Videogame Rating Council

Line 1:

The '''~~Video Game Ratings~~ Council''' (~~V.R.C.~~) was introduced by [[Sega]] of America in [[1993]] to rate all [[video games]] that were released for sale in the [[United States of America]] on the Genesis, Game Gear, and Sega CD and rarely, some computer games. The rating had to clearly appear on the video game box and on all the advertisements for the video game. The three different ratings were as follows:

The '''Videogame Rating Council''' (VRC) was introduced by [[Sega]] of America in [[1993]] to rate all [[video games]] that were released for sale in the [[United States of America]] on the Genesis, Game Gear, and Sega CD and rarely, some computer games. The rating had to clearly appear on the video game box and on all the advertisements for the video game. The three different ratings were as follows:

* '''GA''' - ''General Audiences. Appropriate for all audiences.'' No blood or graphic violence. No profanity, no mature sexual themes and no usage of drugs or alcohol.

* '''MA-13''' - ''Mature Audiences. Parental Discretion Advised.'' The game was suitable for audiences thirteen years of age or older. Game could have some blood in it and more graphic violence then a "GA" game.

* '''MA-17''' - ''Mature Audiences. Not appropriate for minors.'' The game was suitable for audiences seventeen years of age or older. Games could have lots of blood, graphic violence, mature sexual themes, profanity, drug or alcohol usage.

==Before the ~~Video Game Ratings~~ Council==

==Before the Videogame Rating Council==

Before 1993, [[Sega]] was known for a more liberal policy with regards to what type of content it would allow in a video game release on a Sega home console. Where as [[Nintendo]] became famous for its strict censorship polices, [[Sega]] allowed blood and graphic violence in video games provided that such games had a generic parental advisory label on it.

The first company to take advantage of Sega's moral liberal polices was the company Razor Soft. In 1990 they released the 1988 computer game [[Technocop]] for the Sega Genesis. In the game you played a cop waging a one-man war against crime. Bits of what was intended to be red blood would come out when you shot criminals and civilians. The game had limited commercial success, but Razor Soft would continue use mature themes in video games.

The first company to take advantage of Sega's moral liberal polices was the company Razor Soft. In 1990 they released the 1988 computer game ''[[Technocop]]'' for the Sega Genesis. In the game you played a cop waging a one-man war against crime. Bits of what was intended to be red blood would come out when you shot criminals and civilians. The game had limited commercial success, but Razor Soft would continue use mature themes in video games.

In 1991 they released a second computer game called [[Stormlord]] for the Sega Genesis. In the game you played a knight out on a quest to rescue female fairies you were imprisoned by an evil queen. In the computer version the fairies were nude, but Sega forced Razor Soft to give the fairies clothing when the game was released for the Sega Genesis. Like the game [[Technocop]], [[Stormlord]] had limited commercial success and the implied nudity was panned as a cheap gimmick to cover up mediocre games.

In 1991 they released a second computer game called ''[[Stormlord]]'' for the Sega Genesis. In the game you played a knight out on a quest to rescue female fairies you were imprisoned by an evil queen. In the computer version the fairies were nude, but Sega forced Razor Soft to give the fairies clothing when the game was released for the Sega Genesis. Like the game ''Technocop'', ''Stormlord'' had limited commercial success and the implied nudity was panned as a cheap gimmick to cover up mediocre games.

That same year Tengen released the popular arcade game '''[[Pit Fighter]]''' for the [[Sega Genesis]]. The fighting game's characters were created by digital filming. The character looked realistic and the game was a preview of what [[Midway Games]] would perfect with its [[Mortal Kombat]] arcade game. [[Pit Fighter]] had limited success because while it fighting looked more realistic then anyone had ever seen before on the Genesis, the animation was choppy and control did not provide you with many fighting moves. [[Activision]] would try and create a popular fighting game when it released '''[[Mondu's Fight Palace]]''' for the Sega Genesis. '''Mondu's Fight Palace''' created characters through the traditional means of animation, but the game's alien characters had a certain subtle mature allure. One of the characters was a female punk that would attack with her mohawk hair.

That same year Tengen released the popular arcade game ''[[Pit Fighter]]'' for the [[Sega Genesis]]. The fighting game's characters were created by digital filming. The character looked realistic and the game was a preview of what [[Midway Games]] would perfect with its ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' arcade game. ''Pit Fighter'' had limited success because while it fighting looked more realistic then anyone had ever seen before on the Genesis, the animation was choppy and control did not provide you with many fighting moves. [[Activision]] would try and create a popular fighting game when it released ''[[Mondu's Fight Palace]]'' for the Sega Genesis. ''Mondu's Fight Palace'' created characters through the traditional means of animation, but the game's alien characters had a certain subtle mature allure. One of the characters was a female punk that would attack with her mohawk hair.

In 1992 [[Namco]] released [[Splatterhouse 2]] for the Sega Genesis. In the game you played a male character who wore a cursed mask, and had to fight the forces of evil to save your girl friend. The blood in the game was green ooze that came out of the monsters that you killed. As with the case of the two Razor Soft games, '''Splatterhouse 2''' had a parental ~~advisor~~ label on the game's box in tiny, red print. '''Splatterhouse 2''' was a commercial success and led to the release of '''[[Splatterhouse 3]]''' in 1994.

In 1992 [[Namco]] released ''[[Splatterhouse 2]]'' for the Sega Genesis. In the game you played a male character who wore a cursed mask, and had to fight the forces of evil to save your girl friend. The blood in the game was green ooze that came out of the monsters that you killed. As with the case of the two Razor Soft games, ''Splatterhouse 2'' had a parental advisory label on the game's box in tiny, red print. ''Splatterhouse 2'' was a commercial success and led to the release of '''[[Splatterhouse 3]]''' in 1994.

These games represented a small trickle of pre-V.R.C. games for the [[Sega Genesis]]. Most games were suitable for all audiences and most of these more mature games had limited commercial success because the blood or partial nudity was treated as a gimmick. Yet, two [[Sega Genesis]] games in 1992 created a national debate over the content of video and compelled Sega to develop the ~~Video Game Ratings~~ Council.

These games represented a small trickle of pre-V.R.C. games for the [[Sega Genesis]]. Most games were suitable for all audiences and most of these more mature games had limited commercial success because the blood or partial nudity was treated as a gimmick. Yet, two [[Sega Genesis]] games in 1992 created a national debate over the content of video and compelled Sega to develop the Videogame Rating Council.

==Mortal Kombat==

Previous attempts had been made at making an arcade fighting game that had realistic graphic violence and gore. Yet, [[Mortal Kombat]] was the first arcade game to combine realistic digitally created characters with the graphic violence and gore without making the objective mistakes that video & computer game reviewers would point out. The game had a wide range of fighting moves and combination of fighting moves that the player could learn. The arcade game had great graphics and animation and sound. Thus the controversial content could not be seen as a simple gimmick to cover up a mediocre game.

Previous attempts had been made at making an arcade fighting game that had realistic graphic violence and gore. Yet, ''Mortal Kombat'' was the first arcade game to combine realistic digitally created characters with the graphic violence and gore without making the objective mistakes that video & computer game reviewers would point out. The game had a wide range of fighting moves and combination of fighting moves that the player could learn. The arcade game had great graphics and animation and sound. Thus the controversial content could not be seen as a simple gimmick to cover up a mediocre game.

The video game company [[Acclaim Entertainment|Acclaim]] brought the popular and ultra-violent video game to the [[Sega Genesis]] and [[Super Nintendo]] in 1992. Both Sega and Nintendo ordered the game's graphic violence and blood to be toned down.

However, Sega allowed the player to restore the controversial content with a secret code, announced the creation of the ~~Video Game~~ Rating Council and gave [[Mortal Kombat]] a MA-13 rating because you need the secret code to get the controversial content. The result was that the [[Sega Genesis]] version of [[Mortal Kombat]] outsold the sanitized

However, Sega allowed the player to restore the controversial content with a secret code, announced the creation of the Videogame Rating Council and gave Mortal Kombat a MA-13 rating because you need the secret code to get the controversial content. The result was that the Sega Genesis version of Mortal Kombat outsold the sanitized

[[Super Nintendo]] version. However, the commercial success of the game, including a huge marketing campaign by Acclaim to prepare consumers for '''Mortal Monday''', and the fact that the ~~Video Game Ratings~~ Council opened the doorway for games to be sold on a Sega console system with adult content promoted national outrage.

[[Super Nintendo]] version. However, the commercial success of the game, including a huge marketing campaign by Acclaim to prepare consumers for '''Mortal Monday''', and the fact that the Videogame Rating Council opened the doorway for games to be sold on a Sega console system with adult content promoted national outrage.

'''Mortal Kombat''' was not the only game to prompt Sega to create the ~~Video Game Rating~~.

'''Mortal Kombat''' was not the only game to prompt Sega to create the video game rating.

==Lethal Enforcers==

Line 45:

==ESRB==

Sega phased out the ~~Video Game Ratings~~ Council in 1994 when the entire American video game industry agreed to follow the independent [[Entertainment Software Rating Board]]. The old Sega ratings can still be found on video games and advertisements that appeared from 1993 - 1994.

Sega phased out the Videogame Rating Council in 1994 when the entire American video game industry agreed to follow the independent [[Entertainment Software Rating Board]]. The old Sega ratings can still be found on video games and advertisements that appeared from 1993 - 1994.

==Criticism==

Many video game reviewers and consumers saw the introduction of the ~~Video Game Ratings~~ Council as a sign that Sega of America was no longer going to censor the content of video games sold for a Sega home console. While Sega had tolerated blood and graphic violence in video games pre-~~VGRC~~, nudity, profanity, and homosexuality had remained prohibited themes and were often themes removed before an original computer game or a role-playing game was released for the English speaking Sega market.

Many video game reviewers and consumers saw the introduction of the Videogame Rating Council as a sign that Sega of America was no longer going to censor the content of video games sold for a Sega home console. While Sega had tolerated blood and graphic violence in video games pre-VRC, nudity, profanity, and homosexuality had remained prohibited themes and were often themes removed before an original computer game or a role-playing game was released for the English speaking Sega market.

However, Sega of America never explained the qualifications for a game getting a particular rating and thus there seemed to be inconsistancies. For example, the [[Sega CD]] editions of two computer games; [[Rise of the Dragon]] and [[Snatcher]] both got the ''MA-17'' label and it was assumed that it was because of the violence, profanity, and sexual innuendos that existed, but Sega never explained. Another example, would be the fact that the [[Sega Genesis]] version of '''Mortal Kombat''' was given a '''MA-13''' label, while the [[Sega CD]] version of the game was given a '''MA-17''' label, with the only major content difference between the two games was that you needed to enter in a secret code in order for all the blood and graphic violence to be seen in the Sega Genesis edition. In the Sega CD edition you had to enter in a secret code to ''tone down'' the blood and graphic violence.

Videogame Rating Council: Difference between revisions

Navigation menu

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{reqimageother|the VRC rating symbols}}
-The '''Video Game Ratings Council''' (V.R.C.) was introduced by [[Sega]] of America in [[1993]] to rate all [[video games]] that were released for sale in the [[United States of America]] on the Genesis, Game Gear, and Sega CD and rarely, some computer games. The rating had to clearly appear on the video game box and on all the advertisements for the video game. The three different ratings were as follows:
+The '''Videogame Rating Council''' (VRC) was introduced by [[Sega]] of America in [[1993]] to rate all [[video games]] that were released for sale in the [[United States of America]] on the Genesis, Game Gear, and Sega CD and rarely, some computer games. The rating had to clearly appear on the video game box and on all the advertisements for the video game. The three different ratings were as follows:
 * '''GA''' - ''General Audiences. Appropriate for all audiences.'' No blood or graphic violence. No profanity, no mature sexual themes and no usage of drugs or alcohol.
 * '''MA-13''' - ''Mature Audiences. Parental Discretion Advised.'' The game was suitable for audiences thirteen years of age or older. Game could have some blood in it and more graphic violence then a "GA" game.
 * '''MA-17''' - ''Mature Audiences. Not appropriate for minors.'' The game was suitable for audiences seventeen years of age or older. Games could have lots of blood, graphic violence, mature sexual themes, profanity, drug or alcohol usage.
-==Before the Video Game Ratings Council==
+==Before the Videogame Rating Council==
 Before 1993, [[Sega]] was known for a more liberal policy with regards to what type of content it would allow in a video game release on a Sega home console. Where as [[Nintendo]] became famous for its strict censorship polices, [[Sega]] allowed blood and graphic violence in video games provided that such games had a generic parental advisory label on it.
-The first company to take advantage of Sega's moral liberal polices was the company Razor Soft. In 1990 they released the 1988 computer game [[Technocop]] for the Sega Genesis. In the game you played a cop waging a one-man war against crime. Bits of what was intended to be red blood would come out when you shot criminals and civilians. The game had limited commercial success, but Razor Soft would continue use mature themes in video games.
+The first company to take advantage of Sega's moral liberal polices was the company Razor Soft. In 1990 they released the 1988 computer game ''[[Technocop]]'' for the Sega Genesis. In the game you played a cop waging a one-man war against crime. Bits of what was intended to be red blood would come out when you shot criminals and civilians. The game had limited commercial success, but Razor Soft would continue use mature themes in video games.
-In 1991 they released a second computer game called [[Stormlord]] for the Sega Genesis. In the game you played a knight out on a quest to rescue female fairies you were imprisoned by an evil queen. In the computer version the fairies were nude, but Sega forced Razor Soft to give the fairies clothing when the game was released for the Sega Genesis. Like the game [[Technocop]], [[Stormlord]] had limited commercial success and the implied nudity was panned as a cheap gimmick to cover up mediocre games.
+In 1991 they released a second computer game called ''[[Stormlord]]'' for the Sega Genesis. In the game you played a knight out on a quest to rescue female fairies you were imprisoned by an evil queen. In the computer version the fairies were nude, but Sega forced Razor Soft to give the fairies clothing when the game was released for the Sega Genesis. Like the game ''Technocop'', ''Stormlord'' had limited commercial success and the implied nudity was panned as a cheap gimmick to cover up mediocre games.
-That same year Tengen released the popular arcade game '''[[Pit Fighter]]''' for the [[Sega Genesis]]. The fighting game's characters were created by digital filming. The character looked realistic and the game was a preview of what [[Midway Games]] would perfect with its [[Mortal Kombat]] arcade game. [[Pit Fighter]] had limited success because while it fighting looked more realistic then anyone had ever seen before on the Genesis, the animation was choppy and control did not provide you with many fighting moves. [[Activision]] would try and create a popular fighting game when it released '''[[Mondu's Fight Palace]]''' for the Sega Genesis. '''Mondu's Fight Palace''' created characters through the traditional means of animation, but the game's alien characters had a certain subtle mature allure. One of the characters was a female punk that would attack with her mohawk hair.
+That same year Tengen released the popular arcade game ''[[Pit Fighter]]'' for the [[Sega Genesis]]. The fighting game's characters were created by digital filming. The character looked realistic and the game was a preview of what [[Midway Games]] would perfect with its ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' arcade game. ''Pit Fighter'' had limited success because while it fighting looked more realistic then anyone had ever seen before on the Genesis, the animation was choppy and control did not provide you with many fighting moves. [[Activision]] would try and create a popular fighting game when it released ''[[Mondu's Fight Palace]]'' for the Sega Genesis. ''Mondu's Fight Palace'' created characters through the traditional means of animation, but the game's alien characters had a certain subtle mature allure. One of the characters was a female punk that would attack with her mohawk hair.
-In 1992 [[Namco]] released [[Splatterhouse 2]] for the Sega Genesis. In the game you played a male character who wore a cursed mask, and had to fight the forces of evil to save your girl friend. The blood in the game was green ooze that came out of the monsters that you killed. As with the case of the two Razor Soft games, '''Splatterhouse 2''' had a parental advisor label on the game's box in tiny, red print. '''Splatterhouse 2''' was a commercial success and led to the release of '''[[Splatterhouse 3]]''' in 1994.
+In 1992 [[Namco]] released ''[[Splatterhouse 2]]'' for the Sega Genesis. In the game you played a male character who wore a cursed mask, and had to fight the forces of evil to save your girl friend. The blood in the game was green ooze that came out of the monsters that you killed. As with the case of the two Razor Soft games, ''Splatterhouse 2'' had a parental advisory label on the game's box in tiny, red print. ''Splatterhouse 2'' was a commercial success and led to the release of '''[[Splatterhouse 3]]''' in 1994.
-These games represented a small trickle of pre-V.R.C. games for the [[Sega Genesis]]. Most games were suitable for all audiences and most of these more mature games had limited commercial success because the blood or partial nudity was treated as a gimmick. Yet, two [[Sega Genesis]] games in 1992 created a national debate over the content of video and compelled Sega to develop the Video Game Ratings Council.
+These games represented a small trickle of pre-V.R.C. games for the [[Sega Genesis]]. Most games were suitable for all audiences and most of these more mature games had limited commercial success because the blood or partial nudity was treated as a gimmick. Yet, two [[Sega Genesis]] games in 1992 created a national debate over the content of video and compelled Sega to develop the Videogame Rating Council.
 ==Mortal Kombat==
-Previous attempts had been made at making an arcade fighting game that had realistic graphic violence and gore. Yet, [[Mortal Kombat]] was the first arcade game to combine realistic digitally created characters with the graphic violence and gore without making the objective mistakes that video & computer game reviewers would point out. The game had a wide range of fighting moves and combination of fighting moves that the player could learn. The arcade game had great graphics and animation and sound. Thus the controversial content could not be seen as a simple gimmick to cover up a mediocre game.
+Previous attempts had been made at making an arcade fighting game that had realistic graphic violence and gore. Yet, ''Mortal Kombat'' was the first arcade game to combine realistic digitally created characters with the graphic violence and gore without making the objective mistakes that video & computer game reviewers would point out. The game had a wide range of fighting moves and combination of fighting moves that the player could learn. The arcade game had great graphics and animation and sound. Thus the controversial content could not be seen as a simple gimmick to cover up a mediocre game.
 The video game company [[Acclaim Entertainment|Acclaim]] brought the popular and ultra-violent video game to the [[Sega Genesis]] and [[Super Nintendo]] in 1992. Both Sega and Nintendo ordered the game's graphic violence and blood to be toned down.
-However, Sega allowed the player to restore the controversial content with a secret code, announced the creation of the Video Game Rating Council and gave [[Mortal Kombat]] a MA-13 rating because you need the secret code to get the controversial content. The result was that the [[Sega Genesis]] version of [[Mortal Kombat]] outsold the sanitized
+However, Sega allowed the player to restore the controversial content with a secret code, announced the creation of the Videogame Rating Council and gave Mortal Kombat a MA-13 rating because you need the secret code to get the controversial content. The result was that the Sega Genesis version of Mortal Kombat outsold the sanitized
-[[Super Nintendo]] version. However, the commercial success of the game, including a huge marketing campaign by Acclaim to prepare consumers for '''Mortal Monday''', and the fact that the Video Game Ratings Council opened the doorway for games to be sold on a Sega console system with adult content promoted national outrage.
+[[Super Nintendo]] version. However, the commercial success of the game, including a huge marketing campaign by Acclaim to prepare consumers for '''Mortal Monday''', and the fact that the Videogame Rating Council opened the doorway for games to be sold on a Sega console system with adult content promoted national outrage.
-'''Mortal Kombat''' was not the only game to prompt Sega to create the Video Game Rating.
+'''Mortal Kombat''' was not the only game to prompt Sega to create the video game rating.
 ==Lethal Enforcers==
@@ Line 45: / Line 45: @@
 ==ESRB==
-Sega phased out the Video Game Ratings Council in 1994 when the entire American video game industry agreed to follow the independent [[Entertainment Software Rating Board]]. The old Sega ratings can still be found on video games and advertisements that appeared from 1993 - 1994.
+Sega phased out the Videogame Rating Council in 1994 when the entire American video game industry agreed to follow the independent [[Entertainment Software Rating Board]]. The old Sega ratings can still be found on video games and advertisements that appeared from 1993 - 1994.
 ==Criticism==
-Many video game reviewers and consumers saw the introduction of the Video Game Ratings Council as a sign that Sega of America was no longer going to censor the content of video games sold for a Sega home console. While Sega had tolerated blood and graphic violence in video games pre-VGRC, nudity, profanity, and homosexuality had remained prohibited themes and were often themes removed before an original computer game or a role-playing game was released for the English speaking Sega market.
+Many video game reviewers and consumers saw the introduction of the Videogame Rating Council as a sign that Sega of America was no longer going to censor the content of video games sold for a Sega home console. While Sega had tolerated blood and graphic violence in video games pre-VRC, nudity, profanity, and homosexuality had remained prohibited themes and were often themes removed before an original computer game or a role-playing game was released for the English speaking Sega market.
 However, Sega of America never explained the qualifications for a game getting a particular rating and thus there seemed to be inconsistancies. For example, the [[Sega CD]] editions of two computer games; [[Rise of the Dragon]] and [[Snatcher]] both got the ''MA-17'' label and it was assumed that it was because of the violence, profanity, and sexual innuendos that existed, but Sega never explained. Another example, would be the fact that the [[Sega Genesis]] version of '''Mortal Kombat''' was given a '''MA-13''' label, while the [[Sega CD]] version of the game was given a '''MA-17''' label, with the only major content difference between the two games was that you needed to enter in a secret code in order for all the blood and graphic violence to be seen in the Sega Genesis edition. In the Sega CD edition you had to enter in a secret code to ''tone down'' the blood and graphic violence.

Videogame Rating Council: Difference between revisions

Navigation menu

Search