ratings? Do your friends and family care about them?
 
I DO, but I can't vote as there isn't a option I fall under listed in your poll.

I am one of those people constantly at war with the ESRB for their stupid decisions, so I'm always trying to figure them out. For example; anyone who knows me knows my favorite fighting game series has been Darkstalkers since it came out. Darkstalkers 3 has some VERY adult concepts in it I won't mention here but yet still was given a T rating. I feel it should have a M rating.
 
Also last October when I was in Portugal I bought GTA:LCS without having to get an adult to get it for me.
 
I don't think there's ever been a time when I was turned off from a game due to the age rating it had... Well, I did get banned from the 'Grand Theft Auto' series when I was about 8 as I used to read the subtitles (BIG MISTAKE.) but now that ban has been lifted.

The only people that really seem to have much bother (from my experience) is some of the people selling the games but they probably don't care too much about age ratings and probably only keep on track with the rules to avoid being fired.

On another note, can someone please explain to me what they expect putting age ratings on game will achieve? o.o I honestly don't know xDD
 
I don't think there's ever been a time when I was turned off from a game due to the age rating it had... Well, I did get banned from the 'Grand Theft Auto' series when I was about 8 as I used to read the subtitles (BIG MISTAKE.) but now that ban has been lifted.

The only people that really seem to have much bother (from my experience) is some of the people selling the games but they probably don't care too much about age ratings and probably only keep on track with the rules to avoid being fired.

On another note, can someone please explain to me what they expect putting age ratings on game will achieve? o.o I honestly don't know xDD


I'll have Raithgar post it later. He's good at explaining.
 
I do, but not for myself since I'm 19 now and they no longer effect me. However, for younger kids, I really weep for them because their parents buy them M rated games like Metal of Duty: World Warefare Fighter and then they wonder why their kids are messed up and why they cuss, and all that. I mean it's important to an extent. I'm not one of those people who are like, "omg blood, don't buy that," it's just people buy M rated games for their kids, probably having no idea what M stands for nor do they care enough to check it out and then complain about it.

I know a lot of people who do this too. They blame video games, but it's their own damn faults.
 
As I am now over 18, no. But I don't play much of T or M games still. When I have kids though, I WILL be watching the ESRB ratings again(I used to look at the ESRB ratings up till I was 18, and would not buy a game that was "too old" for me. But if it was rated T or M for just violence and some gore, then I bought it. If it was for anything else, I left it on shelves) The ratings are there for a reason, and kids should not be playing games that they are intellectually unready for, as it can have some serious psychological effects on their not fully developed brains. If said child is mentally old enough to handle the game in question, then let them play. That's my stance on the issue.
 
As I'm 25, the ratings don't really apply to me anymore. As for whether my parents did, I'm honestly not that sure. I don't tend to go out of my way for exceedingly violent games unless it's something I'm particularly interested in. I do recall my parents buying me Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, which is 17+ for my birthday when I was too young for it. Of course, my parents actually spent time with me and didn't rely on games and TV to raise me, so they knew I was mature enough not to run around and try to murder people too.

In general, I think the ESRB ratings would work great, so long as parents used them as a guide like they're supposed to. It's there to let you know the content to be expected in the game, and let you judge whether your child is ready for it or not. And of course they help to keep the unsupervised ten year olds who get tossed into the game shop by a parent who's to busy to accompany them from buying whatever game they like, at least if the store clerk pays attention.
 
No. I play whatever I want.

Reminds me of a quote from Pokémon Crystal: "Pardon? Who says an adult can't get into this? I'm going to be back every day to collect all the dolls!
 
I've played many violent games at such a young age.

I never pay attention to the age ratings. As long as it is good, I will definitely buy it even though it is only for adults.

My parents too; I doubt they know what an ESRB rating is. I guess they will allow me to buy any game unless if it has a naked chick on the front cover.
 
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I don't think age ratings are important unless I have a bunch of high pitched voices screaming in my ears.

Maybe they should label it M for Multiplayer.
 
Not really.
Rating is the rating....if some age group doesn't like....well, it's still the rating.
I never really thought much about it, to be honest.
 
I picked "I personally don't, but my parents/friends/whoever do" since I am older than 18 and I don't see the point in looking at the rating. If I was under 18 then that would be a different story.
 
I no longer need to pay attention to game age ratings because I am old enough to play any game I want.
 
I'm old enough that I don't have to pay attention to them, even though when I buy M games they need to see my license. As a kid my parents payed a little attention to it. Like I couldn't play T games until I was older, but when I was 7 I was allowed to play Goldeneye because my dad played it with me.
 
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