It's a sad day for those of us who think that a future world entirely populated by desensitized adults trained from birth to be killing machines would be totally sweet. A Federal Trade Commission "undercover shopper" study has found that retailers turned down kids trying to buy M-rated games 80 percent of the time, up 58 percent from the year prior and up from a surprising 16 percent in 2000.

Though the findings are impressive, we don't think retailers should spend too much energy patting themselves on the back. If we saw a 43-year-old FTC agent in a backwards cap and Stone Cold 3:16 T-shirt insisting his name was "Dakota," we probably wouldn't sell M-rated games to him either.

The British Board of Film Classification is playing defense after accusations it won't be able to keep up with the tide of video games in the future. The BBFC's reaction came after a hearing where industry figures argued the self-regulated PEGI ratings were the best system.

Sue Clark, a representative for the BBFC, told GI.biz that the BBFC can cope with the work load and that the organization is entirely funded by the fees it charges to classify work. Therefore, the more work it needs to review, the more money comes in, and the more staff it can hire. She says the games industry doesn't know how the BBFC works, so they shouldn't talk. Whatever, let the BBFC stay, that way we get early warning about "implied child rape" and interstellar lesbianism in games.

The island nation of Singapore announced today that it's launching a video game rating classification system beginning April 28. There are currently only two rating categories: M18 and "Age Advisory." M18 games require retailers to check ID in order to ensure that customers are at least 18 years old. Age Advisory is "suitable" for ages 16 and above, but will not require ID checks.

The system has been in development for two years according to the government, involving "detailed research and consultation." For a baseline of games that'll meet the M18 requirement, expect titles like the un-banned Mass Effect and The Darkness to make the rating. No word yet on punishment (or required cane lashings) for violating the rating system.

[Via GamePolitics]

The ESRB launched its very own widget today. just for those who can't help but obsessively check the ratings for games. The widget is available in several different formats (except OSX Tiger, a gaffe perhaps?) and easily embeddable, allowing users to search the 14,000 titles in the organization's database with ease.

The ESRB's Madame Patricia Vance explained that the group's research showed that 75% of parents regularly check game ratings to make sure the titles are appropriate for their children, expressing her belief that the widget will make things more convenient. It sure will! Especially in our normal checks to see what unannounced games the ESRB recently rated.

Ah, review scores. Besides letting us skip all that long, boring text that actually describes a game's high and low points, it also allows for some excellent statistical analysis and fanboy-infuriating numerical rankings. To that end, and spurred on by an similar EA-produced chart, Next-Gen's Matt Matthews crunched the GameRankings data and ranked the best-reviewed publishers of 2007.

Unsurprisingly, first parties Sony and Nintendo topped the list with averages above 75% -- not bad when you consider their production includes clunkers like Lair and Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast. Microsoft is slightly lower with a 69% average, behind top-ranked third-parties like Capcom, LucasArts, EA and, surprisingly enough, Atlus. Major publishers like Midway, Atari and Majesco stagnate near the bottom of the list -- none of the trio even breaks through the mediocre 60% average barrier.

The full story also breaks down the data going back to 2005 and also looks at changes in the sheer number of games released by various publishers. Check it out.

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) defended itself today following remarks by Microsoft's UK head of corporate affairs, Matt Lambert, who said the BBFC is designed to rate films and not games. Lambert believes the Pan European Game Information (PEGI) system brings more "depth" and is more "sensible." The BBFC told GI.biz that it knows "for a fact that the public is confused by [the PEGI] symbols."

The BBFC says it has research that "the public couldn't get their heads around" the pictograms the PEGI uses for its rating system, stating it simply lays out in words what's in a game. The BBFC believes parents know what they are getting from its classification system because it's the same one used for movies. The BBFC also points out that PEGI ratings are "tick-box system filled in by the distributor themselves" instead of a group of "very well-qualified games examiners." A similar awkward clash of rating systems occurred in the States last year when Best Buy started adding Common Sense ratings to its site and stepping on the ESRB's toes, it has since toned that down significantly.

Entertainment Software Ratings Board head Patricia Vance writes in the organization's winter newsletter that 2007 saw "8.5 our of every 10 games" rated as appropriate for ages 13 and under. In a flood of numbers and stats, the newsletter states there were 1,563 ratings given last year (a 22% increase over 2006), 94% of ratings "assigned were appropriate for ages 13 or younger."

The ESRB sure has some slick spin going on with its "appropriate for ages 13 or younger" stat. With its cunning use of "or" instead of "and," the organization deftly lumps T-rated games with the two levels of "E" titles. Really, it's teens 13-16 who have 'approved' access to 94% of games, while the younger crowd should only tango with 74%.

We spoke with the ESRB about why E rated titles make up such a large majority of ratings now. A spokesperson told Joystiq, "[The E ratings] growth is due in part to the recent influx of casual games for the PC, handheld devices and online arcades, etc." We learned a game could receive duplicate ratings to boost a certain category unless a publisher submits a game for multiple platforms at the same time. Also, all versions must share the same "graphical realism/intensity, and any other elements that might impact the assignment of the rating" for it to only count once. If there is "differing content, graphical realism/intensity, etc." then a single title could have multiple ratings. A game like Peggle, which has staggered onto multiple platforms over time, would boost "E" ratings for each of the game's versions.

In America, it was quite the saga getting Manhunt 2 from AO-rated, system-excluded game an eventual, mediocre M-rated release. In Great Britain, though, the battle to get the game released continues to this day, though it is moving in Rockstar's direction.

GamesIndustry.biz is reporting that Rockstar has won its appeal of the BBFC's decision to refuse the game classification by a four to three vote. The game's not out of the woods yet, though -- the BBFC could still continue to defend it decision through further appeal to the High Court. "We won't make a decision until we've seen the full printed judgement," a BBFC spokesperson told GI.biz.

Despite receiving an M rating from the ESRB in the US, Manhunt 2 on the Nintendo Wii is still not appropriate for release in the UK, according to the British Board of Film Classification, who have once again rejected the title, despite changes made since the original rejection back in June.

Any hope of Manhunt 2's release in the UK now hinges on publisher Take 2 Interactive appealing the decision, but not before further changes are made to the final version of the game. David Cooke, director of the BBFC has stated that the changes made to the title thus far are not sufficient, and that the game still retains the same "visceral" and "sadistic" gameplay that warranted the original rejection.

It's unknown at this point whether Take 2 will once again appeal the rejection, or if Manhunt 2 is simply not meant for release in the UK.

Why have an AO rating if it can't be used? As Joystiq reported during the height of the first round in the Manhunt 2 controversy, AO rated games won't even be licensed for consoles. Forget retail and rental, the consoles themselves won't allow AO rated games, so there is a rating floating out there only available for PC games. Architect of the California game law, Leland Yee, is wondering what's going on there and why console manufacturers won't allow the rating and so is Georgia Tech professor Ian Bogost.

GamePolitics got a statement from Senator Leland Yee's office saying, "The ESRB just refuses to use the AO rating for violence despite the descriptor calling for such a rating when there are 'graphic depictions of violence.' ... Combined with the use of the ambiguous term 'Mature,' many parents are left with a false sense of how violent an M-rated game may be." Now if Yee had been focused on forcing console makers to allow AO rated games on their systems instead of making unconstitutional game laws, that's something adult gamers could backup and go along with. Many games deserve an AO rating, how those determinations play out would still happen behind closed doors at the ESRB, but at least publishers wouldn't consider an AO the absolute kiss of death like they do now because the game would at least be able to play on the systems. It's a far deeper and more complicated issue involving educating retailers on what a new version of AO would mean, but at least this weird self-imposed censorship would fade into the distance.

The ESRB is moving to put out the bizarrely intense flaming body of controversy caused by rerating Manhunt 2 as M rated. The re-rating happened following review of a "modified version" of the game. Advocacy groups like CCFC and political-crusader Leland Yee have demanded US government intervention by the Federal Trade Commission. The ESRB has now released a statement (full text after break) attributed to ESRB president Patricia Vance.

Vance says in the statement, "The FTC, the national PTA, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and Peter Hart Research have all found that parents are overwhelmingly satisfied with the ESRB rating system. Rather than publicly second-guessing what is unmistakably a strong warning to parents about the suitability of a particular game for children, which presumably neither Senator Yee nor CCFC have personally reviewed, we feel a more productive tack would be to join us in encouraging parents to take the ratings seriously when buying games for their children." Yee and the advocacy groups would have such a better leg to stand on if the movie industry in the US were handled in a more "transparent" way. The Motion Picture Association of America has had a secret society for decades rating movies (see This Film is Not Yet Rated for more details). It just doesn't make sense to hold the video game industry to a completely different standard than films, especially considering the prevalence of torture porn is far less in video games.

[Via Press Release]

With the re-rating of Manhunt 2 from AO to M, some people are livid, some excited, others just want to make a tub of popcorn and watch the sparks fly -- then there are the conspiracy theorists. GamePolitics has a rundown of their theories following people's concerns that the Halloween release date of Manhunt 2 is just a little too perfect; many believe the game probably would have fallen underneath the radar this holiday season without its saga of controversy. One GP commenter said, "The whole timeframe stinks to high heaven ... Its gonna sell several times the number of copies than it probably deserves."

Find the conspiracy theories after the break

GamePolitics gave us the heads-up on Thursday, now they got the video as well. Above you'll find the segment from the Star Jones Show on CourtTV about video game violence. Jones uses a Columbine student, Leland Yee and an attorney for the video game industry to tell the tale. It's still weird to hear that the Columbine shooters were fans of "violent video games," weren't they just fans of violence? Fans of violence with full-blown arsenals at their disposal -- but that's the point of another story.

Check out the segment and please try to avoid stating the obvious in the comments -- yes, Jones definitely needs to put on a few more pounds again. Please let's keep in on topic.

After temporarily suspending release of the AO-rated game back in June, Rockstar Games today announced a modified, M-rated version of Manhunt 2 will be release for the PS2, PSP and Wii on Oct. 31, 2007. "Manhunt 2 is important to us, and we're glad it can finally be appreciated as a gaming experience," Rockstar founder and president Sam Houser, said in a press release. "Manhunt 2 is a powerful piece of interactive story telling that is a unique video game experience. We think horror fans will love it."

The original Adults Only rating was a kiss of death for the game, leading to self-imposed bans from console makers and rental houses. It's still unclear exactly what modifications were necessary to achieve the lower rating and what effect the modifications will have on on Manhunt 2 bans in England, Ireland and other countries.

Whatever effect the controversy had on the game's content, you can bet that all the drama will have a positive effect on the game's sales. Remember, 2 Live Crew's As Nasty As They Wanna Be sold over two million copies despite being patently awful, all thanks to the magic of controversy.

State Attorney General Patrick Lynch of Rhode Island announced yesterday that we would work with the ESRB on a PSA campaign designed to raise awareness with parents about the video game ratings system. The campaign will have both television and radio ads. Something Gov. Schwarzenegger of California obviously can't be bothered with and would prefer to waste the court's time and taxpayer dollars on bills destined to fail. Lynch, who has two pre-teen children, said in a statement, "Most parents routinely check the ratings of movies before taking or allowing their children to see films, and I'm honored to join with ESRB to ask parents to use that same level of vigilance concerning video games. It's up to us, as parents, to take every measure possible to increase protections for our children."

Lynch joins a growing list of attorney general's across the country hooking up with the ESRB. GamePolitics points out Pennylvania AG Corbett, Geogia AG Baker and, our favorite, Utah AG Shurtleff have all become ESRB supporters. Shurtleff. Shurtleff not only pulled a Jack Thompson authored bill because he thought it was unconstitutional, he also did one better by putting out a PSA about the ratings as well. Don't be surprised to see the ESRB working with more AGs to bring legal reason to legislative disorder.