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Thursday, May 22, 2014

Dual Destinies Content Ratings Worldwide

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - How to convince people you don't have to be 17 for it.

Let's skip ahead to the (hopefully near) future: Nintendo succumbs to pressure and common-sense and changes their eShop policy to no longer lock people out of purchasing digital download titles based on ESRB rating if their parents approve of their child playing the game. (We're not at that future yet, so keep up that pressure!) What if you're having a conversation with mom and dad and they don't think you're mature enough to handle games like Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies?

KoopaTV is here to help. Most of our audience is American, so that means you're stuck with having to deal with the M (17) standard. I've said sometimes that this campaign is a uniquely American one: We're specifically targeting Nintendo of America, because every country has their own eShop standards and different ratings boards.

Here are the ratings for Dual Destinies around the world:
America has the highest... and it goes lower from there. Note that over at the USK, the other Ace Attorney games were rated... 0. 0 years old.

So what can you do? Well, you say, "Hey parents, some German 12 year old isn't more mature than I am! I should get this game!" "Hey, mommy, you know those Australians? They can get Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies at 15 years old. I'm 15, too! I think I'm better than those Australians!" "We make fun of those French guys all the time, and they only have to be 16!"

And then for now you would phone-call Nintendo at 1-800-255-3700 and ask your NNID birth-date to be changed because your parent said so. And they'll unconditionally change it. Remember this.

Now, are parents the right ones to be making these decisions? That'll be the subject of a future article.

By the way, I think the game is totally fine for teenagers up. The worst thing about the game is here. (That's a spoiler.) Lots of blood.


4 comments :

  1. What do the numbers next to the ratings mean? Does it mean that people have to at least be that age because I've seen like, 6 year olds watching and/or playing things that are PG. Because if PG only allows 15 and overs, then what is the use of MA 15+ (I'm Australian and this is a classification, but I'm sure you would have already known I was not American already) ? Does it mean that it's rated PG but for 15+? Then why don't they rate it MA 15+?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. (...Actually I had no idea you were Australian. That possibly explains a bit.)
      According to the Australian classification board:

      PG - PARENTAL GUIDANCE - "Not recommended for children under 15; may contain material which some children find confusing or upsetting."

      MA 15+ - MATURE AUDIENCES - "Restricted - unsuitable for persons under 15; may contain strong content."

      So I assume the difference between "recommended" and "restricted" is that the law bans you from purchasing restricted games unless you show an ID or something. ...Since you live there, you should know better than I do.

      The numbers next to the ratings for everyone else represent the recommended minimum age. I say "recommended" because content ratings are meant to be guidelines, or at least that's how they're meant to be seen in America.

      Congress tried to pass legislation in America banning the sales of M-rated games to kids under 17, but that was ruled unconstitutional.

      Delete
    2. I see. I said that you probably knew that I definitely wasn't American due to my reaction to your post buy post.

      Delete
    3. Oh. "US? Nooooooooooooo"

      ...You could still be on this hemisphere!

      Delete

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