NIMF Commends MS Over Halo 2 Vista Rating Issue, Issues an Oops! to ESRB
NIMF Commends MS Over Halo 2 Vista Rating Issue, Issues an Oops! to ESRB
May 30, 2007
The National Institute on Media and the Family issued a statement yesterday praising Microsoft in regard to the recent delay of Halo 2 Vista over a content issue.From the NIMF statement:
The National Institute on Media and the Family commends Microsoft for their leadership and transparency in alerting the public and the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) of the hidden game content.
Thankfully, Microsoft took the leadership role in ordering the ESRB to issue stickers with the correct rating information on the packaging. Microsoft has taken great strides in ensuring that parents have the tools available to make healthier media decisions. From parental controls to game ratings, Microsoft has become a reliable friend for families.
An initial version of the NIMF statement also spanked the ESRB, saying:
The ESRB should take a lesson from Microsoft and do a more thorough review of video game content.
However, the ESRB comment was retracted about an hour later. A new release explained:
We apologize for earlier comments regarding the ESRB. Due to inaccurate news stories we received, we issued a statement that was incorrect. It is clear that ESRB and Microsoft worked together to fix this mistake.
It's not the first time in recent memory that NIMF has issued, then retracted and re-issued a statement. Last November the organization made reference to the "devastating" effects of games on children but subsequently removed that characterization.
UPDATE: NIMF has issued a formal apology for its gaffe, which reads in part:
[NIMF] apologizes for its erroneous statement... We now understand that, prior to the initial shipment of the game, Microsoft and the ESRB worked proactively to ensure that the rating on all packaging was updated to include content that Microsoft discovered in a map editor tool... which was disclosed to the ESRB after a rating had already been assigned to the game. We commend the ESRB and Microsoft for making these efforts to protect consumers...
We further acknowledge that the ESRB has participated in discussions with the research community, facilitating a deeper understanding of what they do and the significant efforts being made to inform consumers about the games they purchase. We applaud those efforts and look forward to continuing the dialogue while putting this mistake behind us.
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Posted 11/07/09 at 11:33pm
JDKJ: BREAKING: In photo-finish at the wire, House passes health care reform bill. Relatedly, in fit of pique, Austin Lewis kicks innocent dog.
JDKJ: BREAKING: In photo-finish at the wire, House passes health care reform bill. Relatedly, in fit of pique, Austin Lewis kicks innocent dog.
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:27pm
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:26pm
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:23pm
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:18pm
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
Posted 11/07/09 at 03:34pm
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:58am
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:56am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:51am
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:48am
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:11am
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:07am
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:05am
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:03am
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:56am
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:45am
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:37am
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:36am
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:32am
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:30am
Austin_Lewis: There are other firearms that fire the 5.7. However, I too would like to know where he got the ammo and what kind was used. Maybe Hasan, planning not to live through this, went out and bought one the boxes of SS190 that are floating around in
Austin_Lewis: There are other firearms that fire the 5.7. However, I too would like to know where he got the ammo and what kind was used. Maybe Hasan, planning not to live through this, went out and bought one the boxes of SS190 that are floating around in
Copyright © 2007 ECA. All rights reserved.
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Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
well those types of people need to lighten up. there are more important issues going on in the world today that need attention. god forbid someones child sees a part of the body they probably see everyday on themselves. im not saying they should but dont people have better things to complain about?
Yes, the MPAA's rating system does include content descriptors.
Shrek the Third is rated PG for: "some crude humor, suggestive content and swashbuckling actions"
Don't believe me? Check out the film's website and look at the ratings logo on the bottom.
Andrew Eisen
In contrast, the ESRB's rating system is in my opinion far superior. It specifies an age rating which is more delineated than the MPAA's rating system and also includes information about how that rating was determined via content descriptors.
A good rating system is only a hint for parents. If a parent picks up a game and looking at the rating and content descriptors determines that a game may go either way or be questionable for their child, then it seems to me that they should try out the game and determine for themselves before letting their kid use it. Another great thing they could do is play the game with their child, so that anything that might be questionable can be explained and put in context. This is far better than blanket censoring because some day that kid will run into this kind of content and there wont be anyone to censor it. Unfortunately most parents aren't active enough nor game literate enough to do this.
True, but those selfsame PG movies and TV shows all carried content descriptors for partial nudity.
Some people are offended by bare backsides.
Some aren't.
"Partial Nudity" is for the folks that are.
Again, there was no rating change. It's still M. There is partial nudity in the game and it has been labeled as such.
Andrew Eisen
Why are we trying to make the ESRB out to be the bad guys?
"Microsoft has therefore applied stickers with correct ESRB rating information to the packaging of virtually all copies that will ship to retail in the U.S. and Canada. We have been advised by Microsoft that future runs of the game will be produced without the content in question, thus negating the need for the descriptor to be displayed on those versions." -ESRB
Other important bits of info:
-The game was not rerated. Only a new content descriptor was added.
-Even playing the game it is highly unlikely that the ESRB (or anyone else) would ever have come across this error.
Andrew Eisen
http://www.d3dgames.com/bbb.html
Unlike hot coffee it is not a commented out code, it was left in the bundled mapping tools on purpose. Many a mapper would see it during the process of making a map.
"Thankfully, Microsoft took the leadership role in ordering the ESRB to issue stickers with the correct rating information on the packaging."
...
...
..?
Lets try this again:
"Thankfully, Microsoft discovered their mistake early enough to alert the ESRB to the offending error screen. The ESRB responded by re-rating the game and issuing stickers with the correct rating information on the packaging."
Truth is so much more... truthy!
Let's be honest. The only reason Microsoft went through all that trouble was they didn't want to be the new "Hot Coffee".
It was a MOONING, and not even the goatse type where you can see everything. With the MPAA, it would get off with no more than a PG. Is it any wonder no one takes NIMF seriously?
with Walsh, there is option for civil discourse and compromise.
Ensuring that PARENTS have the tools. That's the key right there.
Can it be called "hidden content"? As far as I understood it, it was some freekish glitch or something.
seriously though, it's big of NIMF to retract and correct a statement such as that, in a world where apparently one mistake makes your entire organization invalid permanently in some eyes.