First of all, Jack Thompson getting owned:

http://www.g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/blo ... _Loop.html

Second, over in the US, if a game is rated M for mature, can a teen buy it? That's what the topic in the video is suggesting, which I think if it is true is completely retarded. In the UK, we have a few BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) major ratings.

U (For Universal, Or All), PG (Parental Guidence), 12, 15 and 18.

You can not buy a game/film with the rating on unless you are old enough. Most companies operate a "if you look under 21 you need id to prove you are 18" policy too.

On our games, we have the Pegi/Eslpa ratings which are the same thing, but the categories go from 3+, 7+, 12+, 16+, 18+ of which 3+ and 7+ are just guildines regarding the games complexity and 12+ are legal age ratings.

This means that the only way for a minor to get a game that is rated a higher age rating is if an adult buys it for them, in which case they are responsible. If found it hard to believe that America doesn't have a simular system and so I thought I'd ask.

Everyone knows Jack Thompson is an idiot. I mean look at him. I just don't get the whole argument.

People were having wars before books were invented. Books depict violence all the fookin' time and yet no one blames them. Films do it too. Films show things worse than in any game I've played. And yet Games get the blame? One of Mr. Thompsons cases was that a kid trained on Doom to shoot someone. I mean come off it Mr T? (haha, Mr. T) It's DOOM. You can only shoot on a flat, 360 degree plain, for a start! Man he's a fuckwit.

As I already said, our retail mag this week was a 'violence special'. Thompson was quoted in one of the articles stating "at least a film has a storyline to backup the violence. I have yet to see anything regarding a storyline in games such as GTA".

Clearly the guy doesn't research these games in the slightest. He obviously just looks for screenshots or articles that talk about violence, then gets bitchy.

I cant be fucked to check the geek-dictionary for "Jack Thompson". Who, or what is he?

american lawyer who thinks films, books etc are ok but video games breed violence and train killers (i.e. he found something he can make a lot of money on trying to kill out)

I don't think anyone really cares about the ratings over here...sure, they probably won't sell a game like Manhunt to a 12-yrd old, but other than that it's pretty mellow.

It's like beer. Technically speaking you need to be 16 to order a beer in a bar. But practically it's 13 or something.

Yeah, this Thompson guy sounds like a proper spanktard. Has he never heard of Politics, Sociology, Psychology? Oh he's american, of course he hasnt.

No offence to Satis, 11b (& Co?). Im sure youre all cultured, intelligent individuals.

Hahahahaha!!

Just kidding guys. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go comb my eurotrash mullet.

lol ox, its like that over here with alcohol/cigarettes. Of course it depends on who you're looking at, when I worked selling cigs, you had to look about 45 before i'd sell em But the number of times i was out drinking when there would be a blatant 13 year old also in the club.

But films/games are an easier target for people. Alcohol and cigs generate too much tax for people to start trying to ban them when they're sold to underage kids, but films and games (afaik) aren't a huge profit margin (still good of course) so its an easy target. Plus that way if a parent is shit (i.e. chav parents with their destructive lifestyles and children) they can shift the blame onto something else. So you really do have to be careful selling them, even though they're far less likely to be destructive than alcohol.

If I sell a game to an underage kid, I can face a fine of £10,000, six months jail plus the company could be sued and the manager could lose his job. Of course, most parents don't care and buy GTA for their 5 year old (despite the fact we always tell them whats in the games and make sure they're ok with it), but we did even have one woman come in and bitch at me for not selling her son of 15 the strat guide for Res Evil 4, because it is also rated 18. Silly cow.