ESRB Ratings

[MDMAlliance]

IIIIITHE1IIIII said:

MDMAlliance said:

However, I also disagree that M rated games get more sales for being RATED M in general.  What makes up an M rated game, sure to some extent.  However, if you could have that same content and have it somehow treated by retailers like an E rated game, the game will have a higher potential for sales.  The guy I was referring to thinks that it's the other way around.

edit:  (Like for example a game that's rated for 17+ being treated like a game for 3+ by retailers, you wont have to place any restrictions on who's buying it or restrict what retailers would consider putting it on their shelves).

And this is still a ridiculous discussion since the content is what declares a game's rating. You could argue that Dead Space would have sold more if it was rated E while retaining its M rated content, but such a scenario is absurd. Especially considering that the M rated content is what makes the game appealing.

The guy was pretty much arguing that it was the M rating itself that made better sales.  Even if he weren't, it's obviously a mixture of other things as well.  No effort would be needed to making a game if you could just slap in blood, gore, and sex.  The content that determines the rating is only a small part of its overall appeal.