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Microsoft Reverses 'Mature' Game Ban On Windows 8

another random user writes with news that Microsoft has sorted out the Windows Store guidelines such that games rated 'Mature' in the U.S. will be allowed. An earlier version of the guidelines took cues from the European PEGI rating system, which lumps pornographic content into the same rating as mainstream games that involve violence. In the U.S., they're split up into Adult (for porn) and Mature (for things like Skyrim, Call of Duty, and Assassin's Creed). Gamers and developers were worried that a large number of very popular games were going to be disallowed on the Windows Store. Microsoft hopes to have the situation fixed by December — not ideal, since Windows 8 is now out, but better than nothing.

29 of 87 comments (clear)

  1. What about Dragon Age? by medv4380 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Skyrim is fine as a Mature Violent game, but Dragon Age has the equivalent of soft core porn in it. Does that get it into the Adult bucket or is it still gray enough for Mature?

    1. Re:What about Dragon Age? by Synerg1y · · Score: 2

      There's two distinct ratings in the states: M & A, Dragon age is M:

      http://www.joystiq.com/2009/07/25/esrb-rating-explains-dragon-age-origins-sexual -exploits/

      A is for one of those stupid adult sexploits games that nobody plays.

      Even The Witcher 2 with full frontal got M.

    2. Re:What about Dragon Age? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

      I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description [soft core porn]; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it, and the [content] involved in this case is not that.
      —Justice Potter Stewart, US Supreme Court

    3. Re:What about Dragon Age? by fustakrakich · · Score: 5, Funny

      If we combine Sexploitation and Mature, will that make it S & M?

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    4. Re:What about Dragon Age? by Jeremy+Erwin · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Something awful used to review A rated games, though they either reorganized their site, or stopped in 2008. The Review of RapeLay is a classic, though having absolutely no interest in actually playing such games, I can't comment on its "accuracy."

  2. Classic double standard by Ractive · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The typical: "Its ok if there's killing, beheading and any kind of gore as long as nobody fucks."

    1. Re:Classic double standard by richlv · · Score: 2

      apparently, in the usa, people are not mature enough for pornographic content. which does seem to include erotic content as well :)

      --
      Rich
    2. Re:Classic double standard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      We all know that seeing a booby damages a young mind irreversibly whereas seeing someone's head explode improves his character.

    3. Re:Classic double standard by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Kiss a pair of tits and the movie's X rated. Chop 'em off and it's PG13.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    4. Re:Classic double standard by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Funny

      Well, boobies ain't for little kids!

      Erh... wait...

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    5. Re:Classic double standard by Charliemopps · · Score: 3, Funny

      Well, your 13yr old is smart enough to pretend to kill people and then not go out and do the real deal. Sex on the other hand...

    6. Re:Classic double standard by Mike+Buddha · · Score: 4, Funny

      Chop 'em off and it's PG13.

      As long as you don't show the nipples.

      --
      by Mike Buddha -- Someday the mountain might get him, but the law never will.
  3. Sounds like... by Synerg1y · · Score: 4, Funny

    Windows 8 took an arrow to the knee.

    1. Re:Sounds like... by thegarbz · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yes. Shot by none other than Microsoft themselves with careful aim.

      Seriously fixed by December? In the mean time a flagship product with an ailing store and developer base is suffering. How could it take so long?

      I work for what I can only consider to be the most bureaucratic red tape laden company outside of the government. I once needed to request a purchase requisition, get it approved by my line manager, forward it to a procurement officer, then take the resulting purchase order and fax it to a company all for a $2 lightbulb. It takes me months to get even the simplest of things done. However if something affects production, public perception, or profits rest assured everyone will be standing in line to ensure the red tape is machetied down before it even rises.

      Taking 2 months to fix something that sounds quite trivial is appalling.

  4. Re:What is Windows 8? by rwven · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I've found home in windows 8. Yes, the interface takes a couple days to get used to initially, but after that the thing is so mindbogglingly responsive that I wouldn't want anything else. I *really* like it.

    I've been a big fan of Linux and Mac for many years, and have owned many of both types of PCs, and I can say that Windows 8 is just -really- good.

  5. Windows Store? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Who cares.
    Steam Store :)

  6. Re:Reversal Relief by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Funny

    I happen to like Win8 quite a bit

    So that guy is YOU?

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  7. Re:fuck windows 8 by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Interesting

    To me it sounds more like MS found out nobody even knows there IS a store run by them, or at least nobody gave even half a shit on the PC platform since, well, there are already established platforms and people ain't forced to jump their "Games for Windows" hoops to play.

    So they needed something that made people at least TALK about that store. And, behold, it succeeded.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  8. Re:fuck windows 8 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

    fuck windows 8. fuck windows rt. fuck metro. fuck microsoft.

    Betcha didn't know that windows 8 will flag that comment and block access. Built in censorship, just what the Chinese ordered...

  9. standard American values by tverbeek · · Score: 3, Insightful

    So (once again) here's the message: sex = bad, violence = OK.

    --
    http://alternatives.rzero.com/
  10. Nothing of value would be lost by Soluzar · · Score: 2

    Who in their right mind would use the Windows Store anyway?

  11. Doesn't steam run on Windows 8? by NinjaTekNeeks · · Score: 2

    Why use some lame app store when you can just fire up Steam and download whatever the heck u want when it comes to games?

  12. Re:What is Windows 8? by Synerg1y · · Score: 2

    I kind of can't wait to switch all the "slow" users over to it, it's just different enough where you have to think a bit before doing something up until you get used to it and.... POW :)

  13. Huh? by Horshu · · Score: 2

    Didn't anyone else read the original guideline that said games couldn't be in the store if they were *over* M or PEGI? Even the original source article (but not the blog posted here) updated with emphasis from MS on the "over" part.

  14. Well, they DO own the hardware you bought. by tillerman35 · · Score: 2

    The only good thing about this story is that maybe non-techie people will realize that when you let the OS vendor dictate what you can do with the hardware you bought to run their product on, they will ALWAYS use that ability against you.

    Consoles, Apple, and now Windows- how many times do we have to learn the same lesson?

  15. Microsoft should tune it for the local market by jonwil · · Score: 2

    i.e. they would allow games rated up to M in the USA as well as games rated up to MA in Australia or whatever.

  16. Re:What is Windows 8? by dead_user · · Score: 2

    It's usually all the crap you've downloaded, installed, fragmented, etc, that slows it down. If you installed one program on the machine and did nothing but that, the machine would be just as fast in 20 years as it is today. We have a windows 3.11 machine still running at work. It's a 486SX/25 installed in 1993 but it's still snappy as hell. You should see the heatsink I had to cobble together after the 5th fan died in an attempt to keep it alive. I smile every time I need to use it.

  17. Re:What is Windows 8? by Billly+Gates · · Score: 2

    He has malware. Windows 7 auto defrags and has ways to protect its registry and does cleanups over time.

    One of the HUGE benefits of upgrading from XP is it no longer has Windows rot. Basically the registry fragments. Overtime it gets so slow it needs to be re-imaged or if the system is ignored business users just get used to low productivity of waiting 10 minutes for their computers to boot up and waste time for 3 hours every Tuesday afternoon when mcCrappy does its scan etc. ... but NOOO do not upgrade that OS it would cost money! It is just cheaper to have our executives sit and do nothing 4 hours a week instead at $200 an hour. ....(/END RANT)

    Windows 7 runs as fast 2 years than the day it was imaged on the system. Windows is not the crappy OS it used to be. The Registry even virtualizes itself during an install to make sure it stays clean in case something happens. Pretty sweet hu?

  18. Re:What about censorship? by hairyfeet · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Welllll...yes and no. Would I want my kids playing at age 9 the game equivalent of "I spit on your grave"? Nooo, not because I didn't educate my kids and explain the difference between reality and gaming, its that when you are younger your brain simply doesn't have the emotional level of maturity to handle things you can later.

    Using an example from my own childhood there are three scenes from shows that fricking gave me nightmares that today would actually be considered kind of tame. From Night Gallery the story where Roddy McDowell kills his uncle and the painting changes, one that was either Night Gallery or Outer Limits where a woman calls her dead son back from the grave only to find what she calls back was NOT her son (the scene where the demon in the kid's body explains "Timmy killed himself to GET AWAY FROM YOU while every time the lightning flashed the kid's face became the demon? truly scary shit) and the final one an old Hammer horror that appeared to be in B&W...until they stabbed the first vamp nearly 20 minutes in and the screen erupts in arterial spray.

    Now once you are an adult if you want to tie little old ladies to passing buses in Just Cause II (always fun) or play something like Rapelay? Knock yourself out, have a ball. But a parent simply can't keep up with every damned new release on the planet so having set guidelines we can use along with a more detailed explanation following it? I honestly have no problem with that, because it gives the parent the choice and control.

    --
    ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.