Game ratings and mods

[neilalford]

Just seen on the BBC website that apparently The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion has had it's age rating in America raised due to user mod, a topless patch! Now obviously something similar happened with GTA, but in that case the content was already in the game and the mod just unlocked it (though I still thought thas was a bit odd). However in this case, the mod is a patch which presumeably replaces some in game textures with some of a more adult nature, so absolutely nothing to do with the game makers.

So, anyway, seems very strange to me that a game can be forced into a higher age category (possibly loosing sales) due to a user mod, it almost seems like making all VHS films 18 rated in case someone tapes over them with porn!

Also, this could presumeably be use by unscrupulous companies to affect a competitors sales, simply release a dodgy mod and get their game bumped up to a higher rating.

So what do you think? Seems to me it could be the start of a worrying trend and might even force companies to start making games harder to mod to prevent this sort of thing happening.

[Harsin]

Good old USA, games where you wander around killing people in gory ways are a-ok, but the second a pair of tits comes into the equation it becomes sick filth.

[smst]

However in this case, the mod is a patch which presumeably replaces some in game textures with some of a more adult nature, so absolutely nothing to do with the game makers.That's not quite how it was, I think. There are nude textures in the game which aren't ever meant to be seen as they're usually covered by clothes. The textures exist so that clothes can be created which don't cover every inch of flesh (eg T-shirts, string vests, ripped tops), and there'll be something underneath to look semi-realistic. The texture can be revealed to the player by modifying the game somehow.

Sounds the same as what you typed, really -- but the fact that the texture was on the disc as shipped is apparently the deciding factor for the ratings board. No matter that the user has to modify the game to view it (like Hot Coffee in that respect), or that it would be just as easy to download alternative textures anyway.

[neilalford]

That's not quite how it was, I think. There are nude textures in the game which aren't ever meant to be seen as they're usually covered by clothes.

Ah, don't know about that, I assumed that the textures under the clothes would be the same as you got when you stripped corpses (for fun or profit!) and all of those have underwear on, both top and bottom!

[smst]

I've heard conflicting accounts, TBH, but I think that the underwear was also a texture laid over the bare version. They wanted to avoid visible straps under tops that reveal shoulders, for example.

[tawsi]

That's not quite how it was, I think. There are nude textures in the game which aren't ever meant to be seen as they're usually covered by clothes. The textures exist so that clothes can be created which don't cover every inch of flesh (eg T-shirts, string vests, ripped tops), and there'll be something underneath to look semi-realistic. The texture can be revealed to the player by modifying the game somehow.


Thats what I read too. Do some versions of Oblivion come with the construction set or do you have to get it from the internet, in which case I'm sure the people who want this mod can find other material.

If its because they could make the mod themselves where do you draw the line. You could say windows deserves an M rating since you could modify it by changing the desktop by downloading 3rd party modifications from the internet.

It's a shame as I can see publishers encouraging gamedevs to not release mod tools to avoid this happening in future.