M-Rated Games Are Still as Popular as Ever

Although the video game industry has expanded its efforts to offer familyfriendly titles and technology, M-rated (for Mature) games continue to be some of the most well-known titles and the biggest sellers. And these games, intended for players 17 and older, continue to be played by pre-teen and teenage youth.

The interactive equivalent of R-rated movies, M-rated games continue to be the segment in which video game producers often display their most graphic boundary-pushing content as well as, according to many critics, their highest artistic achievements. The popularity of these games seems to be driven by these two factors. Players appreciate the complex story lines, intricately crafted worlds and compelling characters and also are eager for the shocking images and amoral themes.

While the popularity of M-rated games is not a new phenomenon, the degree to which the mainstream news media have taken notice of their intense following by fans seems to have changed. This year’s release of Grand Theft Auto IV was anticipated with the same exhaustive excitement as the release of a blockbuster Hollywood sequel, with even media titans such as CNN and the New York Times providing reviews of the game for their readers. The game’s sales were examined like box office receipts, and its parent company stock price was discussed in financial journalists’ articles. In terms of revenues, these games rival, and in some cases eclipse, Hollywood films.

The Video Game Industry Continues to Grow


Until the economic crisis in September, it appeared as if video games sales would make 2008 another record year. In fact, even in the midst of the most dire financial crisis since the Great Depression, video game sales continued to outpace the previous year’s sales through the third quarter by 26 percent. This makes video games seem more recession-proof than other entertainment industries. It’s possible that final sales figures will show that 100 million video game machines, including home consoles and portable devices, were sold worldwide in 2008. And even in the midst of an economic crisis that prompted many industries to make broad job cuts, the North American video game workforce grew by 13 percent.

Video games have become a very big business. Monthly sales figures are reported in mainstream media sources such as USAToday and Bloomberg. Such reports catalog the number of different consoles sold, the month’s biggest-selling games and make comparisons to the previous year’s sales figures for that month. In short, the video game industry is treated with the same degree of analysis and speculation as any other multi-billion-dollar “growth industry.” The industry’s arrival as a gigantic economic motor may have been signaled when Activision and Vivendi merged in late 2007, forming an $18 billion company. In 2008, the ripples of the industry’s reorganization were apparent as rumors of mergers and acquisitions affected company stock prices.