We've received more than a few comments and emails concerning Xbox Live Marketplace age restrictions. Specifically, Live members that are under the age of 18 are unable to download trailers and demos for M rated or unrated games. Naturally, this is disappointing to many Live gamers looking to download, say, the Kane & Lynch demo from XBLM. Major Nelson has posted an explanation for this restriction on his blog. Essentially, you can blame the ESRB. Demos and trailers are considered advertising and aren't made available to gamers under 18 in accordance with ESRB guidelines. Major Nelson notes that the same guidelines apply to the Playstation Store and Wii Shop Channel as well, so the 360 isn't by itself in this matter. So there you have it.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
12-28-2007 @ 4:55PM
ChromaTick said...
So wait. You have to be 18 to view a demo/trailer for an M-rated game, but you only have to be 17 to purchase it? lol
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12-28-2007 @ 5:49PM
Don Wilson said...
lol lol lol
12-29-2007 @ 5:24AM
Philip said...
When I was at best buy with my friend the other day they told him he had to 18 to buy Call of Duty 4. The same thing happened when he tried to play test Assassin's Creed at an other store.
12-28-2007 @ 5:06PM
Project Ekim said...
The ESRB should not choose what the kids watch, this should be up to the parents....
This is getting out of hand. How does someone go about appealing somthing like this?
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12-28-2007 @ 5:49PM
Don Wilson said...
'getting out of hand'? This is the way games have always been.
12-28-2007 @ 6:54PM
HaVoC said...
By making it to where you have to be 18 or older to download mature content, you are giving the right to determine what a child sees to their parent. The only thing that this limitation does is stop kids from downloading things that their parents may not want them to see without their consent. If their parent doesn’t mind them playing or viewing adult material, then their parent can create an account and download it for them.
12-28-2007 @ 5:10PM
UNSCleric said...
I enjoy listening to people cry about this. It's the new thing we all get to listen to for the next couple years or more. Keep it up whiners.
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12-29-2007 @ 4:11PM
xenocidic said...
I've been hearing people bitch about it on forums since Dec 4 , I'm glad they've finally got an official statement that I can point them to and see - there! wait until you're 18 !
12-31-2007 @ 6:27AM
Zeus the God said...
Look, I don't give a shit what you guys are saying, I honestly don't, but the ultimate choice is up to the parents, and no matter who we blame for this, ESRB or Microsoft, its unacceptable as they are making the decision for the parents. This type of thing wouldn't be such an issue of the parents had an OPTION to allow their child's account to view this type of stuff.
I'm 17, and I feel that I'm getting ripped off. I just turned 17 in November, so I would have to wait another year before I have the option to play any demos view any trailers or download content for games that that have a Mature rating, even though I could legally go out and buy whatever M rated game I so choose. Thats pretty much bullshit, and I can see where others are coming from. Maybe you don't have to deal with it because you don't have a "child" account, but those of us that are dealing with it feel like we're getting shafted, so please don't complain about bitching. You aren't in the same situation.
This is why after the 360, I'm sticking PC only, is because of the progress of consoles, content is getting raped with ratings and restrictions.
Again, you're probably not in the same situation, so just shut the fuck up.
12-28-2007 @ 5:15PM
Emily said...
I like it.
I think it's a good idea, this isnt here to replace parents and what they say is good or bad, but to protect the kids and help parents monitor what they play/watch/download.
Think about it, you have a single mom working two jobs, manages to buy her son a X-Box 360 so he isn't as bored at home, but when she's out she doesnt want him playing these games, she can't stop the kid when she's not their and this will help.
It might seem stupid to people 17 who want this crap, but hell, if your that close just bloody lie.
It is a legal requirement (At least in Canada) to ask a person how old they are when they buy games, it even pops up on the scanner to remind people of this, but some people don't care, or at least figure the person is of age.
Just think of it the same as movies, when you were a kid, you werent aloud to watch 14A movies when you were ten right? Well, now that ten year old can't play the game version.
I love the bloody kill tear rip shred shoot games myself, but that doesnt mean my little brother who is 13 should be playing the exact same games.
BioShock is a really good example. He wanted to borrow it but it is a really freaky game and it's rating is too high. (Plus he couldn't smuggle it past our Mom)
Just because they put restrictions on stuff doesn't mean it's a bad thing. In the end it's for the protection of the next gen of gamers.
Sounds stupid and lame but hey. Whatcha going to do? It isnt Big Brother yet, and at least they haven't banned them outright like some would have.
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12-29-2007 @ 9:30AM
JakubK666 said...
I'm 13 myself and while I spent hours chainsawing on GoW I don't recommend Bioshock to any of my mates either...this game scares the crap out of people...
1-04-2008 @ 12:44PM
Phoenix-X302 said...
Thats all well and good, but you have to remember that you can actually set parental settings on that 360. So there are means in which one can actually 'control' what they play.
And you say that the 17 year olds should lie, but that does nothing for those who have 'Child Accounts' for their XBL account.
12-28-2007 @ 5:21PM
Bryan T said...
Well, everytime ESRB, I always want to lash out and brag about how me and my dad used to play mortal kombat when I was only five.
The problem with this is that there will never be a universal acceptance. Some parents will be fine with their kids playing anything and everything, and others will want to lash away from the shooters or the horror genre games.
And while of course I would be happy if these rules weren't in place, they do more good than harm, whereas the opposite would not be true if these rules were repealed.
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12-28-2007 @ 5:29PM
Richard said...
how about mentioning something on here that xbox live here in the UK has crashed, i have 12 of my friends who were online with me now they are on msn saying they are all having issues with live right now. After telling my friends how good the xbox live network is & they now have 360's.. im feeling a lil down! :I
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12-28-2007 @ 5:34PM
Jeff Holland said...
@Richard: Issues w/ Live here in the US too. Anyone got an explanation?
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12-28-2007 @ 5:54PM
Anticrawl said...
Microsoft announced they were having issues last weekend and they didn't know what were causing them. I've been having serious troubles with Live that made me go so far as to setup a wired LAN in my new appartment. It helped a bit (as the dashboard update seemed to have nerfed the wireless 360 adapter) but Live still cuts out at odd times and fails to retrieve information. Plus I'm getting lots of error messages.
12-28-2007 @ 5:48PM
joedirt131 said...
This is absolutely stupid. There's already parental settings that prohibit M-rated content from being played on the console. If parents are too stupid to know how to set it up, that's their problem, not everybody else's. Why should everybody else be forced to follow these guidelines, even if the parents decide their kids are old enough to play mature games? Not to mention the 17-year-olds, who, according to the ESRB, are old enough to play M-rated games, but according to Microsoft, aren't. Also, Xbox Live isn't intellegent enough to figure out when someone turns 18 and convert their account to an adult account, so even some people who are over 18 are left out of this. But the real issue is that Microsoft isn't giving their consumers or their parents choice.
If it really is the ESRB doing this, then they have stepped past the line. I mean, sure, it's a small step, but this will continue. Soon, the game-hating politicians will join in the fun, and start banning games and making it illegal for anyone under age 18 to play M-rated games. It sounds far-fetched, but it's the direction we're headed in. If people continue to blow this off and say it's no big deal, it'll just get worse and worse until we have no control over what we're allowed to play or watch.
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12-28-2007 @ 5:57PM
Anticrawl said...
On topic here. I could care less what they do, I'm an adult and am not having any problems. You should blame the fathers of kids who got their cards stolen by their kid and racked up charges which lead the father to file a lawsuit. Microsoft and the ESRB can't be sure that young gamers aren't being monitored and are most likely doing all this because of liability issues. It isn't anyones fault but dishonest and gold-digging gamers.
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12-28-2007 @ 5:59PM
Anticrawl said...
Which brings me to my next point. Parents should beat their kids. Telling them to go to timeout isn't going to earn any respect or put some bad seed in line. Everyone has to take responsibility for their own actions.
12-29-2007 @ 9:28AM
JakubK666 said...
100% Agree...I was beaten at home and I'm pretty much proud of it.
I CAN'T STAND this whole new "Super Nanny/Nanny997" trend.Seriously fuck it and just beat your kids!
Whoops I just swore...got to seat on my naughty chair :)