How different would ESO be if it pushed it's 'M' rating?

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  • Sylidor
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    Ugh, Witcher. Was never able to get past the first game. Just. Don't. Like. Geralt.

    (also, kind of tired of the whole "dark & gritty" movement of the past few years. No, I have no interest in watching Game of Thrones. ;) )


    Ugh, Witcher. Was never able to get past the first game. Just. Don't. Like. Geralt.

    (also, kind of tired of the whole "dark & gritty" movement of the past few years. No, I have no interest in watching Game of Thrones. ;) )

    Edited by Sylidor on April 22, 2017 5:11PM
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  • Alchemical
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    I honestly have no idea WHY the game is rated M. It has some 'swearing' but I don't think I've ever heard an F-bomb, which you're allowed one of even in a PG-13 movie. And there is some 'racy' dialogue, but it's all implied, and there's never direct explicitly sexual dialogue. It's cleaner than your average Romantic Comedy that comes on during prime time where people talk non-vaguely about their ***. EDIT: Apparently can't even use a generic, non-slang term for 'romantic organs'.

    It's not overly bloody either. There's a few little splurts here and there, but it looks like Hummingbird Food. And again, nothing so excessive that if it were a movie you'd need an ID to get in.

    The only stuff that is really 'mature' is the disturbing content of some quests. War, genocide, plagues, cannibalism, torture. So much of it is only in words though, left for you to imagine, because the game is very impotent when it comes to showing those things. A pile of bodies in game looks more silly than upsetting because of the lack of gore.

    And I guess the 'crate' system could get you an M in some countries where you can't have gambling in a children's game.
    Edited by Alchemical on April 22, 2017 5:16PM
  • Stania
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    Meh, I don't see the need for that. Mature doesn't necessarily has to mean "explicit sex and violence".
    Edited by Stania on April 22, 2017 5:52PM
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  • Kiralyn2000
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    Alchemical wrote: »
    I honestly have no idea WHY the game is rated M...

    The only stuff that is really 'mature' is the disturbing content of some quests. War, genocide, plagues, cannibalism, torture. So much of it is only in words though, left for you to imagine, because the game is very impotent when it comes to showing those things. A pile of bodies in game looks more silly than upsetting because of the lack of gore.

    All of those things will get you the rating, though.
    (looking at the ESRB page, it lists "Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence" as the content descriptors.)

    So yeah - slavery, torture, people getting their eyes cut out, human sacrifice, etc.


    (re: "just words"... honestly, I've read some really really disturbing stuff. Wasn't even particularly graphic, but the events presented & how they were presented..... /shiver You don't need to throw explicit blood/guts/boobs all over the place for something to be "mature".)
  • FrancisCrawford
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    All of those things will get you the rating, though.
    (looking at the ESRB page, it lists "Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence" as the content descriptors.)

    So yeah - slavery, torture, people getting their eyes cut out, human sacrifice, etc.


    (re: "just words"... honestly, I've read some really really disturbing stuff. Wasn't even particularly graphic, but the events presented & how they were presented..... /shiver You don't need to throw explicit blood/guts/boobs all over the place for something to be "mature".)

    Good point on the alcohol. I find the large amount of favorably-presented Nord drunkenness to be pretty annoying. (Skooma addiction, on the other hand, is treated with more balance.)
  • Hallothiel
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    Compared to Dragon Age and The Witcher, then yes, this game looks ratherl vanilla - but vanilla can be delicious.

    There are bits in the game if you look -every time I leave the Ebony Flask room, I like to go & speak to one of the Dummer in the next room. The way he says "You'll have to wait your turn, my lovely." Always makes me smile. ;)

    And yes, I am someone who sadly went back & replayed DA2 in such a way that I could seduce the edgy elf.

    And how could one not like Geralt?!
  • samueltannerb14_ESO
    The M rating does not make any sense in the real world even though it fits the code.

    I do wish the game was a bit grittier, and I mean that by Elder Scrolls standards. In general the content has always felt like a kinder gentler version of the Elder Scrolls. You are cast as the moral hero, and there are very few hard choices in the game. The quests involving war, slavery, and Daedra are all very lighthearted compared to the single player series.
  • Lone_Wolf
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    Stania wrote: »
    Meh, I don't see the need for that. Mature doesn't necessarily has to mean "explicit sex and violence".

    This. If your idea of a "mature" game only needs *** and ass, blood and gore to get your jollies off, then there are other games you can play to achieve that.

    Oh and let's not discriminate here, if you really want full frontal nudity you have to have it apply to the men characters as well, and I don't know about you, but seeing a bunch of naked Orcs and Nords helicoptering their willies around is a good way to tell other people how "IMMATURE" the game would be, and honestly do you really want to look at poorly polygoned boobs and static willies everywhere (because lets face it argonians are just reskinned bretons with bad skin conditions, a tail and a different head.) The engine barely allows for movement of characters, let alone physics for body parts. All the animations are static and you will get tired of them quickly.

    Also! If you include full frontal nudity along with a few stronger sexual themes, the game's rating may change to AO, meaning most popular retailers will no longer sell the game.
  • Rainwhisper
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    ArchMikem wrote: »
    But just for poops n' giggles anyway, how would you as the player react to a bit more of a darker, red light district Elder Scrolls? Would it enhance your experience in the game world, or would you just discard that armor and dance like a dark elf in front of people trying to use the Banker.

    I would leave and never come back. I have no desire for gore or "realism" in a fantasy roleplaying game, and the inanity of /zone chat is bad enough without contemplating the kinds of people who would show up in the game you describe.
  • Rainwhisper
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    max_only wrote: »
    Actually someone was complaining the the blade of woe was too graphic when I first started the game so I'm not sure how much mileage we'd get out of bloodier combat.

    I've played since beta, so there was no Blade of Woe when I started, but I recently checked out the Dark Brotherhood questline and I was shocked by how graphic the Blade of Woe animations are. I wish there were a way to disable that.
  • Alchemical
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    (re: "just words"... honestly, I've read some really really disturbing stuff. Wasn't even particularly graphic, but the events presented & how they were presented..... /shiver You don't need to throw explicit blood/guts/boobs all over the place for something to be "mature".)

    Fair enough, though I think you can agree hearing about someone being butchered and seeing it are still two very different things. Especially fictional people you never interact with.

    Though upon digging around that doesn't seem to be the reason. "Blood, swearing, and alcohol" all seem to get cited as reasons for being 'M' but it occurred to me "all that is in Warcraft and it's T". So I looked it up...

    VHzn5JO.png

    So the difference is 'Sexual Themes' as opposed to 'Suggestive Themes'. I actually can't wrap my head around how fine a hair that is to split. Especially because Warcraft has things like a raid on a harem where you fight off concubines and TWO whole races of sexual demons. Wat.
  • max_only
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    It's the Comics Code Authority all over again. These ratings are just for people too lazy to do research and actively participate in what interests their kids.

    I used to sell video games and people just didn't care. Before minecraft was a thing I tried to sell a kid the Sims because he wanted a game to construct buildings with a lot of control, but because the Sims are "capable of making babies" (a non mandatory part of the game) the father vetoed it. On the other hand, I had parents loading up their baskets with M titles because it's "just a game". You can kill prostitutes in some of those games but that's nbd as long as the kid is pacified and not interrupting their important adult lives. The ratings mean nothing, it's just like how some movies cut down their content to squeak by with a PG13 rating so they'll have a bigger audience.

    The ESRB is no substitute for common sense.
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  • Acrolas
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    Gratuitous anything gets old really fast.

    It's nuance, restraint, and subversion that keep things interesting.
    signing off
  • Aeladiir
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    Its a dark game as it is. nudity is much lighter than some of the themes that run through this game. Blood and guts why not.

    They should make it MA not sure if ya hve that in the states tho. The first baldurs gate game in the late 90's was pretty dark. Not sure if they would want to reproduce some of the themes it had. Though it could be a reference point.

    >ESO
    >dark game
    >is much lighter than every other Elder Scrolls game to date
    >is filled with cliched comic relief quests, dialogue and characters
    >ESO
    >dark game
  • zuto40
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    Turelus wrote: »
    Do you blame him for all your life issues, is this like "thanks Obama" but for ESO.

    You find that a crafting style doesn't look nice, "thanks Wrobel".

    The new music doesn't fit the zone, "thanks Wrobel".

    i blame him when i stub my toe, i blame him when my food is slightly cold, i blame him when i get arrested for manslaughter, i blame him when i get a yellow starburst, i blame him when my delivery is late
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  • tplink3r1
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    No, please. I don't want any pornographic degeneracy in my game.
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  • kyle.wilson
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    greylox wrote: »
    This game is PG rated, 12 rated at best. No swearing, very little blood, no nudity (although i have no need for that I'm sure there's some guilds that roleplay that do) and apart from a few story lines there's nothing too graphic.

    I'd love them to kick it up a notch or 3
    In the USA anything that depicts sexuality usually automatically started at the highest ratings, while games that are pure carnage are given substantial leeway before reaching the same mark.

    The game prob gets the uprate due to npc slavery and blatant racism.
    But, any game with a lax check on chat systems prob automatically gets an M rating. People say stuff in chat that they would never be caught saying in public.
    https://www.gamespot.com/articles/elder-scrolls-online-rated-m-for-sexual-innuendo-severed-heads-and-drinking-games/1100-6417994/
    But, I'm still surprised that an M rated game has a forum that tries to maintain a G rating.
  • Cpt_Teemo
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    Would it also mean i could say *** without it being censored?
    Also;
    Did someone say bewbs ( . )( . ) ?
    Count me in.

    ( . ) ( . ) = Moobs

    ( . Y . ) = Boobs
  • ArchMikem
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    I refuse to play any game where I don't design my own character (which is why I have zero interest in Breath of the Wild as well).

    Thanks a lot, Bethesda.

    You could've just said no interest in Zelda in general?

    To note, it's not like ZOS hasn't done any nudity. There's a really well done statue of a nude mermaid in Anvil. I remember the first time actually noticing it and stopping to take it in after just running by it so many other times questing. It's a really pretty model.
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  • Cêltic421
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    ESO has a M rating? Didn't know this. Figured it would be rated T. Where are all the M content? lol.

  • CapnPhoton
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    Alchemical wrote: »

    Fair enough, though I think you can agree hearing about someone being butchered and seeing it are still two very different things. Especially fictional people you never interact with.

    Though upon digging around that doesn't seem to be the reason. "Blood, swearing, and alcohol" all seem to get cited as reasons for being 'M' but it occurred to me "all that is in Warcraft and it's T". So I looked it up...

    VHzn5JO.png

    So the difference is 'Sexual Themes' as opposed to 'Suggestive Themes'. I actually can't wrap my head around how fine a hair that is to split. Especially because Warcraft has things like a raid on a harem where you fight off concubines and TWO whole races of sexual demons. Wat.


    When one game says, 'blood and gore' the same as another, it depends on degree. Where world of warcraft graphics are cartoony and basic compared to ESO, the degree of how real it looks changes. Mortal Kombat X also says, 'Blood and gore' which is an understatement for that game, as it goes far beyond what ESO or WoW have.

    Perhaps to satisfy everyone there should be a degree meter for each mentioned aspect. At the low end, (WoW) with gore resembling not much more than a Nickelodeon cartoon, it could be a 1 or 2, and so forth, with a 10 for something like MKX.
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  • Ruinhorn
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    Turelus wrote: »
    Do you blame him for all your life issues, is this like "thanks Obama" but for ESO.

    You find that a crafting style doesn't look nice, "thanks Wrobel".

    The new music doesn't fit the zone, "thanks Wrobel".

    Are you a little child or really didn't understand that phrase?
    If there is a person who responds for everything is happening with the game now, his name is Wrobel. And worst thing when all decisions are made by one person, but I don't know how it's in real.
  • xeNNNNN
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    Would it also mean i could say *** without it being censored?
    Also;
    Did someone say bewbs ( . )( . ) ?
    Count me in.

    you know, you can turn that censor off right?

    Social settings.....

    Never have to worry about words being censored again. Especially when half the time whats being said isn't even an insult or a "bad" word.
    Ah, e-communities - the "pinnacle" of the internet............yeah, right.
  • lunawisp
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    In the USA anything that depicts sexuality usually automatically started at the highest ratings, while games that are pure carnage are given substantial leeway before reaching the same mark.

    Glorification of violence... It's the same in any country that relies on arms sales and runs a huge military 'machine.' Why that is... Well, that's getting political so I'll leave it up to others to decide...
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  • KingJ
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    The game PVE content would probably be good if they did this.
  • waterfairy
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    You had me at parents forcing kids to stop...i'd be able to turn on zone chat again :)
  • dodgehopper_ESO
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    You guys realize by being an M rated game this allows them the freedom to push envelopes they could not otherwise. I think they still want to keep the audience more broad. No one wants to play a game like Conan or Secret World in front of their families at times because it gets too be too much and its unnecessary. Being 'Edgy' really isn't all that it is cracked up to be, and often times comes across as goofy. Boobs don't make a game good. A good game makes the game good.
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  • geonsocal
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    Cêltic421 wrote: »
    ESO has a M rating? Didn't know this. Figured it would be rated T. Where are all the M content? lol.

    the M content is us...

    I'm not sure exactly what age M content refers too...but, i'd vote to keeping more mature themes to single player game version of elder scrolls...

    then again - you do have that whole utterly addictive, blade of woe, the very lusty maid...

    and, maybe most disturbing, the worm cult doing some really sinister stuff all over the map...
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  • ArchMikem
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    Being 'Edgy' really isn't all that it is cracked up to be, and often times comes across as goofy..

    No one want's to be "Edgy" though. I just think it'd be a nicer and funnier place if players could prance around in a field of flowers butt nekkid. :p While at the same time actually seeing the real world effects of shoving a sword into something fleshy.
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  • Publius_Scipio
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    If ZOS were to allow me to write some storylines and dialogue I'd give you all more than enough M to handle.
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