July 18, 2007 -
The ESRB seems to be playing hardball these days.In the wake of Manhunt 2's AO, the video game industry's ratings body has turned its attention to 3D Realms, best known for the Duke Nukem series.
The ESRB took the company to task over use of old rating icons as well as missing content descriptors on its website. 3D Realms was reportedly given 10 days to comply or face penalties.
As reported by Shacknews, company co-founder Scott Miller (left) called the move a "sucker punch," and harshly criticized the ESRB:
I think they came off like a school yard bully, rather than an industry partner. Why all the threats right off the bat? If the ESRB people know what was being said about them in underground channels, so to speak, they'd see that their antics have caused them much loss of faith as an industry leader.
ESRB president Patricia Vance responded in a statement which read in part:
[Advertising Review Council] notices that are sent to publishers are merely a reflection of ESRB fulfilling its obligations to the industry to enforce the guidelines it has adopted.
GP: The ESRB also recently ordered D3 and 2K to withdraw web trailers for Dark Sector and The Darkness. While as GamePolitics reported, this has happened before, it hasn't happened a lot. It looks like the ESRB may be adopting a tougher new posture in the wake of continuing political pressure and April FTC report on the marketing of violent entertainment to children.
Comments
First rule of management in any organization. The ESRB should have sent a polite note in private first. As an organization created by the industry and paid for by the industry, they should start by being courteous and discreet ("Ahem, did you know your slip is showing?"). Only if they don't get any response should they escalate to public warnings.
I sure am glad i already got my copy of postal2 from amazon then :)
Is ESRB becoming a pack of bullies or something?
You can pretend they aren't all you wish but many can see through those claims.
See, no need for Bad Cop to come around drunk on his own power (MH2 or malt whisky ;p ) and create a PR disaster. This is why Bad Cop is kept on a tight leash.
Okay they were Heavy handed, but what do they gain from being "Bullies"? They are a non profit created by the industry designed to give the industry the cover they need to make games.
I am a fan of 3D Realms for the technology they develop and the games they make, not for their contrived anti-establishment attitudes, nor whatever snide comments they make to one another in their private "underground channels."
The only example of "antics" I saw in this story is when Miller publicly accuses the ESRB of "antics" for calling on his company to comply with the business agreement it voluntarily agreed to. If that was a "sucker punch," it's only because Scott Miller set himself up as the sucker.
This is merely a case of he said/she said without the letter. Why did they not release the letter? Maybe the real Bully here is the people at 3D realms.
While the ESRB came out on the wrong foot, 3D Realms is just a bit teary eyed from the ESRB's rude awakening. It is 3D Realms fault in this case, since they didn't update the rating yet.
Stinking Kevin
Mmm both Duke3d and Shadow warrior where ahead of their time,not for their themes but all the interesting things in game,sticky bombs,picking up thrown weapons,bouncing grenades,intrakit level design but now a days they are a diem a dozen,Prey was so so,Duke has been sold off to be put in various games (from the 3rd person PSX days to side scrollers and such) they are either lost or broke either way currently they are about as bad as ID/Raven who has lost almost all touch with games they made(sorry Q4 was a joke and D3 is underwhelming) it is bad when the over hyped Daikatana was more fun than the dark and dank D3....
I look at games as fun and flow and if they can keep my interest,so far these last 6 or 8 years level design has been striped for better graphics this has dmaaged FPSs the most , D3 is pretty much the best exsmaple of minimalist gun and run gaming, and I don't care for it,even HL2 suffers from it....
The organization is acting as a self-censor. Shameful.
Of course the hysterical mob in congress would rush in to put a stop to that sort of freedom.
Who brought Take Two into this discussion? This is an article about 3dRealms.
WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY DOING THAT IS OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF WHAT THEY INDUSTRY CREATED THEM TO DO!?!
@Chuck
Why? They are a non profit org last time I checked. Boohoo, they don't get the $4,000 charge for rating the game.
When the game gets a rating it won't be anything but AO because of the government and it's anti-vdeo game agenda.
Nintendo requires all games published in the United States to be rated by ESRB. Microsoft requires all games published in the United States to be rated by ESRB. Sony Computer Entertainment requires all games published in the United States to be rated by ESRB. Wal-Mart requires all games published in the United States to be rated by ESRB. Best Buy requires all games published in the United States to be rated by ESRB. Who bends?
It's the same principle here. Stats have shown that over 80% of parents are satisfied with the ESRB, and that is what makes them an "industry leader", not the percentage of happy (or not so happy) game execs.
@Pixelantes Anonymous:
What exactly is being censored here? The ESRB wants 3D to update their icons and content descriptors. At no time did they state that 3D must edit/remove content in Duke Nukem.
Fuck the ESRB, it's clearly broken, corrupt, and political
And it's unbelievable that you at Gamepolitics keep swallowing that shit up and saying "WELL THE ENDS JUSTIFY THE MEANS" No, it doesn't. What the ESRB should be doing is fighting back. not caving to pressure. But it's clear that the ESA is way too pussy for it.
This is what the ECA is here for, to fight for the consumer's rights. But it seems the ECA is always following the ESRB. They've never disagreed once. Yet you claim to represent us. BULLSHIT. So whose side are you on, Gamepolitics, the gamers, or the game industry?
If the ECA worked to represent us, you know what they'd do? They'd fix the industry for the consumer. They'd work to get the appallingly overpriced Micro-Transactions lowered so you don't have to pay 5 dollars to get a suit of armor that should've been in Oblivion anyway. You should be contesting the ESRBs gradual but obvious descent into MPAA style bully tactics, and you should fight FOR US, and not them.
I'm ashamed I ever gave you my money.
The full report: http://gamepolitics.com/2007/06/26/esrbs-spanking-of-dark-sector-darknes...
Having the so-called age gate is reasonable if pointless. They did not demand that people be required to verify their age, but did indeed call for the trailers to be taken off of the internet.
"The ESRB also recently ordered D3 and 2K to withdraw web trailers for Dark Sector and The Darkness."
Sure fits the bill to me.
You apparently missed the fact that they were asked to remove the web trailers because they failed to setup the "age gate", which was previously agreed upon. Yet again it is another issue where the game maker is failing to live up to their agreement with the ESRB and the gaming community as a whole. The best part is now we have a number of ignorant gamers going 'OMGZ, Tey is Take'n Me Gamez" when really the ESRB is just enforcing the rules that everyone agreed to.
They did put the age gate up. They thought it was too violent DESPITE the age gate. Read the goddamn article instead of picking and choosing pieces for your opinion
Fair enough, sorry. I didn't read that story because I had read it somewhere else before, which said that they had not setup the appropriate "age gate".
However this is still not a case of the ESRB being unreasonable or censorship and they are doing what was previously agrees upon by the industry.
Taken into its inevitable conclusion, the self-censorship in the gaming industry with the help of ESRB's rules "everyone" agreed to will lead to actual game content censorship, whether self-censorship by gaming companies, or imposed on them by outsiders like ESRB. Some might argue that it's already happening.
I'm just waiting for the Dungeon Heroes trailer to be pulled, because you can see goblin balls in it.