130°

Are age restrictions even relevant today?

MWEB GameZone writer, James Wernich writes about whether age restrictions are relevant today when the youth are already so exposed to violence and sex in games and movies.

HanCilliers3931d ago

Age restrictions are not only relevant today, IMHO it is a crucial requirement. For example, mys is doesn't know a thing abt gaming, the ONLY guide she goes on for her fanatic gamer kid, is the parental guidance.

Also just cause we see violence & sex everywhere doesn't mean we now have to throw the baby out with the bathwater and call free season to all explicit material, right.

GabeSA3931d ago

I agree, we should take back the idea that sex and violence is the norm, and be responsible when we have kids that can become exposed to it. I am not saying lets restrict sex and violence, but rather manage who sees it - and that being our kids not having access to it.

plut0nash3931d ago

TBH it's the devaluation of sex and violence. As adults we always want to put value on sexual relations, which defines the difference between love making and sex. As for violence, it can be necessary but rarely so. When we start taking it for granted then something wrong.

HanCilliers3931d ago

The problem comes when parents ignore those restrictions (as you've explained), then they dare blame the industry!

iamnsuperman3931d ago

I don't think we should go back on sex and violence being the norm (I do have an issue though with over sexualising children) but these age restrictions need to stay. I met a child whose parents had bought him COD (he was 9). Now it didn't do any harm to him except make him a creternus social hermit. He didn't go to the school disco with his classmates (everyone else did) he instead told me he was going to go and play COD all night. I was shocked.

This highlights bad parenting when it comes to videogames which makes the argument to get rid of the age restrictions. However, this child shouldn't be able to go into a shop and get it himself. It should be the parents responsibility and if the child does turn out weird the blame is solely on the parents and not anything else for not teaching him proper values and social norms.

plut0nash3931d ago

Agree with this, but I have to say that people ignore age restrictions because they choose not to be informed. Not all parents know enough about what their kids play in order to make accurate assessments on this. I've seen my little nephews playing God of War and getting excessively aggressive (perhaps more because they're boys) but also calming down after not playing it. So it's a tough one to call.

GabeSA3931d ago

That's why I say we cant blame parents only - but in the same token - ignorance is NOT bliss

plut0nash3931d ago

Heh, trouble is we have to take responsibility for own ignorance. Not how many people are comfortable with that :)

schmoe3931d ago

nah sorry, I am ALL for adult content in games, but being a father, i also think that those restrictions on CERTAIN games are there for a VERY valid reason. Granted on some titles the lines get blurry but lets not just chuck the baby out with the bathwater mkay

HanCilliers3931d ago

So where do you draw the line and WHO decides that?

plut0nash3931d ago

It's the parent who decides not the publisher. Ultimately parents show their kids what they want to show them. I remember being naughty as a kid and watching the late night adult movies on MNet, and doing that myself out of curiousity. So both kid and parent need to be aware :)

Choc_Salties3931d ago

Age restriction is one thing, having it contextualized by a parent or other suitable guardian is crucial. Not only that, it makes it more of a bonding experience between parent and child. Extra Credits over at Penny Arcade TV did a great piece on this a couple of weeks back, and i would really encourage people to watch it, as it does give some great tips on how to make this a fun and enjoyable experience, regardless of the content of the game itself.

Linky to the extra credits episode - http://youtu.be/ddZfCMRx47Q

plut0nash3931d ago

I love the ideas here. I'll be teaching my son forza then :D

Choc_Salties3931d ago

lol, love the part where the schoolteacher plays GTA with his kid to teach him colours and about cars, while obeying normal traffic conditions :)

GabeSA3931d ago

Like I say, it comes down to responsible adults inherently taking the said responsibility and teaching kids about the good and bad of what they watch or play. I am not talking censorship, I am talking restrictions so what you stated here makes a boat load of sense, and the video is great in outlining how gaming and videos can be positive.

lord zaid3931d ago

Age restrictions are informative, if not vital. Even putting aside the whole parental angle, being able to get a general idea of what type of content is in a game is very useful for any purchaser. There are adult gamers who also aren't interested in violence, sex, whatever.

GabeSA3931d ago

Very well put, and I agree. However, where content is inappropriate for the youth of today, I think we should consider them being vital rather than just informative. I don't think there is a grey area, but rather a clear one - we either use age restrictions to "prevent" exposure, or we ignore them. But yes, there are games that don't have sex and violence, but there aren't that many.

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130°

70 percent of devs unsure of live-service games sustainability

With so many games fighting for players' attention and interest losing out over time, time sink games are at risk of eventually losing steam.

Read Full Story >>
gamedeveloper.com
thorstein1d 20h ago

It was worrisome to begin with.

It's a niche genre with only a handful of hits that can stand the test of time.

Cacabunga23h ago

I like the sound of that!! I will for sure never support these gaas games.
Sony must be shocked at gamer's reaction, making them cancel a few of these and hopefully go back to the good heavy hitters they had us used to..
now bring on that PSPro reveal and show us some SP 1st party awesomeness.

CrimsonWing691d 19h ago

What’s to be unsure of!? Look at the ratio of success to failure!

DarXyde1d 2h ago

It's pretty ridiculous.

Imagine having a breadth of data at your disposal to see the statistically low success rate of these games, only to be laser focused on the exceptional case studies.

shinoff21831d 18h ago

Yes. Stop all the live service bs.

jznrpg1d 17h ago

Only a few will catch on. You need a perfect storm to be successful in GaaS and a bit of luck on top of that. But a potential cash cow will keep them trying and some will go out of business because of it.

MIDGETonSTILTS171d 17h ago

Helldivers 2 manages just fine…

Keep production costs low… don’t just make custscenes until the mechanics and enemies are perfected first.

Make so much content that you can drip extra content for years, and the game already feels complete without them.

Most importantly: make weapons, enemies, levels, and mechanics that will stand the test of 1000 hours. This might require more devs embracing procedurally generated leveled, which I think separates Helldivers 2 from Destiny’s repetitiveness.

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60°

The Battle Pass Is The Worst Thing To Happen To Modern Gaming

Nameer from eXputer: "Some exceptions aside, I don't think the battle pass is a net positive for gaming with how they're implemented in most live service titles."

got_dam1d 21h ago

Battle passes AND meta gaming both.

DivineHand1251d 20h ago (Edited 1d 20h ago )

I like the way Helldivers 2 does battle passes. It allows you to make purchases on each level of the battle pass and gives you the option of choosing which item to unlock first. The more purchases you make using medals the further you progress. There is no timer and you can earn medals towards purchasing stuff via personal orders and Major orders.

I haven't played much live service games that have battle passes but I remember some games that have battle passes where you progress through it linearly using an exp system. What makes it really bad is that the battle pass will have like 50 or more levels with the cooler stuff being closer to the end. They also have an in-game shop that sells exp boosters so you can reach the end of the pass before it refreshes. Everyone ilse will have to grind their way through.

lucian2291d 19h ago

battle pass in fortnite is perfect; buy one and it buys the rest for every other season as it gives you more money than the first cost. so 8.50 and season ends with you getting 13.00, it pays for the next and you have some pocket change to save up for cash shop. All of which is optional

470°

PS5 Pro specs leak video taken down by Sony

Sony is taking actions as video by Moore’s Law is Dead, has been issued with a copyright claim.

Read Full Story >>
videogameschronicle.com
andy852d ago

And people say it's all fake because Sony haven't said anything 😂 conveniently forget the PS4 Pro was only announced 2 months before release.

BeHunted2d ago

It's fake. There's no factual evidence other than his own made up specs.

Hereandthere2d ago

What were the specks Sony was afraid of showing?

Shikoku2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Digital foundry put a video out saying what he leaked was exactly what they also knew about the PS5 PRO. So no it's not just stuff he made up

Babadook72d ago (Edited 2d ago )

If it’s fake what copyright does MLID infringe upon?

😂

andy852d ago

Aye because they'd go to the effort of copyright claiming it if it didn't exist 🙃😂 you'd have to be a special kind to be thinking its not a thing by now

Cacabunga2d ago

They need to reveal it with uncharted killzone or a heavy hitter like this

Ironmike2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

U mean the specs that we'll established digital foundry which said these are the actual specs published a video on 2 weeks ago I mean they are only one of most trusted sites for tech information but they just made up a video for the sake of it

Christopher1d 20h ago

I would love for it all to be fake, but lots of people are saying they've seen/heard the same thing. But, man, we 100% don't need mid-gen upgrades when we're failing hard to optimize current hardware.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 1d 20h ago
Seraphim1d 16h ago (Edited 1d 16h ago )

if I recall Sony lowered sales expectations for PS5 earlier this year. if that is the case we won't hear anything about a Pro until next year or shortly before/when it's dropping. After all, if the Pro was dropping this year/fiscal year they wouldn't have lowered expectations.

As for squashing rumors. Yeah, shit like this prevents potential buyers from adopting now, just like slim rumors in the past. It only makes sense to keep things under wraps from a business perspective. Despite living in a technological age of unfettered access to information we don't need to know whats going on behind closed doors be that at Sony, Nintendo, MS, or amongst any development studios. When the steak is done we shall feast.

JackBNimble1d 15h ago

By the time games are actually made to take advantage of the pro spec's the ps6 will be released or close to it.

jznrpg2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Just announce it already! I want to preorder one asap. But in reality they don’t want to lessen PS5 sales until Pro is ready to launch so I understand the business part of it. September is probably when they announce it with an early November launch like the PS4 Pro

Ironmike2d ago

Pro won't lessen sales sames ps4 pro never and the ps4 pro was more relevant at the time cos move to 4k this not needed

RaidenBlack2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Yea, my brother got his PS4 (coz of a good deal) after the PS4 Pro's release.

darthv722d ago

^^same here. I got a base 4 for only $100 off a guy who bought the Pro. then a few months later I found a guy on craigslist selling a pro for $100 because it was left behind by his former roommate who moved out. That was the beginning of my obsession to buy up the different variants of the PS4 that were released.

As of now I am really only missing the 500m one and the gold slim but otherwise I have pretty much all the other retail ones. https://consolevariations.c...

BoneMagnus1d 22h ago

@darth - Nice collection!

crazyCoconuts1d 17h ago

Anyone with 4K that appreciates 60fps is gonna disagree about it not being needed.
DLSS is a god send for Nvidia, and there's been nothing like it for AMD...yet ...

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1d 17h ago
DeadlyFire1d 22h ago

They will announce it around E3 timeframe about May-June whenever they do a showcase for the year.

neutralgamer19922d ago

Just announce it this thing will sell well

Ironmike2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

I don't think it will pll still haven't seen the potential of ps5 yet

Cacabunga1d 20h ago

agreed, but it might sell if they announce some 1st party games to lead the way. if people see the difference with the base version they can move on. for my sake I am still gaming mainly on PS4 (still not finished with RDR2 due to lack of gaming time). I have a huge backlog on PS5 I am hoping to get into.

mark3214uk2d ago

why? game makers havnt even come close to maxing out current spec yet, were getting al lthese new TFlops and game maker are making crappy remakes not worthy of the ps3

Minute Man 7212d ago

The guts of the 5 and X are 5 years old

fr0sty1d 18h ago

People keep saying that, yet we still have games running at near HD resolutions, 30fps, and ray tracing features turned off.

PRIMORDUS2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

I would take that video and upload a torrent of it, fuck that copyright bullshit. If your going to do something that has a chance of being taken down, make a torrent first share it. Then Sony or any other company is helpless and you can laugh in their faces, taunting them to try to take it down 🤣

LoveSpuds2d ago

With kind of analysis and advice, you could be a lawyer for Trump!🤣

tronyx122d ago

As much as the PS4 Pro didn't represent a major % in the playerbase, announcing a 'better' model will hinder sales from the 'base' model. They are right, business-wise.

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