Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation
What Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality developers are talking about
Just like every other entry in the action series, Devil May Cry 5 has been given a Mature rating by the ESRB. Part of the reason it received the M rating? Well, some unfortunate folks are impaled by demon tentacles in one cutscene.
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Responding to the loot box controversy, the ESRB will place a new label on all games with in-game purchases. Basically, every game with DLC will earn the label, not just those which feature loot boxes.
The post ESRB to place new label on all titles with in-game purchases appeared first on Digital Trends.
Rhode Island state representative Robert Nardolillo III has proposed legislation to introduce a 10 percent tax on Mature-rated video games. All proceeds from the tax would go toward funding mental health services in schools.
The post A Rhode Island state representative wants to tax violent video games appeared first on Digital Trends.
Senator Maggie Hassan has joined the growing list of politicians expressing concerns over loot boxes in video games. She has reached out to the ESRB in hopes that the ratings board will revise its reviewing practices.
The post United States Senator pens letter to ESRB calling for loot box regulations appeared first on Digital Trends.
For PlayStation VR owners who were looking for a military shooter that offered something a bit more in-depth than the average wave shooter, Bravo Team seems to be tailor made for that audience. Further news on what players can expect from the title has now emerged thanks to the ESRB.
The ESRB, or Entertainment Software Rating Board, is the American regulatory organisation that gives age and content ratings to videogames. As such, they get to see them before anyone else, and so can provide a good source of information on some aspects of an upcoming title.
In the case of Bravo Team, the title has been assigned the rating of T for Teen, with content warnings for blood and violence. Slightly more interesting is the description, which describes players as battling militia soldiers in a fictional country. The description also speaks about some sections allowing players to command comrades in the squad to use stealth to take out enemy soldiers.
Though there will be a single-player mode, most likely with AI controlling the player’s squadmates, it is the co-op mode that had drawn the most attention. As was said in the VRFocus preview: “Bravo Team should really be looked at as a purely two-player experience, as that going to be where the most fun will be had. Not only will players have to pick each other up should one go down, they’ll need to carefully manage ammo, as the crates available on route only dispense to the player that opens it.”
Bravo Team is due for release on 6th December, 2017 and will be compatible with the PlayStation Aim controller for what the developers at Supermassive Games hope will make for a more intuitive and immersive experience.
VRFocus will bring you further news on Bravo Team as it becomes available.
The Entertainment Software Rating Board has refused to classify video game "loot boxes" as a form of gambling. The chance-based digital items have massively grown in popularity in 2017.
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Thanks to some cartoonishly endowed fairies and one character's drunken hiccuping, the upcoming Nintendo Switch launch title, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, has been rated as containing some "use of alcohol," and "suggestive themes."
The post Booze and boobs net ‘Breath of the Wild’ series-first ratings from ESRB appeared first on Digital Trends.
Back in August of 2016 one of our writers opened up about his fear of VR’s perception and how the existing ratings system would be influential in that. At the birth of VR’s gaming ecosystem, a couple games got an “M” rating from the ESRB right off the bat, citing “VR interactivity” as a significant factor in the evaluation. The platform’s immersive and hands-on nature was clearly going to muddy the water when it came to ratings across different cultures and it didn’t look like companies had clear guidelines in place just yet.
Now, one of the biggest players in the VR scene has made a transition to a system that will potentially provide more accurate and informational takes on what a VR game presents as it relates to specific regions and cultures.
Announced today on their blog, Oculus is transitioning to ratings provided by the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) which is the same system used in the Google Play Store and Nintendo eShop. The IARC is fairly young, having been formed just in 2013 by the ESRB and other international rating organizations. The coalition was created as a way to easily apply ratings to digital content with region specific standards around the world. Whether you’re requesting a classification retroactively for content already in the Oculus Store or adding something new, a questionnaire will be presented to you and it works atop an algorithm tailored to provide accurate ratings for the regions it can be accessed in.
What does this mean? Initially it makes things easier for developers to get ratings up for territories foreign to them, but it makes things a bit easier for consumers as well because it “provides consumers a consistent set of familiar and trusted ratings that reflect their own cultural norms regarding content and age-appropriateness” as explained in the blog post.
Existing titles will need to complete the IARC rating process no later than March 1, 2017 to avoid removal from the Oculus Store.