Adam Tyner

The Franchise: You and Mattalos are talking about the exact same scene. I guess you only saw the end of it.

Joshic

If you recall the movie Titanic, it had a scene where Kate Winslett was topless. And the movie got a PG-13 rating. And now we have a video game that shows not-real people not nude. And it gets an M. Go figure.

Jackskeleton

Movie ratings and Game ratings are not the same. In some sense, you could say that PG-13 could be a M style. since it does mean Mature. You can't compare the two side by side.

RocShemp

That's true. But then what exactly constitutes a Teen rated game?

The Franchise

I think this is a classic case of subjectivity when it comes to how suggestive the subject matter is. When there's a painted nude, it's art, but when there's a photographed nude, it's porno. It's a matter of perception and the "artist's" intent.

In the case of DOA:XBV I think the subject matter is very suggestive. It's a game marketed towards teen or young adult males and allows them to play with busty, bouncy ladies and dress them up in skimpy outfits and perhaps put them in dubious situations (we wont know till someone plays the game). Some may say that Tomb Raider did the same thing a decade earlier, but maybe it's because the graphics of DOA are so good that certain lines of perception are being crossed between real and imaginary. Also I think Tomb Raider had less focus on Lara Croft and more on the raiding tombs aspect.

Keep in mind I have no problem with this game and think there's a place for it in the market. Just trying to stir up some debate.

RocShemp

The Franchise,
Well there's no arguing your point and I do agree that that must be the reason for the M rating but, considering how suggestive all the DOA games are and how graphically impressive DOA3 was, why does this game rate the M rating when DOA3 did not? How much can this game push the envelop to warrant an M rating for what appears to be basically T rated material?

V-ism

According to the ESRB, T is for ages 13 and over, and M is for 17 and over. So to compare it to the movie ratings, T would be equal to PG-13 and M to R. So they can be compared side by side because they are in fact the same thing.

I can't say for sure about all the content in DOAXBV, but from what I've seen it should be rated T. From the PG-13 movies I've seen, you can show very brief scenes of nudity, and even some sexual scenes. There are far worse things in your typical teen movie than what I've seen in DOA volleyball. But I guess we'll see when it actually comes out.

sdcrym

If we're going to make analogies between film ratings and video game ratings, there's one thing we should keep in mind: movies and movie ratings have been around a very long time compared to video games and video game ratings.

I've been looking at the MPA/MPAA ratings site to make a more informed post. I'll try to make a very crude summary of what I got out of it. The movie industry was pretty much self-regulated for a while, similar to the pre-ERSB days of video games. But as it became apparent that the content of new movies would not continue to be entirely child-friendly, the MPAA put a rating system in place in 1968. It has evolved over the years to the ratings system we know today: G, PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17, with descriptors as to why a movie has been given its more severe rating. The site says the purpose for the rating system is a guide for parents to know what they can expect for their children, and nothing more.

In my opinion, and I'm sure many others would agree, the general public has grown to be more tolerant of violence, sexuality, etc. on the movie screen over the 35 years the rating system has been in place, and consequently, the ratings for a newer movie may receive a less harsh rating than a similar movie of earlier years.

On the other hand, the ESRB was established in 1994, making it only 9 years old. Compared to the movie industry, the video game industry is still in its infancy. Many posts in this forum discuss how the general population doesn't understand that video games are just another valid form of entertainment. This lack of understanding and acceptance is the reason why games like DOA Volleyball seem to receive harsher ratings than a movie with similar content. In my opinion, the next few decades should give way to a broader acceptance of video games and video game content. Only at this point will the ESRB ratings be analogous the MPAA ratings.

Article about MPAA rating system

ESRB rating system FAQ

The Franchise

Great post sdcrym! Lots of good points. I agree that misperception about the VG industry is a leading reason for why VG's are the shipping boy of the media when it comes to violence and questionable subject matter. I don't think the public knows that most gamers are above 16 now and have tremendous purchasing power, and as such games companies are catering to those tastes.

It does seem like most people here think the game should be rated teen though. Any reviews out for this game yet so we can see what the fuss is all about?

jekbrown

all I'd like to know is what kind of weird etho would result in someone equating HARDCORE blood and gore seen in M-rated fps games with chicks in bikinis... no matter how skimpy said bikinis are... or how realistic the polygon boobs are. To me, the feeding of stawberrys doesnt hold a candle to blowing peoples arms/legs/head off with a sawed off 12ga. again, thats just my opinion.

j

ryogahibiki

When I heard about this M rating, the one thing that popped in my mind was "Censorship". This is just plain annoying. I went to the ESRB website and sent them the following letter. I urge you all to do the same if you feel as I do.

http://www.esrb.com/consumer_online_hotline.asp

This letter concerns your Mature rating on Dead or Alive: Volleyball for the X-Box. I think it is ridiculous that you have given this game a M rating. There is no reason this game should receive a M rating. This game has as much or less "nudity" in it than the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition magazine, yet anybody of any age can buy that magazine. Why should things be any different for this video game. I think you are trying to exert your authority, opinions and morals on the gaming public when your job should instead be very black and white. Your credibility has greatly diminished in my eyes and you can be sure that I will be informing all my friends, co-workers and customers that your ratings can now be ignored in almost all cases.

Groucho

Assuming you are over 17, why should you care. Just enjoy the game, and don't fret the rating.

ryogahibiki

I am over 17 and if I had an X-Box, I would totally buy this game (I've been very tempted to buy an X-Box BECAUSE of this game).

But this isn't about just me. This is about the ESRB abusing their power and trying to influence the game buying public. This also financially hurts Tecmo and will negatively influence their future game development choices and other gaming companies from releasing similar games.

See what I mean, you gotta look at the big picture.

Groucho

I think you are blowing this way out of proportion. Personally, I think the "M" rating will actually help the game, and Microsoft as well. They tout the X-Box as being for adult gamers, and the more "Mature" titles they have to promote the system, the better. Browsing this forum, there are a lot of gamers who think that "Mature" content makes a game better, and actively seek such games out.

drbuns

I am more concerned about the game's review scores right now. I want to know if it is worth buying.

Stoolie

Can anybody compare DOA: Volleyball to last year's Beach Spikers on the GC? I'm just curious about the skin content in Spikers and its rating compared to the same in DOA.

stoolie

The Franchise

Censorship? I don't know if that's the first thought that comes into my head. I mean the ESRB didn't ask for anything to be removed from the game did they? Nor did they prevent the game from being released. Also anyone can play or buy the game as long as they have a consenting adult with them. When a movie gets an R-rating, nobody claims that it's a case of censorship. Sure they may have been a little harsh with the rating, but let's be honest, if you want to play this game you'll be able to find a store to sell it to you even if you are underage.

Also has anyone actually played the game or does anyone know what the questionable content is? It's hard to judge how edgy this game is or how deserving of the rating it is without knowing what you can or can't do (or see).

Crizzar

chances are that no one in this forum will find any of it questionable let alone "M-worthy"...however I'm also willing to bet that none of us are 50 year old white men who are petrified of the mother-lobby and the ensuing letters from said group when they find little Johhny teenager "discovering" himself to a fancified cartoon.

V-ism

I guess there is some brief nudity in some of the CG cut scenes.

As for Beach Spikers, it was very tame. The suits were less revealing and they only changed by colors, the girls were very rigid (no bouncies or flowing hair etc.) And they don't really have any provocative poses and camera angles (they seem to like to hug each other alot though). The game is very arcade sporty.

The Franchise