(Disclaimer: Pretty much only Americans will know what I'm talking about here.)
The E10+ rating has always seemed unnecessary to me. It just came out of nowhere (well, not exactly nowhere - there was some discussion beforehand and it definitely wasn't made on a whim) in 2005 with the advent of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, and has haunted American and Canadian players ever since. I guess the ESRB's reasoning was that beforehand there was no way to know whether an E game was perfectly kid-friendly or almost a T, and that they needed an in-between rating. OK, fair enough. What I disagree with, however, is how arbitrary the distinction between the two is.
E10+ is still, essentially, a kids' rating, but ever since its invention, it has become apparent that it's the ESRB's "pet" rating. Apparently, the mere use of semi-realistic weapons or people or animals crying out when they're hurt is enough to rate a game E10+. Apparently, loud noises are enough to rate a game E10+. Some of you have seen the topic I made before about how I thought the ESRB's rating choice for Pokemon Rumble was... not fully thought through. I'm somewhat more understanding of the rating nowadays, but I have never forgiven them for that horrible decision and it's unlikely that I ever will.
It's not the rating itself I hate, it's the fact that the simplest things can push the ESRB's buttons. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming other countries don't have this kind of problems.
The E10+ rating has always seemed unnecessary to me. It just came out of nowhere (well, not exactly nowhere - there was some discussion beforehand and it definitely wasn't made on a whim) in 2005 with the advent of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, and has haunted American and Canadian players ever since. I guess the ESRB's reasoning was that beforehand there was no way to know whether an E game was perfectly kid-friendly or almost a T, and that they needed an in-between rating. OK, fair enough. What I disagree with, however, is how arbitrary the distinction between the two is.
E10+ is still, essentially, a kids' rating, but ever since its invention, it has become apparent that it's the ESRB's "pet" rating. Apparently, the mere use of semi-realistic weapons or people or animals crying out when they're hurt is enough to rate a game E10+. Apparently, loud noises are enough to rate a game E10+. Some of you have seen the topic I made before about how I thought the ESRB's rating choice for Pokemon Rumble was... not fully thought through. I'm somewhat more understanding of the rating nowadays, but I have never forgiven them for that horrible decision and it's unlikely that I ever will.
It's not the rating itself I hate, it's the fact that the simplest things can push the ESRB's buttons. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming other countries don't have this kind of problems.