Is Our ESRB Up to Par?

Working in video game retail, I tend to ramble off the rating of a game a lot. Enforcing the ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) is something I personally believe in, and in the future I know I will take that to heart when my kids want to buy something like Gears of War.

But there is a problem.



Here is the ESRB rating for two games; Bully and Socom 3 for the PS2. Can you tell which is Teen and which is Mature?

Bully - Crude Humor, Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence.
Socom 3 - Violence.

Bully is Teen and Socom is rated Mature. That to me does not make any sense at all. In the case of Bully, I know the game is not as bad as it seems but look at what they pulled into their rating. Sexual themes, use of alcohol and tobacco, language - those things are what usually dictates a game to be rated Mature. Now with Socom's case, it should be Teen unless that violence is really bad (which i know it's not).

So my problem is that there are so many things that the ESRB is letting slip; and even though games like Uncharted 2 are amazing and I want everyone to play them, it really should have been a Mature rated game for them using everything but the 'F' word and you shooting a bunch of dudes and whatnot. I know I probably sound like an old man when saying this, but the ESRB is so crazy about so many things getting to children or whatever but I believe that they let so much crud get into games that could have a simple fix.

Don't take me wrong here, I don't think that these games are bad, I would just prefer it if the ESRB rated them a little more responsibly and appropriately. This kind of content is not just a game thing, but its in all sorts of entertainment everywhere; its just the sad state of things I suppose - but it makes me sad that the ESRB thing isn't a law so minors really could get ahold of content that we legally stop them from getting in other forms of media.

-Eddie