Comments on: Beyond the ESRB

By: GamerDad

GamerDad — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 16:41:29 +0000

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

By: Betsy Ross

Betsy Ross — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 01:01:36 +0000

I’m 100% on your side here GD!

By: Colleen Hannon

Colleen Hannon — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:16:14 +0000

Andrew, you’re a bigger man than me. I saw it and I was so angry. I decided to wait and see what you said about it. If they weren’t trying so hard to pretend they’d come up with the idea as if no one else had ever thought of it I wouldn’t be so mad.

Right now, their summaries are pretty awful. They don’t match up the clauses in them with the actual descriptors, so there’s no connection between them to help parents learn the connotations of the descriptors. They’re still too short and cryptic. I’m hoping they’ll improve. Is there any system where people can send them feedback about them anyone is aware of?

My biggest concern is they don’t mention any of the things that may contradict or not fit their descriptors. So if they don’t have a descriptor tagged for alcahol, but there are quests involving If there are things that might be a concern to a parent they don’t tag (such as the presence of weapons that look like guns in an E game, illegal activities that don’t involve blood and gore) it doesn’t get mentioned. As we all know, that can be a telling ommission.

That article in the Press Democrat was awesome. I like how they mentioned you and What they Play first. And even better, in the last paragraph they openly awknowledge that parents would be playing these games too!

By: James

James — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:52:30 +0000

It’s funny you write this — when I saw this announced on Joystiq, I was like “Man, I can’t believe this — gamerdad will be pissed”. Maybe they can at least “see the light” after the fact and call you in for consultation. You’ve got a lot more experience in this than they do.

By: GamerDad

GamerDad — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:58:34 +0000

That first line is really well put.

I’m being kind because I advocated this idea forcefully but didn’t come up with it. I created the Kid Factor and we were the first to directly address ESRB descriptors but I also had a massive heart attack last year and successfully sold off and got out of the “review grind business” and into the speechifier-writer-expert-blogger business model, this doesn’t sting so badly. I passed this on to WhatTheyPlay and CommonSense. The ESRB is competing with them with this proposal, far more than it’s going to affect me and what I do.

I’m adaptable.

By: GamerUncle

GamerUncle — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:45:05 +0000

Andrew, sounds like you’re a visionary who’s vision has unexpectedly and suddenly come true. I have to admit, you’re very cool and generous here. Don’t know why they’d snub you, maybe it’s because they don’t control you? Huh. All the more reason to work WITH you.

Anyway, keep looking forward and accentuating the positive. You’ve had some bad times, time for some good ones.

By: Shaequan Robinson

Shaequan Robinson — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:25:13 +0000

They need to just redo the system so that it works better.
I mean come on there is only one years difference between M and AO. Teen is entirely too big. It goes from 13 to about 16-17. What they need is people like you to create a system instead of trying to appease the government. Their solution will only stem the stream of complaints for so long.

By: The Wampa King

The Wampa King — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:35:47 +0000

Oops! *pats gamerdad on the back*

By: The Wampa King

The Wampa King — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:32:42 +0000

I want a 15+ rating, for game like Blacksite, or splinter cell chaos theory.

By: GamerDad

GamerDad — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:00:24 +0000

For the record, I’m not pissed at the ESRB (or anyone really).
They’ve been very good to me and the rep I mentioned has worked very hard to give me the few – but awesome – opportunities I’ve had to work with them. They also send journalists my way and may have had something to do with WTP contacting me.

I don’t actually feel they owe me credit for this or had to mention me in their press release.

But

I do think I deserved a heads up and being quoted supporting this move would have been good for my profile – and more honest, I believe.

All this pales in comparison to the fact that they ARE doing this and they SHOULD have been doing it all along. I’m glad I could help, but I don’t want this post to turn into an ESRB (or GamePolitics) bashing thread if possible.

I thank you for the compliments too. I’ve been known to accept slaps on the back in leiu of money before.