Different Types of Video Game Ratings

The reason I'm doing a post on video game ratings is because I've noticed that there are some politicians out there who are going to try and lay the blame of violence on video games. Come on, be realistic here. Video game violence does not make people killers, maybe it does, I don't know. The way I look at it is this: You just gotta be careful when getting video games, especially if it's going to be played by younger children.

And those games you can play where you use online headsets, those are not so good. When kids get online and start playing with those things, they can start saying some pretty nasty stuff, and that could be considered bullying if it's insulting. But usually, it's just kids swearing because they think it's cool.

Video Games

Ratings go from:
1.)EC (Early Childhood) Young kids are able to play

    

2.)E (Everyone), meaning anyone can play them at any age

    












3.)E10+ (Kids 10 and older can play them legally)
4.)T (Teen) may deal with adult matters that teens may get, not recommended for young audiences. Possible swearing, sexuality, blood/gore, crude humor, suggestive stuff

    

5.)M (Mature) Must be 17+ to play. Definite sexuality, blood/gore, swearing, nudity, language, criminal violence, drug use, alcohol use etc

    





6.)A (Adults Only) Suitable for ages 18 and up. May include but is not limited to graphic violence, graphic sexual content, gambling

    

 

7.) RP (Rating Pending). Usually only seen on promotional stuff for new games

-Descriptors are the items in the rating box on the game that tells what's in it. Here are some common ones:

• Alcohol reference: Obviously this is references to alcohol or images of alcoholic beverages
• Animated Blood: discolored images of what could possibly be blood
• Blood: Obviously going to have real life colored blood, red as cherries
• i.e. Scarface: The World is Yours. You can use an arsenal of guns to rip people apart into bloody shreds
• Cartoon Violence: Usually seen in Early Childhood and Everyone rated games, this can go from characters getting injured cartoon style, such as having anvils dropped on them, blowing up, getting run over by trucks, etc
• Comic Mischief: Suggestive humor or comedic relief
• Crude Humor: "Bathroom" humor, things that might be considered slightly sexual or vulgar
• Drug Reference: References to drugs like Ecstasy, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, crystal meth, etc
• Fantasy Violence: involving human or non-human creatures doing things that are easily not able to be done in real life
• Intense Violence: This is too obvious. In games, intense violence can go from using real life weapons to blow someone's head apart into little bloody bits, to using a chainsaw to remove major limbs, any kind of human decapitation or injury or death with blood accompanying it
• Language: Using bad words, including the "F" word alot
• Lyrics: In video games, sometimes they use real life music as soundtracks. This applies to songs being used that have overall bad lyrics pertaining to something offensive, crimes, drinking, messing around with women, etc
• i.e. Grand Theft Auto series
• Mature humor: Only adults would get stuff like this. This applies to but is not limited to adult humor and sexual references
• Nudity: showing frontal male nudity, female's breasts, female's frontal nude areas, etc
• Partial nudity: showing partial images of nudity
• Real gambling: Using real money to gamble at blackjack, poker, Texas Hold 'Em, slots, etc
• Sexual content: players can get sexual favors from strippers, such as lap dances, or in games with prostitutes, players can get hand jobs and blow jobs
• I.e. The Sopranos: Road to Respect. Player can get lap dances from strippers, and watch topless strippers
• Sexual Themes: referring to sexual acts
• Sexual Violence: Showing someone getting raped or other violent sexual acts
• Simulated Gambling: players can place bets and gamble without using real world money
• Strong Language: Explicit or frequent use of swearing
• i.e. The Sopranos: Road to Respect. In the game, the F word is used A LOT in addition to swearing in Italian
• Strong Lyrics: Music that uses swearing, refers to sex, violence, drug/alcohol use, crimes, etc
• Strong Sexual Content: Frequent showings of people engaged in sexual acts, nudity, etc
• Suggestive Themes: Somewhat provocative stuff
• Tobacco Themes: showing images of tobacco-related items, ads for tobacco companies such as Kool, Marlboro, Doral, etc
• Use of Alcohol: Shows people drinking
• Use of Drugs: Shows someone shooting up heroin or drugs
• Use of Tobacco: Showing someone smoking
• Violence: Showing someone fighting, or getting dismembered by a weapon into a million little bloody pieces
• Violent References: Referring to violence

Tak and the Power of Juju

One of my favorite video games EVER!


Tak and the Power of Juju

-There's one part in this game that cracks me up every time I play. There's a level called Lower Tree Village and you'll come to this clearing with 2 trees in it and in these trees are monkeys who throw stuff at you. If you have the blowgun and can shoot stuff, if you time it correctly, you can get these 2 monkeys to throw stuff at each other, hilarious!

Story
-An prophecy sees that the Moon Juju, the protector of the Pupanunu tribe would be threatened by the evil Tlaloc, who is a bitter Pupanunu shaman who turns the Pupanunu people into sheep as revenge for not being made a high shaman with another taking his place, Jibolba. The prophecy also foretells of a warrior coming to the rescue of the Pupanunu tribe, aiding the Moon Juju and defeating Tlaloc and bringing peace to the Pupanunu tribe once more.

-After escaping Tlaloc's spell, Jibolba thinks his apprentice Lok would be the ideal warrior. But he finds that Lok has been turned into a sheep. So he sends out his younger apprentice Tak to find magical plants to change him back. Tak is then told to seek and obtain the Spirit Rattle, which allows him to make contact with the Juju spirits to help him find Lok

Use this on Chicken Island

-Tak returns with the Rattle to find Lok has been trampled to death by a herd of sheep. Jibolba asked Tak to collect 100 Yorbels(in the game they are round, blue stones with pink swirly stripes on them in a blue glow) and Lok's spirit from the underworld. After resurrecting Lok, it has him experiencing diarrhea. Tak then gets the Moon Stones, allowing the Moon Juju to return to full strength

-The Moon Juju reveals the prophecy warrior is not Lok, but actually Tak, as he had accomplished everything that was predicted. Using the Juju spells, he defeats Tlaloc, turning him into a sheep, completing the prophecy

Gameplay
Consists of obstacles, puzzles. Like most games, the player can jump and attack. The health meter is represented by the feather on Tak's head. If it's all yellow, he's at full health, but if it's all purple, he's dead and must restart at the last checkpoint activated, which in this game is the Spirit Portals. Another unique feature is Tak can get around obstacles with the help of animals.

Animals
-Orangutans:They can bend trees that spring back, sending Tak flying so he can travel

-Rhinos: They can smash through obstacles with Tak riding on back

-Monkeys: When angered, they throw coconuts at their nearest target. Just make sure their nearest target isn't you.
-Emus: Mobile like rhinos, emus help Tak reach other places by jumping far and gliding

-Sheep: They can open doors and activate elevators by running on conveyor belts

You also have rams, who will use their head to get rid of you. The only sure fire way to get past them is get them a sheep. You will start seeing little red hearts around their head. They fall in love with the sheep, you're in the clear. This picture is from the level Chicken Island, inhabited by people who worship Chickens as gods.

The game was based on other games out there, like the humor of Ratchet and Clank, the gameplay of Sly Cooper and the Theivious Raccoonus and the level design on Jak and Daxter. In order to proceed, Tak must collect feathers(mana) to do different spells. And he can do spells. The Restoration Dance restores Tak to full health, and also must obtain collectibles, such as Tikis to summon other spirits.

Pins and Needles, aides of Tlaloc

Flora, daughter of the Moon Juju who helps Tak

Monty Python's Flying Circus

Monty Python's Flying Circus

-BBC comedy show broadcast from 1969-1974
-Comprised or surreality, risque, innuendo humor, sight gags, observational sketches without punchlines
-First episode debuted on Sept. 7, 1969
-The show targeted various topics, like British culture, especially those of high ranking people. The crew members of the show were very highly educated; Terry Jones and Michael Palin were Oxford graduates; Eric Idle, John Cleese and Graham Chapman attended Cambridge; and American born Terry Gilliam is an Occidenal College grad.
-Their humor is often intellectual, while making jokes about literary figures.

Did You Know?
-Terry Gilliam was the only American in the group

Characters

Arthur Pewtey(Palin)
-socially inept, very dull guy who appears in the skit "Argument Clinic" "Marriage Guidance Counselor" "Ministry of Silly Walks"
-His skits take the form of an office appointment with an authority figure, usually John Cleese, or occasionally Chapman. They end up parodying the British establishment by having the professional employed in bizarre fields of work

The Reverend Arthur Belling(Chapman and Palin)
-Vicar of St. Loony-Up-The-Cream-Bun-And-Jam
-Known for bizarre behavior

The "It's" man(Palin)
-Robinson Crusoe-like castaway, with torn clothing, long, unkept beard, who appears at the beginning of the show
-He is seen performing some long or dangerous task, such as falling off a tall, jagged cliff, or running large distance towards the camera and saying "It's"

Mr. Badger(Idle)
-Scotsman whose specialty is interrupting sketches
-Has been seen as an airplane hijacker, whose demands are odd

The "Pepperpots"
-Screeching, middle aged, lower-middle class housewives played by the Pythons in dresses.
-The Pythons played most of the female roles themselves, unless the part called for younger, more glamorous actresses
-"Pepperpot" refers to what the Pythons believed was a typical image of a middle class British housewife
-Their real life targets have included then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the British police, being shown in drag, Queen Victoria

Character Traits

Chapman
-Played straight faced guys, of any age/class, authority figures, such as military officers, police, doctors
-Also was called upon to play cross dressing and gay stereotypes, in fact he was gay, but it was not publicly known

Cleese
-Played ridiculous authority figures
-Chapman claims he is the funniest one in drag
-Also played foreigners with odd accents, such as Frenchmen

Gilliam
-Many of the animations were done by him
-Some of his on screen work included: A man with a stoat through his head, Cardinal Fang in The Spanish Inquisition sketch, A dandy wearing a mask, bikini underwear, and a cape, a hotel clerk in The Cycling Tour episode

Idle
-Best known for his roles as a cheeky, suggestive playboy, "Nudge, Nudge" as a crafty salesman, in Monty Python's Life of Brian, a merchant who loves to haggle
-Known as the master of the one liner
-Unlike Jones, Idle usually ended up playing the female roles, only altering his voice slightly.
-Several times he appeared as upper-class, middle aged females, such as Rita Fairbanks, sexually repressed Protestant wife

Jones
-He was said to have pulled most of the strings on the show

Palin
-Considered by all the Pythons as the one with the widest range, adept as a straight man, or wildly over the top
-Played working class northerners, weak willed, put upon men, boring accountant in the "Vocational Guidance Counselor"
-Also plays heavily accented characters, mostly French

Retro Signs