MDA’s game rating system out of byte?
The Media Development Authority’s announcement of hit the front page of the dailies today but I wonder what is the big fuss all about.
First of all, every papers seem to celebrate how this new gaming rating will propel Singapore digital media forward.
Wrote Today,
Just as important, the move — following the brief banning in November last year of Mass Effect, a popular title that contained an intimate love scene between a human and an alien — will help Singapore’s drive to position itself as a key player in the digital media age.
How does a digital animation of sex between human and an alien “help to drive Singapore’s drive to position itself as a key player in the digital media age”?
Was this “sex scene” created by Singaporeans? Was the game “Mass Effect” created by a group of Singaporeans? Hence I don’t really understand how this rating will drive Singapore’s play in digital media.
Sex and violence scenes last a few minutes even if it is crucial to the game but putting a rating sticker doesn’t mean that kids will catch these scene on Youtube!
Second, the rating system will not affect games that are downloaded. Shouldn’t be a general rating system for games that can be brought from retail and those bought online?
The argument that buying games online requires credit card and only parents would have to enter their details. But the kid will just tell their parents that the game is rated G. Then what?
The gaming publishers also provide regular patch upgrades to most of their games. So if a game is rated G and kids can buy it, how stops the publishers to patch the game with more violence and sex in version 2.456921?
The irony of this rating is that are we celebrating that Singapore is the first in the region to have this rating system, or gamers should be happy that games with more violence and sex can be brought from the stalls?
It’s actually referring to the move to introduce the new classification, not the cross-species shenanigan. Reminiscence of the GTA:SA hot coffee mod, lol!
Well, SG is not really known for producing much content (especially in the field of games), so this new system won’t be of much use. IMO, we should just continue to rely on north america’s esrb system, since it’s almost a de facto standard around the world.
[…] course, the new game rating has drawn mixed views, just like when the new film rating system was implemented many years […]
@eugene, I also wonder how the new classification will… I am starting to sound like an old cynical hag…
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All I want is to be able to buy GTA IV when it is release. If this new classification system means GTA IV will be sold in Singapore, uncensored, unedited, then I think its job is done.
I don’t care if under-aged kids play it or if “Singapore becomes a key player in the digital media scene” (whatever that means).
dude, you got it totally out of context. read it properly. this is what you get when sub-standard bloggers try to comment on news pieces. they get it wrong.
@pageup, tell me how I got it out of context.
Since you have that ME clip, don’t forget GTA SA Hot Coffee! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSYWPw1UWRQ
Woot!! Rockstar games will be coming thick and fast!
The first comment here by eugene already pointed it out. Just a matter of semantics because of punctuation and grammar. Because of the placing of the dashes, it doesn’t imply that the move was done *because* of the ban (and the sex scenes, as you said) but rather *after* the ban and the media circus that followed. That’s all.
But your post reads like a typical knee-jerk reaction. You really have to see the bigger picture here. Letting in mature titles means that the country is loosening up. To attract gaming bigwigs, we need a market that can let in any title. If not, how can developers even start to make those titles here?
The ratings system is more of a symbolic move. Of course there are ways for kids to view these things or even porn on the Internet. But it shows how the government is taking the industry very seriously. It’s very mainstream now and the authorities recognise that. I’m no supporter of the government , btw. They seem open to feedback too, so why don’t you email them at their website?
Downloads are tricky. Because technically, servers that hold the downloads reside in other countries. So it’s hard to pass legislation across borders, unless those servers reside here. We’ve seen this happen with torrents and sites that host the torrent files. That’s probably why they’re careful about it.
You have to look at how they’ve developed the movie ratings system. It’s very comprehensive now and it’s implemented in retail outlets too. Movie downloads aren’t available here yet but I’m sure they’ll have to do something abt movies and games once it becomes widespread.
if a parent uses his or her debit/credit card to buy a m-rated game for his kid than that parent is stupid. would you buy your children cigarettes if they told you its for a science project?
and why does mass effect have to drive singapore digital media?
does watching M or R rated movies drive singapore digital media? its called entertainment. a sticker doesn’t prevent a kid from obtaining mature games?
but the same can be said about dvds i don’t see you complaining about that.
its seems like you are not a gamer because there are negative impacts of the new rating system but none of them are covered by you, e.g. mda taxing retailer up to $200 to rate a title, the delays in getting games, increased prices of games.
@pageup, your points are greatly appreciated and they do give readers positive views on the game rating.
If my sub-standard blogging brings in world class comments like yours, I rather be a sub standard blogger.
@gamerchick, you raised an interesting point about how it will raise the cost of gaming and this also include the delays.
Yes, I used to be a gamer but now my consumption of games have been limited to WOW and the Burning Crusade. I think my next game purchase would be Wrath of the Litch King.
As for kids, you wouldn’t know how smart they can be to get what they want. Yes, as a parent, the responsibility should be on the parents, but there are some who rather leave it to third parties, like the government, to handle their kids.
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