Videogame Rating Council
The Videogame Rating Council (V.R.C.) was introduced by
History
As the
Prior to the hearings, Sega had become aware of rumblings from politicians that video game content was being scrutinized. As Sega was preparing to release the controversial Mortal Kombat for the Sega Genesis, the company worked to create its own rating system so that they would be able to market Mortal Kombat as a mature game not intended for children. Sega initially tried to license the
Following the hearings, the games industry created the
Ratings
The three different ratings were as follows:
Before the Videogame Rating Council
While rival console manufacturer Nintendo enforced strict content guidelines for games released on its hardware in North America, Sega differentiated itself with a more liberal content policy, allowing for the depiction of blood and graphic violence in software released on its home consoles, provided that the publisher label the game's packaging with a generic "Parental Advisory" warning.
Such an advisory was put on the packaging for the following games: Techno Cop, Splatterhouse 2, Death Duel.
However, nudity and other sexual content remained taboo. Games made for Sega systems generally toned down sexual content.
The nude fairies found in Stormlord were given some scantily clad attire when the game was ported over to the Sega Genesis.
Similarly, when Sega localized Phantasy Star II for western consumers, it edited dialogue in the game to obscure a non-playable character's homosexuality.
Notable cases
Mortal Kombat
The video game company Acclaim brought Mortal Kombat to the Genesis and Super NES in 1993. Both Sega and Nintendo ordered the game's graphic violence and blood to be toned down.
However, Sega allowed the player to restore the controversial content with a secret code, announced the creation of the Videogame Rating Council, and gave Mortal Kombat an MA-13 rating. The result was that the Sega Genesis version of Mortal Kombat outsold the Super NES version. However, the commercial success of the game, including a marketing campaign by Acclaim to prepare consumers for "Mortal Monday", and the fact that the Videogame Rating Council opened the doorway for games to be sold on a Sega console system with adult content promoted national outrage.[citation needed]
All versions of Mortal Kombat and some versions of Mortal Kombat II for Sega systems were brought to Japan with their rating intact in the box art as courtesy of Acclaim's Japanese subsidiary. This marks the first time a rating system was used in Japan, predicting Sega's own, CERO and IARC by a few years.
Notes and references
- Notes
- ^ Formally, these were the joint hearings between the Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice of the Committee of the Judiciary and the Subcommittee on Regulation and Government Information of the Committee of Governmental Affairs of the 103rd United States Congress.[2]
- References
- ^ a b c d e Caron & Cohen 2013, p. 91.
- ^ a b c Budziszewski 2012, p. 196.
- ^ "25 Years Later, 'Disgusting' Night Trap is Incredibly Tame". 15 August 2017.
- ^ "Nintendo sells 100-millionth 'Mario' game". United Press International (UPI). June 2, 1993. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ Venture Beat. Archivedfrom the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
- The Los Angeles Times. 1993-05-25. Archivedfrom the original on 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
- ^ a b c d Foerstel 1997, p. 223.
- ^ "Nintendo sells 100-millionth 'Mario' game". United Press International (UPI). June 2, 1993. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ Semrad, Ed (January 1994). "Violence in Video Games... Part 2!". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 54. EGM Media, LLC. p. 6.
- Condé Nast Publications. Archivedfrom the original on February 18, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
- Sources
- Budziszewski, P. Konrad (2012). "Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)". In Wolf, Mark J. P. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Video Games: The Culture, Technology, and Art of Gaming. ISBN 978-0-313-37936-9.
- Caron, André H.; Cohen, Ronald I. (2013). "7: The History of the Regulation of Video Games". Regulating Screens: Issues in Broadcasting and Internet Governance for Children. McGill-Queen's University Press. pp. 91–94. ISBN 978-0-7735-4210-5.
- Foerstel, Herbert N. (1997). Free Expression and Censorship in America: An Encyclopedia. Greenwood Press.[ISBN missing]
External links
- Media related to Videogame Rating Council at Wikimedia Commons