Full Games List
Featured Games
New Games
Reviews
Media
Images
Blogs
Game Updates
Images Feedback Summary
Game Design Highlights
Tutorials
Articles
Scripts
Utilities / Plugins
Resources
Engines
Engine Bulletins
What is Makerscore?
Past Events
Achievements
Misaos
Forums
Post History
Chat
New to RMN?
Full Store List
RMN Music Pack (free)
"MATURE" GAMES?
Posts
Pages:
1
Livewire
136
Livewire
View playlists
CloseI look on a lot of internet forums and comments on gaming articles. The word "mature" often comes up when talking about different games. Problem is, I'm not sure what a lot of people mean when they say "mature".
For me, mature suggests a depth of understanding, an ability to look at the world beyond it's black and white representations and an ability to handle problems in calm, logical, manner.
That's not the message I'm getting from a lot of games meant to be "mature", where the term seems to be a synonym for "inappropriate for children". In my opinion, you're talking about different things, there. The "Fast and Furious" movies I would absolutely say are inappropriate for children, but the paper-thin plot, the instant gratification and sloppy writing of the films make it far from being mature in my eyes.
Which is why I want to take it to you guys- what really makes a game mature? Is it extreme content, or depth?
For me, mature suggests a depth of understanding, an ability to look at the world beyond it's black and white representations and an ability to handle problems in calm, logical, manner.
That's not the message I'm getting from a lot of games meant to be "mature", where the term seems to be a synonym for "inappropriate for children". In my opinion, you're talking about different things, there. The "Fast and Furious" movies I would absolutely say are inappropriate for children, but the paper-thin plot, the instant gratification and sloppy writing of the films make it far from being mature in my eyes.
Which is why I want to take it to you guys- what really makes a game mature? Is it extreme content, or depth?
Put simply, both. The two can be divorced or blended as seen fit by a developer, but either one can be applied in large enough doses to render a game "mature".
Although, the meaning of "mature" that applies could easily vary from one game to the next.
Although, the meaning of "mature" that applies could easily vary from one game to the next.
Well, I think it's just a convention meaning "extreme content" without going further into the meaning of the word.
Whenever you read that a game is "mature", it really means there's boobs, innuendo, and swearing. Extreme violence is a safe bet too.
Games touching upon politics, social issues, philosophy, high art, and the like on a deeper than superficial level are not mature simply because they are non-existent. And until games come to be written by individuals over 40 years old and brought up on something else than commercial pulp, mature games might as well not materialize, ever.
Games touching upon politics, social issues, philosophy, high art, and the like on a deeper than superficial level are not mature simply because they are non-existent. And until games come to be written by individuals over 40 years old and brought up on something else than commercial pulp, mature games might as well not materialize, ever.
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
"Mature," like "old," is simply a relative term. It's not a binary state, it's a spectrum. On one end you have a sperm cell, and on the other end you have an omniscient deity who created the universe. Most of us are somewhere in between.
Alternately, to think of it in a different light, none of us will stop maturing until we die. So a game that is truly for fully matured audiences would only be appropriate for those on their deathbeds.
Alternately, to think of it in a different light, none of us will stop maturing until we die. So a game that is truly for fully matured audiences would only be appropriate for those on their deathbeds.
Mateui
1175
The word mature as it pertains to the video game industry denotes intense violence, blood/gore, nudity, strong language, sexual content, alcohol/drug use and other like adult-themes or images. (You know, the whole ESRB thing.. Rated M from Mature). It doesn't necessarily apply to games that have literary depth or a greater meaning than when is first seen beneath the surface.
I don't even know if there is a universally accepted term to describe those latter video games. Perhaps the reason this term doesn't exist is because there aren't that many commercial games that fit within this category sadly.
I don't even know if there is a universally accepted term to describe those latter video games. Perhaps the reason this term doesn't exist is because there aren't that many commercial games that fit within this category sadly.
Avee
5794
I don't know many games that fit Livewire's description of "mature" games, but when I think about Shadow of the Colossus and Catherine, both being critically acclaimed by players and pros and featuring deep subjects and solid narrative/screenplay, I believe it would be in every producers' and developers' interest to make more games like these.
Livewire
136
author=Avee
I don't know many games that fit Livewire's description of "mature" games
Y'know, I honestly couldn't think of any either. To me, there seems to be more games that the industry is willing to call "definitely not mature".
Livewire
136
author=LockeZ
"Mature," like "old," is simply a relative term. It's not a binary state, it's a spectrum. On one end you have a sperm cell, and on the other end you have an omniscient deity who created the universe. Most of us are somewhere in between.
Alternately, to think of it in a different light, none of us will stop maturing until we die. So a game that is truly for fully matured audiences would only be appropriate for those on their deathbeds.
I think you've hit it on the head there, LockeZ. Which is why I want to add another dimension to the discussion: is "mature" a fair way to measure quality in games, as the term itself is so ambiguous?
Billwilliams
1159
I prefer 'immature' games myself. Same with movies I suppose. When I want deep meaningful content I'll read a book.
Killer Wolf
1235
I remember a line from a review for The Space Adventure which summed up the usual concept of "mature" perfectly: "On the whole, Space Adventure Cobra is about as 'Mature' as your average frat party, and about as predictable and exciting too."
The terms we're fumbling around in the dark for are "deep" and "meaningful."
There are plenty of games with "mature" content, but not many that are deep or meaningful.
Rant about a game I found deep/meaningful -
Deus Ex:Human Revolution was a deep/meaningful/mature game to me. Granted, this could be due to my tremendous appreciation for the franchise.
The game had subtle ways of making you think. I was going for a low/no-kill stealth run, which is my usual first approach in DE games. The first time the game threw a boss at me, I could have fallen prostrate on the ground and hurled epithets toward heaven for the profound defiling of the game's core mechanics, but I didn't. Instead, I thought: This is the game's way of telling you that while you can control your reactions, sometimes you have to do something you don't want to do. If the choice is stick to your principles or die, what do you do?
I'll provide another example, since the "Grrr Boss Battles!" crowd will probably roll their eyes at the last half of that entire paragraph.
To rescue Faridah or not to rescue Faridah, that is the question.
I'm a stealth built comp-sci major with a taser and a backup magnum from hell with exploding ammunition (just in case another boss pops out), when our aircraft takes a rocket to the servos and my pilot puts us down in the middle of a construction zone that feels like some kind of Neo-Baghdad on a bad day. I'm not built to go toe to toe with that many heavily armed and armored guards, mechs, and snipers.
Not counting bosses, I have a no-kill game going. I try using my cloaking device and taser at first, but it isn't fast enough. They're marching right up to my downed pilot. I take the mech out (they're not living, they're fair game) and hear my pilot getting more and more desperate.
I decide "f#ck my no-kills game, I'm saving her" and proceed to go full on executioner mode. I blasted the snipers into oblivion with a hand cannon that would make Red Jacket Firearms proud. I took a ton of damage playing chicken with guys carrying Heavy Rifles. I threw grenades like a pitching machine on amphetamines. When the smoke cleared and the rubble settled, I was hanging on by a thread of life, but at least my pilot made it back into the air.
The game made me think. I don't want to kill people. I'll crawl through a sewer and hide behind furniture to avoid killing people, hell I'll even waste a mountain of taser charges to make sure I don't kill that Texan Jackass with a mini-gun for an arm (albeit to no avail), but when someone I (my character, by extension) care about was threatened, the gloves came off.
I thought the game did a very good job of making the player think about Jensen's humanity. As more tech gets shoveled into him, and the pace of the game starts to change, it is up to the player to decide how much of his humanity survives.
Sometimes it feels like the game is taunting the no-kill player. "Just look at those guards. They're in your way. Just kill them, its easier. You'll use less bioelectric if you go through them instead of the long way around."
Of course, the game does cheat a little, since you can go ahead and auto-stomp a pair of guards with a non-lethal takedown, but nobody is perfect.
The terms we're fumbling around in the dark for are "deep" and "meaningful."
There are plenty of games with "mature" content, but not many that are deep or meaningful.
Rant about a game I found deep/meaningful -
Deus Ex:Human Revolution was a deep/meaningful/mature game to me. Granted, this could be due to my tremendous appreciation for the franchise.
The game had subtle ways of making you think. I was going for a low/no-kill stealth run, which is my usual first approach in DE games. The first time the game threw a boss at me, I could have fallen prostrate on the ground and hurled epithets toward heaven for the profound defiling of the game's core mechanics, but I didn't. Instead, I thought: This is the game's way of telling you that while you can control your reactions, sometimes you have to do something you don't want to do. If the choice is stick to your principles or die, what do you do?
I'll provide another example, since the "Grrr Boss Battles!" crowd will probably roll their eyes at the last half of that entire paragraph.
To rescue Faridah or not to rescue Faridah, that is the question.
I'm a stealth built comp-sci major with a taser and a backup magnum from hell with exploding ammunition (just in case another boss pops out), when our aircraft takes a rocket to the servos and my pilot puts us down in the middle of a construction zone that feels like some kind of Neo-Baghdad on a bad day. I'm not built to go toe to toe with that many heavily armed and armored guards, mechs, and snipers.
Not counting bosses, I have a no-kill game going. I try using my cloaking device and taser at first, but it isn't fast enough. They're marching right up to my downed pilot. I take the mech out (they're not living, they're fair game) and hear my pilot getting more and more desperate.
I decide "f#ck my no-kills game, I'm saving her" and proceed to go full on executioner mode. I blasted the snipers into oblivion with a hand cannon that would make Red Jacket Firearms proud. I took a ton of damage playing chicken with guys carrying Heavy Rifles. I threw grenades like a pitching machine on amphetamines. When the smoke cleared and the rubble settled, I was hanging on by a thread of life, but at least my pilot made it back into the air.
The game made me think. I don't want to kill people. I'll crawl through a sewer and hide behind furniture to avoid killing people, hell I'll even waste a mountain of taser charges to make sure I don't kill that Texan Jackass with a mini-gun for an arm (albeit to no avail), but when someone I (my character, by extension) care about was threatened, the gloves came off.
I thought the game did a very good job of making the player think about Jensen's humanity. As more tech gets shoveled into him, and the pace of the game starts to change, it is up to the player to decide how much of his humanity survives.
Sometimes it feels like the game is taunting the no-kill player. "Just look at those guards. They're in your way. Just kill them, its easier. You'll use less bioelectric if you go through them instead of the long way around."
Of course, the game does cheat a little, since you can go ahead and auto-stomp a pair of guards with a non-lethal takedown, but nobody is perfect.
"For me, mature suggests a depth of understanding, an ability to look at the world beyond it's black and white representations and an ability to handle problems in calm, logical, manner. "
What? Why? Is that something mature people do, really? If so, why do we still have wars, started by old people and fought in large parts by adults? Also, I feel like "Handling problems in a calm, logical manner" is incompatible with the very idea of a game. It's boring.
But maybe I'm misunderstanding you.
Also, DX:HR is awesome. Nearly as awesome as DX1.
What? Why? Is that something mature people do, really? If so, why do we still have wars, started by old people and fought in large parts by adults? Also, I feel like "Handling problems in a calm, logical manner" is incompatible with the very idea of a game. It's boring.
But maybe I'm misunderstanding you.
Also, DX:HR is awesome. Nearly as awesome as DX1.
Kaelan
61
author=Livewire
Which is why I want to take it to you guys- what really makes a game mature? Is it extreme content, or depth?
The problem is you're mixing up two definitions of the word.
First, there's mature games as in "Rated M". These are mature simply due to the arbitrary cultural choices of the country rating the game. A game that's mature rated in Australia might not be in the US. That's a mostly irrelevant definition that's often based on the taboos of groups of people who themselves tend to not even be the people playing the games in question.
Then there's mature in terms of content, which I generally view as any game that treats its player as an intelligent adult, rather than a child. What this actually means in terms of gameplay can vary.
It can simply mean the game has enough respect for you to not think you're scared of references to profanity, sex, violence or real-world themes. Or it could mean that the game has a story or themes that take some mental work to figure out, and the game assumes you're smart enough to do the work yourself rather than hand you explanations to everything (Xenogears and Dark Souls are pretty good examples of this). Or it has themes that only an adult is likely to properly understand.
You can also have games which have some mature elements added in, but which don't necessarily reflect on the whole nature of the entire game (i.e. the Valkyria Chronicles has an interesting take on racism which only an adult is likely to actually get - but it doesn't permeate the whole game and not getting it certainly doesn't prevent you from understanding the main storyline, which is fairly simple standard JRPG stuff).
Pages:
1
