Does anyone pay attention to ratings for games anymore?

I was looking at the Dawnguard and saw the rating for it being "M" and was surprised I totally forgot about when that was a big deal. At the point you start buying your own video games I personally have a filter that apparently just doesn't even see the rating anymore, I also haven't bought a game in a box in a while and the rating isn't super thrown in my face when bought digitally or maybe it's just my filter glazing over a rating. Does the rating only matter to younger people who can't get games without permission? Or gaming parents who look for the content in a game. I can pretty well tell the content of a game just by viewing a little bit of it, but sometimes not, but it doesn't really matter to me anymore because I have my set morals and views and no one tells me what's not good anymore. So now I can't remember looking for or really paying attention to a rating.

I don't know but all this came rushing through my mind when I saw that "M" on Dawnguard, thought I'd share my little rant.

I'm 24, why should I care?

Once I have children, I'd probably not let them play M-rated games before 16 or so. Depends on the game. Skyrim isn't exactly hardcore material.

Don't understand why parents buy their 12 year olds the newest Call of Duty games, though. That's just fucked up.

I always notice the rating for games.

I don't pay attention to it. When I have kids I won't pay attention to it either. I look at the game myself. Halo is rated M, but I would let my kids play it, probably not Gta though.

nope but online age verify still annoys me. Heaven forbid everyone's birthday is New Years Day exactly 17+ years ago

for me, not really, but since I have a younger brother who also games, I generally don't let him play one unless I feel it's not so bad. like TF2. that should be T rated, as far as I'm considered.

I notice the rating, but being 22 and able to buy any game I want, I don't pay much attention to it. I imagine this is the case for everyone but good parents.

Yeah see, In consideration of younger people and people around us, common courtesy we will pay attention to content. I feel almost like I was bad for just not paying attention anymore, but y'know like I said I'm set in stone who and how I am so far and I gloss over a rating.

Is it a weird commentary on human society!? No and I don't feel like getting into it, but I like saying things are commentaries on society and life, Iz funny.

When I was younger it was a big deal. Depending on the content my parents wouldn't let me buy it, as I got older they eased up. But trying to buy an M game was a bit of struggle until I was 15 or so.

Now I'm 20 with a full beard, don't remember the last time I was carded for a game.

Normalised things lose meaning. It's totally normal to phase them out. Not like they really had any meaning, anyway.

@solidwolf52: mhmm, same, though I'm a short Filipino 21-year-old who also can't grow facial hair super well so I still get carded for most things xD

Once ratings stop being an issue for a person due to their age, they tend to stop noticing them. If you were under the age required to buy a "M" game, or to see a rated "R" movie, you would definitely notice and care. I don't think there is anything deeper going on than that.

I'm 23, been buying my own games for years and years now.. don't even notice or care what a game is rated as long as it's a good game. I'll start caring if I'm ever lucky enough to have kids of course. But as of right now I'm only buying games for myself or for friends or my younger brother's birthday parties etc, so I don't worry about it.

I haven't paid attention to it since I turned 17.

The ratings are there for people who otherwise have no familiarity with games and children (semi-responsible parents who use it as a quick look up for suitability. Although, IMHO parents should also scan through a review even if they are not into gaming).

Seems like ~8 is the start of playing CoD (with the young kids that are running around the neighborhood this summer). But really, I think the only concern is games on children with trouble seeing the difference with reality. And there is a bit of a tendency to over-react instead of recognizing that some people do bad things because they are actually crazy.

I never did

@BrockNRolla said:

Once ratings stop being an issue for a person due to their age, they tend to stop noticing them. If you were under the age required to buy a "M" game, or to see a rated "R" movie, you would definitely notice and care. I don't think there is anything deeper going on than that.

yeah, you're right, I just felt so weird because my mind naturally progressed without me thinking "old enough, don't need to care" it just knew it was correct to move on and did it for me. Crazy how we work. huh.

Nope: I didn't really pay attention when I was a kid either, it was more about the individual game (ie I was allowed Perfect Dark but not GTA 3).

Never have never will. Even pre 18 really.

Christ, do shops actually ID you for games in the states if they think you're too young?

If you're older than 17 and don't have kids why would you pay attention?

@mandude said:

Christ, do shops actually ID you for games in the states if they think you're too young?

Yep, people get fired if they don't.

I've never paid any attention to them and I can't remember any store I've ever been to who've cared about them either.

@mandude: I get carded usually, I forget what the last M thing I bought in a shop was though. Unless I'm with my friends who don't get carded for things and I'm opting to buy something similar.

@ValiantGrizzly said:

I'm 24, why should I care?

Once I have children, I'd probably not let them play M-rated games before 16 or so. Depends on the game. Skyrim isn't exactly hardcore material.

Don't understand why parents buy their 12 year olds the newest Call of Duty games, though. That's just fucked up.

the lusty argonian maid would beg to differ

I dont know i played the first medal of honor when i was 8. never had detention when i was in highschool it really depends on the child's maturity level.

I think this is one of Steams Short comings I would like to see Steam tell you what a game is rated, for games that have ratings, before you click them.

@SethPhotopoulos: @BirthWild: Haha, that's mad. I can't really imagine growing up with something like that. It sounds dreadful.

@mandude said:

@SethPhotopoulos: @BirthWild: Haha, that's mad. I can't really imagine growing up with something like that. It sounds dreadful.

Not really. Most people would carry their license with them. It doesn't really take a lot of time.

nope, why would i pay attention to that.

though its weird, i get carded more buying video games than alcohol

@SethPhotopoulos: Nah, I don't mean it in that way. I'm actually just surprised that it's enforced (exists?). It makes me wonder how many classics I would have missed in my youth if there were a rating system in place. I'm not sure I'd even be into gaming.

@mandude said:

@SethPhotopoulos: Nah, I don't mean it in that way. I'm actually just surprised that it's enforced (exists?). It makes me wonder how many classics I would have missed in my youth if there were a rating system in place.

It's not illegal or at least it wasn't illegal a few years ago to sell a rated M game to a minor, parents get mad though and take up action against the stores that do that. Stores do it just so they won't get sued. If you get an AMazon gift card though or a credit card you can order games online without having to check for your age.

@SethPhotopoulos said:

@mandude said:

@SethPhotopoulos: Nah, I don't mean it in that way. I'm actually just surprised that it's enforced (exists?). It makes me wonder how many classics I would have missed in my youth if there were a rating system in place.

It's not illegal or at least it wasn't illegal a few years ago to sell a rated M game to a minor, parents get mad though and take up action against the stores that do that. Stores do it just so they won't get sued. If you get an AMazon gift card though or a credit card you can order games online without having to check for your age.

Well, I guess I can understand the shops themselves enforcing it. They're only middle men, after all. I feel sorry for the kids whose parents know nothing of games, though, and strictly follow every rating they see.

But I think there's also something to be said of abolishing the rating system entirely, and seeing how that goes. I don't think there would be any significant change.

Turned 14, was 6'4", got away with buying a coupleof 18s and plentyof15s alone before or around that point without issue. Stopped being relevant. At this point it really does mean nothing to me, if a game is unrated it makes no difference.

@mandude said:

@SethPhotopoulos said:

@mandude said:

@SethPhotopoulos: Nah, I don't mean it in that way. I'm actually just surprised that it's enforced (exists?). It makes me wonder how many classics I would have missed in my youth if there were a rating system in place.

It's not illegal or at least it wasn't illegal a few years ago to sell a rated M game to a minor, parents get mad though and take up action against the stores that do that. Stores do it just so they won't get sued. If you get an AMazon gift card though or a credit card you can order games online without having to check for your age.

Well, I guess I can understand the shops themselves enforcing it. They're only middle men, after all. I feel sorry for the kids whose parents know nothing of games, though, and strictly follow every rating they see.

But I think there's also something to be said of abolishing the rating system entirely, and seeing how that goes. I don't think there would be any significant change.

A lot of parents would probably get angry if they know nothing of games and bought them something that didn't look like it would have anything hardcore and then walk into their kid's room when Commander Shepard is fucking Liara then getting really pissed off. Video games used to know have a rating system but then they did because there was outcry about violent or sexual games. Some mediums got away from that like comics but video games and film are to pervasive to probably do that without people getting up in arms.

The ratings means fuck-all in this country, so I don't care. 
Can't speak for the rest of the people living here though, it could very well be that they actually waste their time on ratings for.. anything. 

I never have. Unless a game gets a big uproar over a rating like Manhunt 2.

Though I've been gaming since before the ratings.

I suppose if I had a kid I would pay attention to the ratings, though I'd be more likely to do my own homework on the game then pay attention to some blanket label.

Nope. I like to read them, see what other people think of them, but I'm going to play what interests me not matter what anyone says. I've found that half of the time, I disagree with their reviews, anyway.

@SethPhotopoulos said:

@mandude said:

@SethPhotopoulos said:

@mandude said:

@SethPhotopoulos: Nah, I don't mean it in that way. I'm actually just surprised that it's enforced (exists?). It makes me wonder how many classics I would have missed in my youth if there were a rating system in place.

It's not illegal or at least it wasn't illegal a few years ago to sell a rated M game to a minor, parents get mad though and take up action against the stores that do that. Stores do it just so they won't get sued. If you get an AMazon gift card though or a credit card you can order games online without having to check for your age.

Well, I guess I can understand the shops themselves enforcing it. They're only middle men, after all. I feel sorry for the kids whose parents know nothing of games, though, and strictly follow every rating they see.

But I think there's also something to be said of abolishing the rating system entirely, and seeing how that goes. I don't think there would be any significant change.

A lot of parents would probably get angry if they know nothing of games and bought them something that didn't look like it would have anything hardcore and then walk into their kid's room when Commander Shepard is fucking Liara then getting really pissed off. Video games used to know have a rating system but then they did because there was outcry about violent or sexual games. Some mediums got away from that like comics but video games and film are to pervasive to probably do that without people getting up in arms.

Hahaha, as a 20 year old, I don't think even I've ever seen really explicit sexual scenes in a game, but that's true. I guess it just really seems strange to me.

Once ratings stop being an issue for a person due to their age, they tend to stop noticing them. If you were under the age required to buy a "M" game, or to see a rated "R" movie, you would definitely notice and care. I don't think there is anything deeper going on than that.

Haven't paid attention to it since I started buying my own games. I could take a very good guess at what most games are rated, obviously, but the rating does not matter to me one bit.

@mandude said:

Christ, do shops actually ID you for games in the states if they think you're too young?

I don't know about everywhere else, but it must be enforced pretty hard in my area of the country because I get carded for every M game I buy. I can't think of any exceptions to this.

i got carded for dragons dogma. Im 32. How the fuck is dragons dogma m for mature? Also, NO ONE cares about the ratings. Its basically impossible to find a COD lobby without little kids.

I tend not to pay attention when I buy the game (I mean I buy a lot on Steam and the rating isn't all up in your face like it is with a game box), but sometimes I like to try and guess what it got. It's usually pretty simple to tell. Though something like Uncharted 1 had me guessing. I kept thinking they swore more than they did and that the bursts of blood when you kill people was enough for M.

I'm supposedly old enough to handle anything they allow adults to view, and have no children. This being the case, I only notice the ratings as a matter of curiosity. If I did have kids, I would be keeping an eye on the ratings more.

I don't really pay attention most of the time, though every now and then I look at my stack of games and realize that 90% of them are rated M. It's a far cry from 10 years ago when most everything that was coming out was rated T.

This reminds me of a time i was in Target and a kid (About 12 years old) ran to his mom yelling "It's rate M but it's just PARTIAL NUDITY!" I don't think his mom fell for it.

I don't really pay attention most of the time, though every now and then I look at my stack of games and realize that 90% of them are rated M. It's a far cry from 10 years ago when most everything that was coming out was rated T.

I did went I was to young to be playing M-rated games. Now it doesn't matter as much.

I used to when I was yoing, but just because I was guessing whether I would have to get my dad to buy it for me because I wasn't old enough. Now that I'm 20 I don't give a shit, a couple of times though I've been turned down for an 18 and I forgot my ID, that sucks. While we are on the subject I have got turned down buying a lottery ticket and you have to be 16 for that, thats even worse.