Non-violent games for grown-ups are still a way off, writes Jason Hill.

If the current trends continue, by 2014 the average age of Australian gamers will be 42. But is the game industry capable of creating mature content that explores adult themes?

The majority of games that get slapped with a "mature" classification at the moment are the equivalent of horror slasher films - not mature, just violent. It's time the interactive industry grew up.

Head of the International Game Developers Association, Jason Della Rocca, agrees there is a dearth of diverse mature content despite the huge numbers of adult game players. He says there is a big opportunity for publishers because sales of mature-rated games are higher than products for children.

Mr Della Rocca says not only do adults have more money to spend, but a mature rating allows developers "to explore broader themes, topics that are more compelling and give more expressive freedom".

"So maybe they (the developers) get to make better games. BioShock is a good example, it's a pretty standard shoot-'em-up in terms of the raw mechanics, but exploring very sophisticated themes of objectivism, providing real moral dilemmas, the idea of power and control - there's some serious ideas being expressed. That's encouraging."

Mr Della Rocca believes the biggest stumbling block for more mature games might be that the industry itself is still immature. "As game designers, the skills are really just not there yet to explore all aspects of the human condition. Or we don't have the right designers to do games that are mature and serious, that don't involve a gun or emphasise swordplay. But maybe that is just part of the maturation of the art form.

"If you look at film, for two or three decades there were movies about horses running and trains driving into the screen, it was very mechanical, very action-oriented. You didn't get the depth of emotion or character or story until perhaps Citizen Kane. We're still at that stage of exploring the art form, but we need to be doing more."

Mr Della Rocca says other examples of high-quality games exploring mature themes include Deus Ex, Mass Effect and Assassin's Creed, but it is difficult to convince publishers to fund risky projects.

"When you're putting $40 million or $50 million down and spending two years and 200 people's time, you go with what you know is going to sell.

"There's no track record for a mature game that doesn't have guns in it, that's based on some social-relations soap opera, or sexual or emotional tension between characters. They're just not out there.

"If you're going to build that, it's a huge risk. It may be massively successful, or it may sell zero."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/articles/toying-with-adult-themes/2008/01/16/1200159460960.html

Just some article from an australian newspaper i thought some of you might like to read...

What do you want?
Porno?
Hentai?
Japanese eroge?

I'd say theres plenty of mature games around, some contain violence, some don't.

Eternal Darkness and Farenheight had mature storylines. The most fun I've had in a game for ages has been phoenix wright. They existed years ago with titles like Beneath a Steel Sky.

"There's no track record for a mature game that doesn't have guns in it, that's based on some social-relations soap opera, or sexual or emotional tension between characters. They're just not out there."

If thats the sort of game he wants he should put down halo and go pick up harvest moon.

"If you look at film, for two or three decades there were movies about horses running and trains driving into the screen, it was v"If you look at film, for two or three decades there were movies about horses running and trains driving into the screen, it was very mechanical, very action-oriented. You didn't get the depth of emotion or character or story until perhaps Citizen Kane. We're still at that stage of exploring the art form, but we need to be doing more.ery mechanical, very action-oriented. You didn't get the depth of emotion or character or story until perhaps Citizen Kane. We're still at that stage of exploring the art form, but we need to be doing more."

I can name several games like that from 20 years ago. The problem seems to be that he only hears about the big titles which rarely have these qualities. It's like saying all movies a crap based only on watching "epic hollywood blockbuster #342706".

I've been thinking this for a while now, actually. It seems that the 'mature' games are some of the least mature out there. Boobs and guns does not a mature game make! The industry will never be taken seriously as an art form unless it delves into real mature, emotional content.

 Excellent post.