This is an article me and my good friend Omar wrote for the newspaper at our school. I don't know if they'll publish it. I sent in 2 articles before; 1 questioning the M rating of the Halo series and another one about the Hot coffee mod. Neither one was published.

Reggie C. & Omar A.

Murder simulator. Most violent game ever. These are a few of the things that the video game Manhunt 2 had been called by critics before it had even come out on Halloween.
Manhunt 2 is a video game developed by Rockstar Games in which you play as Daniel Lamb, a former scientist, trying to escape an asylum.
The game is rated M for mature, meaning that you can only buy this game at most stores if you’re 17 years of age or older making it the equivalent of an R rating in a movie. It had originally been rated Adults Only (AO) by the Electronic Software Ratings Board (ESRB) and in Britain the game has been banned. The ESRB is to the video game industry what the MPAA is to the film industry. Under an AO rating (18 and older), Rockstar would not have been able to publish Manhunt 2 on most of the systems in existence except for the PC. This is because Sony and Nintendo, the two companies that will have Manhunt on their consoles, both have policies against allowing AO games on their products despite the fact that there is only a year age difference between an M rated game and an AO rated game. In addition, most stores refuse to stock AO titles.
Across the U.S., various politicians and watchdog groups are lobbying for the game to be banned or boycotted. California Senator Leland Yee issued a press release stating “It is imperative that parents avoid purchasing this game for their children...as Manhunt 2 can have negative effects on our children.” Statements like this would seem to be unnecessary because of the game’s M rating. However watchdog groups like The Campaign For a Commercial Free Childhood have said “Because of the change in Manhunt 2's rating, it’s a given that this ultra-violent video game will be sold to children. It should be banned.”
Opponents of these groups like the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) have said that their statements are largely untrue. According to the ESA, “eighty-six percent of game players under the age of 18 report that they get their parents’ permission when renting or buying games, and 91 percent say their parents are present when they buy games.” In addition the average age of the video game player is 33 years. This would lead one to believe that the majority of people buying this game are most definitely not children.
This is a fact that the ESA and the ESRB say that watchdog groups fail to realize in their battles against video games. Because most video game players are adults’ they should be able to make their own choices in what type of media they would like to consume. In response to critics, ESRB president Patricia Vance recalled a Federal Trade Commission study that stated that major retailers "currently stop the sale of M-rated games to buyers under 17 the vast majority of the time, having surpassed the level of enforcement achieved by theatre owners in connection with children's access into R-rated movies."
“This points to double standard between video games and other media like movies.” said student Waleed Rehm 09. “ Movies like Hostel 1 and 2 and the Saw series have always been given R ratings, which are equivalent to M ratings.. Even the Passion of the Christ which was very bloody and deemed offensive was given an R rating without second thought. These movies are extremely violent and have never been called out by any watchdog groups to be banned. However as soon as a game like Manhunt 2 comes out, which is far less violent than any of those movies, there are calls by politicians and watchdogs to ban or boycott it.” One of the reasons for this is because, despite the fact that the average age of a gamer is 33, video games are seen in American society as a toy for kids. Many people do not understand or do not wish to believe that not all video games are advertised for kids. Just as there are movies and books for adults, there are video games that are for adults.
In the end it all comes down to parental responsibility. Each parent decides what they think is appropriate for their child to play. In addition, if a parent is afraid their child might be able to sneak an undesirable game into the house, they can put a lock onto their child’s gaming system. The Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360 all have options in which parents can put a password protected restriction on what type of games the system can play. Like movie ratings, game ratings are essentially guidelines to help parents make a choice.

Does it sound too opinianated or no? And whatdo you think of it in general?