Regulations - Unit 07 Day one DLC Assignment Blog

 Understanding the creative industry - Regulations

Regulatory bodies affect the way games end up in the users hands in many different ways. In this blog I'll discuss these bodies and how they affect the industry. 

Out of the three topics I'll be discussing, I believe that regulations in games are one of the most crucial factors in determining how a game will turn out. By this, i mean ethical issues can be easily changed by, for example, simply changing the image of a character to a less offensive status (as in the case of Counter Strike: Global Offensive I discussed in my last post). Regulations determine what age rating the game will receive, what they can and can't show, and categories that the game will fall into.

PEGI (Pan European Game Information) determine what age rating a game will receive and what categories the game will get in Europe. For example in the UK, Super Smash Bros. Brawl has to display that the game can only be played by users 12 and over, and that it contains depictions of violence and the ability to play online. The reason they do this is  to ensure that the person is "mentally" and "physically" ready to play the game. As this game is based on defeating the opponent by by fighting until knocked out of the arena, I believe these ratings are justified as the game based around fighting. The addition for the online capability is added, because Nintendo cannot control what happens in online servers. For example, people could receive racist or sexual abuse through no control of Nintendo, so putting this label on shows parents and users that online gaming is possible.This dictates how the game will end up in the market, as it restricts the audience who can play the game, therefore may lower the profit generated. On the other hand, it may encourage people who enjoy games with a sense of violence to buy the game. These ratings on the case will give customers more insight into what the game could be like if they have no knowledge on it otherwise.


Regulations and censorship can also determine where a video game is allowed to be shown and played. Battlefield 3 has been banned from the country Iran by the government, due to the fictional invasion by the US to Tehran and the Grand Bazaar. It's said that even before the ban, retail stores were removing the game due to the offensive setting of the game. Many gamers in Iran protested and demanded for an apology from EA. This could of affected EA's already tarnished reputation of being the worst company, by adding to that fictionalising a war in a country the US already has trouble with. This could of also lowered the profits gained as a whole country cannot play the game, and the copies of the game sent to Iran would have been scrapped. On the other hand, there will be people in Iran who would want to play the game regardless. By the Iranian government banning this game, these people are now not able to play it. This can relate back to ethics, as this person is wanting to play this game but is being forced not to.

The ESA (Entertainment Software Association) also play a big part in regulating video games. One of the main goals of the ESA is to prevent piracy in the gaming industry, as ofcourse, a game stole is a profit lost. In the states of Illinois, Michigan, and Louisiana, the ESA have put in regulations to stop games being sold to minors (more to the point, those not 'old' enough to buy the game), and each state has had to pay over $2 million in attorney fees. This in turn I think could damage the gaming industry in these states as the money lost from the governing bodies could of been passed onto the companies working there. Also the shops selling the games illegally will be under scrutiny from the press and head offices, and will feel pressured into putting the problem right again. In Michigan, 2005,  Governor Jennifer M. Granholm signed a law which could see any retailer caught selling a game to underage minors could face 3 months in jail and $25,000 fine. The fine alone would be enough to put retailers off selling the game, but the 3 months in jail is a sure fire way to put and end to selling underage. This will also effect people buying the games, as they now will not be able to purchase the games they once were able to, which will give a knock on effect on profits made by companies in the area. People who have been playing games with age ratings higher than their age for a long time may be annoyed, as who has the right to say "you're not old enough!" when they've been playing the game for years? This could see a huge drop in profits made as people may just stick to the games they already own instead of investing in newer games. This then can lead to the company having to cut back on staff or push staff to work harder, making the workplace more desolate than it already is. 


In my opinion regulations in games are very important. Without them, games could go "too far" and people could get offended. Although some some censoring is unnecessary as in the case of the Left 4 Dead cover where a thumb had to be added before sale. What is right and wrong depends on the individual game, and the circumstances of the time.

Bibliography
http://www.pegi.info/en/index/global_id/505/?searchString=smash+bro&agecategories=&genre=&organisations=&platforms=&countries=&submit=Search#searchresults (6/10/12)
http://www.cheatcc.com/extra/supersmashbb/images/ssbb_mario.jpg (6/10/12)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_Iran#Video_games ( 8/10/12)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_banned_video_games#United_Kingdom (8/10/12)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlefield_3#Reception (8.10.12)
http://www.geek.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/xboxl4d_japan2.jpg (8/10/12)
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/132300/video_game_regulation_where_we_.php?page=2 (12/10/12) 
http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2005-09-14/esa-suing-michigan-over-violent-games-law (12/10/12)