advertisement

Yee chastises ESRB over Oblivion rerating

By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpotPosted May 4, 2006 1:41 pm PT

Author of blocked California game law slams ratings board, accuses Take-Two of deception.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion grabbed headlines yesterday when the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) changed the game's rating from T for Teen to M for Mature, citing objectionable content in the game that hadn't been considered in the original rating.

The change marks the second time in a year that Take-Two Interactive has seen a game it published rerated after release, with the last time being the infamous Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Hot Coffee scandal. Whether the Oblivion rerating goes down in industry history as "Scalding Skooma" or just a tempest in a tea pot, the incident has already entered the political arena. California Assemblyman Leland Yee today issued a press release calling on Take-Two and the ESRB "to stop deceiving parents."

"The ESRB again has failed our parents and clearly has shown they cannot police themselves," said Yee. "Plain and simply, the current rating system is drastically flawed and here is yet another reason why we need legislation to assist parents and protect children."

Last year, Yee was among the first politicians to pick up on the Hot Coffee scandal and call for an Adults Only rating on San Andreas. When the scandal surfaced, he was already trying to pass a bill that would impose fines on retailers for selling violent or sexually explicit games to minors. (That bill eventually passed but was blocked by a California judge before it could go into effect.) Within months of Yee's call for a rerating, the game was slapped with an AO for Adults Only, and a group of US senators led by Hillary Clinton proposed federal legislation to restrict sales of violent and sexually explicit games to minors.

166 Comments

  • SolInvictus-HGG

    Posted Jun 12, 2007 7:36 pm PT

    Leland doesn't give a damn about his constituency. He just wants to win votes by making a fuss over absolutely nothing.

  • PyroWolf93

    Posted Aug 24, 2006 5:52 pm PT

    why do they make it M when they cover female characters breasts with bras?it should of orriginally been M first then T when they re-rate it,if you know what i mean

  • xid32

    Posted Aug 6, 2006 9:12 pm PT

    Politicians can go to hell.

  • FreddyVorhees

    Posted May 24, 2006 10:39 am PT

    So... uh... what's wrong with the xbox 360 version? Oh my goodness, I forgot! When someone dies blood appears for... for... for 5 seconds!!! OH NO!!! THIS IS HORRIBLE!!! MAKE IT M!!! AH!!!

    Politicians have to much time on their little greasy hands...

  • GS_darkplayer

    Posted May 23, 2006 4:21 pm PT

    If it just blood in XBOX 360 version. It should keep the T rated lable

  • speedy2295

    Posted May 16, 2006 4:58 pm PT

    The damn polticians can't understand that if that federal law bill passes that a massive riot will happen in almost every capital in the united states we habe a right to do what we want why should the gov. tell us how to raise our kids it's our choice not the gov. and besides the parents still have to buy the game anyway so their getting it for their kid not the kid buying it it wouldn't do to much. Besides the average gamer age is above 18 it's something like mid 20's not a bunch of 12 year old kids. They need to focus on the real issues of Iran and North Korea and also the high gas price rises by the week not "kids playing violent games" most kids understand that in game is not real it's not reality it is make believe on a larger scale. And those of you who make nude patches stop so that the damn politicians don't have anything to annoy us with.

  • alpha_company

    Posted May 16, 2006 4:17 am PT

    Can't esrb just be cool about it...

  • cowcow123

    Posted May 13, 2006 5:15 pm PT

    POLITICIANS SUCK

  • rennik_l

    Posted May 12, 2006 3:14 pm PT

    I find this agrivating like everyone else, but I find something interesting... Why isn't Morrowind rated M? There are complete nude patches out for it, and there are some mods that go further than that. Why does it retain it's T rating when it has mods that are much worse than what all this is about. And about the violence in the game, for crying out loud, there is more violence in PRime time TV, heck aside from no blood, the Loony Toons cartoons were just as or worse in violence, same with Tom and Jerry. Yee is a leech, only looking to keep in power.

  • Hadrael

    Posted May 11, 2006 1:05 pm PT

    You can't rerate a game because people make "nude" patches and stuff. Kids don't have to download it they choose to. Parents need to take responsibility for there children not the ESRB or anyone else.

  • adamfunk

    Posted May 10, 2006 5:57 pm PT

    Just let us play games! Who cares about ratings or whatnot? It's not like in Oblivion that there was anything extremley bad about it that you wouldn't expect!

  • icemannn

    Posted May 10, 2006 5:34 pm PT

    He's a bigger blowhard than Thompson. His "knowledge" of video games doesn't extend any further than the common media. I love how politicians speak of something they know nothing about.

  • Raphal

    Posted May 10, 2006 3:01 pm PT

    I'm moving to england, I hate our government here in America, always critisizing aomething, and getting nowhere. this is complete bull ****,

  • Seraphim_24

    Posted May 7, 2006 2:32 pm PT

    At 26 and married I have yet to see any genuine reason that the Xbox 360 version (at least) dersevs a re-rating. There is nothing excessively violent about this. and the hacker made nude patch doesn't work for the 360. Children are not the only people who play games Mr. yee. And this might sound starnge coming from a right-leaning Moderate Christian, but god damnit! Stop using our kids for your political agendas! It makes me sick! "think of the Children!" Blah! Do you think of our Children when you do nothing about our ridiculously high housing and gas prices? Particulalarly in CA? Hmmm? Didn't think so.

  • Seraphim_24

    Posted May 7, 2006 2:31 pm PT

    At 26 and married I have yet to see any genuine reason that the Xbox 360 version (at least) dersevs a re-rating. There is nothing excessively violent about this. and the hacker made nude patch doesn't work for the 360. Children are not the only people who play games Mr. yee. And this might sound starnge coming from a right-leaning Moderate Christian, but god damnit! Stop using our kids for your political agendas! It makes me sick! "think of the Children!" Blah! Do you think of our Children when you do nothing about our ridiculously high housing and gas prices? Particulalarly in CA? Hmmm? Didn't think so.

  • CyphenX

    Posted May 7, 2006 11:11 am PT

    Well I though that the speed at wich the ESRB and retailers reacted was pretty darn impressive. Mistakes happen everwhere, and it takes a pretty darn good system to admit them and then fix them so fast.

  • Trakan

    Posted May 6, 2006 11:12 am PT

    Well, someone has to agree with him. Gues it'll be me. I agree with him. But please don't send me angry messages with mouth froth spewing out the corners. That's just my opinion. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and who's to say which one is right and which is wrong?
    I am. You're all wrong.
    No, just kidding. Annoying the carp out of people: just another service I provide.

  • SHAZ101

    Posted May 5, 2006 6:46 pm PT

    ESRB is made up of a bunch of morons. If they choose a Teen rating, stick with the friggin' Teen rating! Maybe they should have a better rating system, this would solve this problem. Oblivion in no way deserved a Mature rating. I agree fully with the old Teen rating. Is Whinnie the Pooh going to be rerated Mature because hackers found a way to remove his little red shirt? Morons...

  • stewiegriffin78

    Posted May 5, 2006 2:28 pm PT

    Idiot.....it is Take Two's fault, not the ESRB!

  • salman123_basic

    Posted May 5, 2006 12:39 pm PT

    What deception you idiot.
    I've seen the game, it's hardly a T rated game!!

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Quick Links

Summary | Reviews | News | Previews & Features | Images | Videos | Downloads | Answers | Hints & Cheats | Forum | Check Prices

Check Prices: $14.83 – 59.99

Amazon.com $29.33 SHOP ›
RadioShack.com $59.99 SHOP ›
eBay $25.95 SHOP ›
advertisement
advertisement
Click Here

Related Unions

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Boxshot Enlarge the boxshot
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Game Stats

Full Game Details »Close
Also on

Games you may like…

Users who looked at content for this game also looked at these games.

See More Similar Games
advertisement