as a kid, rated M games never appealed to me. they always seemed way too violent, and i didnt understand the appeal of just having a constant lineup of war simulators that all had to be violent and gruesome. and then there were the kids who had to go and brag about how many rated M games they owned, trying to be cool, thinking they were tough, etc.
so really i just saw rated M games as the ultimate edgy thing to have.