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I can tell you two other games that use drugs as incentive.

“Sims 2: University”

and

“Fallout” Both were given M ratings.

I haven’t heard much about NARC.. but in Fallout at least, drugs had a bad downside (and could kill you).. perhaps that was the reason it was allowed an M classification, the drugs were a reward and a curse at the same time.

Also, as I understand it, NARC makes real world references for it’s drugs, while Fallout used fictional references.

I’m all for an R rating though, but given how slack M15+ is monitored by computer games sales outlets, rental outlets etc, I can see why there is concern that R rated games will be easy to access for children.

Good Points. But they use the term “rewards/incentives for taking drugs are stronger then high” . Fallout you keep someone hooked on them you can keep them in your party, you can make killers out of non-killers by doing it. Whereas Sims 2 Uni, the Bubble Machine, which is obviously a cleverly designed Bong, gives your Sims the munchies and Happiness, It’s by far the best way to prepare to study if you socialise at the same time; the other way is having your sim sleep with his or her professor in that subject.

As for R rated games. They should outlaw R rated Movies as well. Or are they saying an R rating for a movie does not really count, it is only token as the text is not interactive. The interactive nature of a text does not make it any worse, otherwise other texts that prompt the user to take action would need to banned, starting with instructional guides. Guides on pyhsics, and chemistry, or hacking an Xbox, or other such things you can find in your local bookshop. Guides that could potentially lead to someone making, and selling drugs. A game does not do that.

Games are not marketed as “Instructional Guides”, so their interactivity is confined to the game. Some games claim to be “Based” on training tools made for the military, I am yet to see a game based on a training tool used by smack and crack addicts.

As for allowing children to by r rated products, if there were tougher laws in place, this would not happen. I was always ID checked for Movies, if EB or someone sells MA to minors, they are more then likely not getting fined enough for doing it, does the breach even carry a fine?

I guess that is enough blabbing for the moment.

I don’t think you’re comparison to instructional books is very valid. It’s not really the same thing.

The concern is that the participatory nature of a game is more potentially damaging to minors than the observation of a film.

That’s a fair point.

But I don’t agree that it should preclude an R rating, it should simply make the guideline for what is an R rating a lot tighter than in film and people who sell the game to a minor should be prosecuted.

It’s no different to cigarette’s or films in that regard. A cinema that lets a minor into an R rated movie is in trouble, a shop that let’s a minor buy cigarettes is in trouble. We don’t ban R rated films because a minor might get to see it.

I could get into a tirade about governments run by people 50 years out of touch and lobbied by zealots (for or against whatever cause), but I wont, other than to say, government and laws are reactionary and lag behind the contempory world. The only way to get what you want is to vote and/or lobby for it.

:)

I’m curious to know which members of the OFLC actually have the responsibility to sit down and play through these games. Do they play the whole thing and judge it on the overall merits of the game, or do they only see snippets and rate what they briefly see.

If you have a problem with the morals of the game, then don’t play it. Or don’t let your kids play it. We live in a society of free choices! Your view does not represent mine, so stop trying to cram your point of view down everyones throat! Just ignore the game if you don’t like it.
I don’t like big brother.. so I don’t watch it, I don’t bitch and moan on and on about it!