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[lowendfrequency]

Am I the only one that agrees with the rating here?  I mean, yeah the whole nudity mod claim is outrageous because it isn't in the retail version of the game.  But as far as violence goes, the game allows you to be a very immoral person if you should choose.  It's not that I don't think a 15 year isn't mature enough to handle it, just that his parents should have to purchase it for him and by doing so, grant their permission.

[hardcandy]

So, does this mean there will be a lot of copies of Oblivion for sale cheap at yard sales and flea markets when the parents find out Junior has been using something else as a controller? Oblivion for $5? Sure sounds good.  

[mitch2025]

the nude mod is already on the game disc. it was not a user created mod. there are 2 files you gotta rename and boom! its there. the files are something like "femalebody.xxx" and "femalebodynude.xxx". just like the hot coffee mod was on the disc. you need to "unlock" it but it is still on the disc and thats why they changed the rating

[twistedsymphony]

QUOTE

Dear, XXXXXXX

Thank you for contacting the Entertainment Software Rating Board with your comments regarding the re-rating of The Elder Scrolls® IV: Oblivion™.  This is a serious and complex issue, and we sincerely appreciate your concern.

Following the public release of Oblivion, and as a result of ESRB’s post-release monitoring and play-testing activities, the ESRB learned of the presence of two separate types of content that were deemed legitimate cause for reconsidering its rating.  The first was depictions of blood and gore that appeared to exceed in detail and intensity that which was submitted to ESRB during the rating process.  The second was a third party modification to the PC version which unlocked an art file already present in the code of the game, allowing players to apply a topless model or “skin” to female characters.  

These issues moved the ESRB to initiate a review that involved:
§ - Comparing the material disclosed in the game’s submission by the publisher to content that was captured during an ESRB test of the final product;
§ - Verifying that the locked-out content was in fact in a fully rendered form in the code of the PC version of the game, and confirming the means to unlock it; and
§ - Submitting the original submission materials for the game along with the content captured during ESRB testing of the final product for review by ESRB raters to evaluate the accuracy of the initial rating assignment.  

This review confirmed that the company’s submission for Oblivion understated content with respect to the blood and gore found in the game.  Specifically, the depictions of blood and gore were found to exceed the detail and intensity of those in-cluded in the publisher’s videotape submission, and to be inconsistent with a Teen rating.  The ESRB raters’ review resulted in their assigning the game a rating of M (Mature) for blood, gore and nudity, rendering the initial T (Teen) rating inaccurate.

The ESRB also verified that the code in the PC version of the game contained a locked-out topless female character model that, though programmed to be inaccessible, could be unlocked through the use of a third party tool.  The skin associated with this content was found to exist in a fully rendered form on the game disc, and to require only a minor modification to a filename in the code of the PC version to access (the Xbox 360™ version of the game cannot be modified to unlock the skin).

ESRB rules require that publishers disclose locked-out content during the rating process if it is pertinent to a rating.  Accordingly, all skins in-cluded in the code on the final Oblivion game disc are considered pertinent to the rating, whether accessible through normal game play or not.  The topless female skin was not disclosed to ESRB during the rating process.

As a result of these findings, the ESRB changed the rating for both the PC and Xbox versions of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion from T (Teen) to M (Mature).  The PC version of the game will carry an additional content descriptor for Nudity until a new version of the game can be re-mastered, replicated and released.  Since the ESRB investigation confirmed that the Xbox 360 version cannot be modified to access the topless skin, the Nudity descriptor was deemed unnecessary for that version.

It is inevitable that some may disagree with the ESRB’s actions in this instance.  We simply ask those who disagree to consider that consumers, especially parents, count on ESRB ratings for reliable and accurate information about what’s in a computer or video game.  They deserve to know what they are buying, and the ESRB is both obligated and committed to providing the most reliable and accurate ratings information possible.  If content that would affect a rating is left on a game disc, even if it is not intended to be accessible during normal gameplay, it must be considered in the assignment of that rating.  On the other hand, many mods actually introduce new content into a game that was created by a third party and not the publisher.  These mods are beyond the publisher’s control, and therefore cannot reasonably or practically be considered in the assignment of ratings.

The strength of our self-regulatory system lies in its unique ability to independently evaluate publisher compliance with a wide variety of industry-adopted rules and regulations, and enforce instances of non-compliance.  The interests of parents, gamers, and other consumers are best served by having an effective self-regulatory body, whose actions are objective, judicious and fair.   We appreciate your taking the time to express your opinion on this issue, and hope that you better understand our actions.

Regards,
Entertainment Software Rating Board

The emphesis is mine, but I wanted to highlight 2 things that make the ESRB claims not only reasonable, but contradict what was claimed by Bethesda.

My big question is if ES4 is an "M" why is COD2 still raited "T"  

[mgamer20o0]

QUOTE(ILLusions0fGrander @ May 3 2006, 09:40 PM)

blood splats on the ground after an attack... did i overlook that on 360?

yes. i summon in my house and kill the guy so my house gets all bloody. it looks like any game that lets you do what ever you want will be M. i bet the only reason they changed the score was because of the pc game. i just dont understand. is this a failure on there part to play the game before they gave the rating or outside pressure. i didnt read any of the links maybe they answer it.

[cerealkillajme]

QUOTE

The skin associated with this content was found to exist in a fully rendered form on the game disc, and to require only a minor modification to a filename in the code of the PC version to access (the Xbox 360™ version of the game cannot  be modified to unlock the skin).

 

Hehe, just wait.

[xadio]

QUOTE(smokeytab @ May 4 2006, 03:15 PM)

Xadio i wish it were that simple. The problem is that Hilary Clinton and her bunch of congress pals have more power than a petition signed by by a million+ people. Recently they funded a 'scientific' research program that concluded 'Teenagers who play computer games are more likely to use drugs and have unprotected sex'. Its a losing battle.

Even so i don't think writing a letter will do anything, il give it a shot.

You're right Smokeytab, but it never hurts to take a stand for what you believe in and let it be heard.  What I need to do is write my Congress man/woman and tell them my feelings regarding some of these extreme messures taken by the ESRB due to the pressure put on by Clinton's bill.  

Personally I a pro some of the bill because I don't want my child (to be) buying something that I deem as inappropriate.  However, T is perfectly fine IMHO with the blood and gore due to the amount of blood that can be seen on TV and in PG-13 movies.  The nudity issue is just ridiculus, if a teen is "finding" out how to do mod it then then they are smart enough to do a image.google[dot]com query for "boobs", watch National Geographic, or keep up with the latest tend to taking care of breast cancer [not work safe] http://www.checkoutmybreasts.com/ [not work safe].

[wwonka74]

I am thoroughly disgusted with the US's public views on nudity. That being said the ESRB seems to have rated a game based on it's submission to them and then later found that by changing a few file names you had boobies in the game. They have every right to change the rating based on the rating guide found here. Bethesda altered their submission so the ESRB altered their rating.

All this talk of the ESRB overstepping some magical boundary...what the fuck?! What power does the ESRB have? They can stop someone under 17+ from personally buying a game if the guy at the store notices or cares the game should not be sold to a 14 year old. Holy SHIT they hold the mightiest of all 10 powers. The ESRB exists to assist parents in making at least a semi-informed decision about which games their children should or should not play.

Now were the mod not in-cluded with the game I would be severely pissed at the change. That would be like me buying a copy of Disney's Aladdin in book form and erasing the blue shirt on one of the female characters and then drawing in some nipples and maybe recoloring it with a skin tone. That could be the demise of the Disney Corp right there. What's really happened here is that parents now know that "Hey this game is quite violent and contains nudity. (by a "modification" that could be carried out by hand by my 6 year old.) Does this mean sales will drop? Fuck no. Does this mean the ESRB is a big hairy evil monster we should all fear? Fuck no.


 

[Hellbeans]

Wait you mean people pay attention to those ratings?

 

[boxrocker]

America was founded by prudes.  Religion is so deeply rooted that our laws are governed by them.  It's not fun.  I can't even buy liquor on Sunday's because that's "God's day".  Bah.