Fallout 3: A Post Nuclear Blog - Where Have the M-Rated RPGs Gone?

[Dhruin]

Briosafreak's Fallout 3 Blog has reposted one of Desslock's articles (in original form, rather than as edited for PC Gamer), which looks at the difference between the shooter market and the domination of M-rated titles versus the RPG market (http://fallout3.wordpress.com/articles/desslockwhere-have-the-m-rated-rpgs-gone/), where mature titles have been fading. Here's the intro:
Eviscerated bodies hung on meat hooks, disemboweled corpses leaving trails of blood, satanic idolatry: welcome to the world of the typical shooter. Ever since the original DOOM, shooters have gleefully trodden through M-rated territory, and their developers have zealously defended their preference to craft gory shooters. Almost all shooters are M-rated because of the violent the nature of their gameplay, but games like F.E.A.R., Soldier of Fortune and Gears of War deliberately spotlight graphically violent and gruesome scenes. I prefer shooters that focus more on creating realistic settings instead of colorfully filleted cadavers, and I’m somewhat embarrassed to play violent shooters in front of my non-gamer buddies although I’ll happily show off the life-like cityscapes of Half-life 2 to the same audience. Of course, I’ll also proudly parade out the latest fantasy RPG replete with elves and fairies without feeling emasculated, so perhaps the demarcation lines I’ve drawn for mature gaming aren’t particularly sensible.
More information. (http://www.rpgwatch.com/show/newsbit?newsbit=9031)

[Alrik Fassbauer]

Who defines that all M-rated games have to be - and especially: look - like above quoted ?

As an different example I'll relate to my post here: http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showpost.php?p=80069&postcount=13

It apüpears to be that M-rated games all have ONE thing common to them: They are not looking colourful and lighthearted. This is an recurring theme. Developers seem to fear colourfulness and lightheartedness both in looks and music (not to mention themes at all) like - as we say here - "the devil fears the holy water".

I suspect that this an an implicite, unspoken agreement: Such games "wouldn't sell".

[Remus]

Some part of our society must felt very guilty about something, and hiding behind religions or talks of morality instead of rational, educational, open academical talks on sex and violence. Both closely related to human nature and yet...

[Decado]

That is a very old article. Why bother posting it? While I'd like to see a more "hardcore" M-rated RPG, it isn't like the RPG genre in general can't touch them anymore. Mass Effect and The Witcher (the two biggest RPGs of 2007) had "M" ratings.

[Brother None]

It's a good article and was never printed like this, Decado. Post-worthy.

But I agree, it's timing looks weird in the middle of Mass Effect, The Witcher, Mass Effect PC and Fallout 3.

Then again, I get the feeling Desslock is taking more exception at the lack of mature-themed games than at the lack of M-rated, as Alrik explains. The Witcher might be mature, but Mass Effect is what...blue alien sex and shooting? M-rated, fine, but a game made for adults?

Perhaps the issue is more that we're making games that target 15-25 year olds that get M-ratings. Makes some sense, but 15-25 is just the general target group. If you make a game for adults, make it for adults.

[Briosafreak]

That is a very old article. Why bother posting it? While I'd like to see a more "hardcore" M-rated RPG, it isn't like the RPG genre in general can't touch them anymore. Mass Effect and The Witcher (the two biggest RPGs of 2007) had "M" ratings.

At the time the pressure against mature subjects on RPGs was a bit suffocating, but the Witcher really shook things up, that's why there's that note in the end of the article.

It showed he was right in his thesis, but the toning down on RPGs, while not in FPS or GTA style games, still persists. Well even GTA can't have a lot of things that seem appropriate giving the setting, and that it would have if it was made into a full blown mature movie... and the same happens with Mature games like Mass Effect, that is quite toned down from something like Fallout, or the very violent but in other ways more tame Fallout 3, so it still is a good point to start discussions on the state of mature subjects in interactive entertainment.

[DArtagnan]

The Witcher is definitely one of the more immature games I've played that claimed to be mature, and Mass Effect is more mature than most in the same genre.

But since it's about subjective definitions of maturity, it's rather pointless to try and push games into corners they don't necessarily belong to.

[zahratustra]

Aren't we placing coach before the horses? After all "mature" label isn't an automatic mark of quality is it? Let's take Witcher as an example: it wasn't good because it was "mature". It was good because it was good :)