Sep
29
Why Does the Wii Even Exist?
Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Recently over at Cracked.com, they talk about video games using a universal format. Instead of having to go out and buy 3 different consoles every 4 years, you would buy 1. If you want to play Metal Gear Solid, for example, you need to have a Playstation 3. If you want to play Halo, you need an XBox360. With a universal format, you could play Metal Gear Solid or Halo on virtually any console.
In my opinion, there’s one huge word that completely blows this out of porportion: Competition. Consoles compete with one another to get developers to make games on their console. Bungie, the makers of Halo, only manufacture their games on Microsoft’s XBox360. Because of that, Microsoft is feeding Bungie money. Rockstar Games, makers of Grand Theft Auto, had the same deal but with Sony. As soon as Sony wouldn’t give them the money they wanted, Rockstar games began formatting their games for the XBox360, rather than just the Playstation.
In theory, this would be a great deal for the consumer. Most households can only afford one console, so many developers will make their video games only for a specific console. If 60% of people buy the XBox360, then the majority of developers would create games only for the XBox360, attracting as many consumers as possible. For video game developers on a budget, this is the best marketing strategy. Not only does this help the developers, it also encourages the console creaters (such as Microsoft, Sony, and Nintento) to make their systems better and faster than what they are now.
Sep
8
Rated M for Mature
Filed Under Uncategorized | 4 Comments
The Entertainment Software Rating Board, abbreviated to ESRB, came around in 1994. The popular, but violent Mortal Kombat was a game being played in households around America. Many parents noticed the strong violence in the game and decided it was not suitable for their children. Other parents, decided to complain about it to various entertainment companies.
The Interactive Digital Software Association (now known as the Entertainment Software Association) decided to make a rating system. They put games into categories depending on what age group the game is suitable for, very similar to the movie rating system. They look at 4 different areas of a game: violence, language, drug use, and nudity. A video game does not have to include all 4 of these to get a high rating. For example, Halo games have no nudity, not drug use, and very little language. The reason all of the Halo games recieved a “M” rating is because of it’s high amount of violence.
Even though the ESRB has tried very hard t rate game appropriately, some still feel like they are being to leanient on unsuitable games. Many believe that the entire Grand Theft Auto series is too low of a rating and should be considered as an “AO” raiting (Adults Only). Also, some of the early Zelda games were rated as an “E”, but most parents think it should have been rated a “T” because of its high amount of viloence.
The rating system is not required, but is used by the majority of video game companies today. The video game companies also choose how the rating appears on their box.