(Source on first image: https://archive.is/GQXVf#selection-333.54-333.58)
The ESRB has been at the center of the censorship in vidya in recent years. Everyone scrambles for a T Rating, yet getting that rating is inconsistent. Not to mention the ESRB is charging an arm and a leg for it. Most stores refuse to sell anything without an ESRB rating, but small indies get away with it. If the ESRB got bigger, it could become mandatory (as in, all vidya media must have an ESRB rating- no matter how small the studio). The ESRB is almost there already, but after a few generations, you could have the ESRB refusing to classify some titles for being crass and inappropriate for all. And who should decide what is inappropriate for all in the future?
Goal
Either we drag the ESRB's reputation through the mud (too expensive, doesn't do it's job properly, is outdated as a guide to parents and consumers, does not assist the industry in a process that is almost needed), or they change their ways and/or costs.
Big companies would want the ESRB cheaper (but probably want to keep it around so the Mature label can be used in advertising), smaller companies would want the ESRB cheaper, and the (good) consumers would want the ESRB to have less power. Those who want to use the ESRB as a deterrent for "problematic" games get shafted when it loses it's teeth, and bad parents have to admit they never did the research in an age of youtube instead of blaming devs.
Methodology
Basic spreading & digging.
No major/decent dev is gonna reject the ESRB until it's reputation is reduced, and any backlash is minimal. So, under a new hashtag (ESRBusted) we showcase the worst of the ESRB:
- Expense.
- Anti-Developer practices.
- Inconsistent Ratings (as well as possible signs of bias- against Japanese games or "problematic" themes, etc).
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