ESRB Pressure May Have Lead to Content Change in Frat Party Games

Jul. 9 8:36 PM by Alicia Ashby

Nintendo's behavior regarding Frat Party Games seemed kind of fishy, and it turns out there's a big reason why. It was probably motivated by an ongoing battle between the ESRB and Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.

Blumenthal's feelings on any depictions of alcohol consumption in games are especially strong. He wanted the ESRB to rate the original Beer Pong version of Frat Party Games AO, instead of T13+. Quoth Blumenthal:

The rating T 13+ -- suitable for teens 13 and older -- is absolutely inappropriate. The video game rating board is under the influence -- rating frat party video drinking games suitable for minors. Even as JV Games agrees to alter its Beer Pong video game, both it and the rating board stubbornly deny the damaging influence of alcohol depiction in video games.

As seen in the Manhunt 2 controversy, Nintendo won't allow any AO material on its hardware. Forcing Frat Party Games to take the beer out of Beer Pong allows Nintendo to completely avoid that situation.

Comments

Oh, so guess video games make kids alcoholics now too? It couldn't be peer pressure, or TV commercials, or movies, or loser older siblings, no, of course not.

 

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