All-Ages Games Deserve The Same Recognition As Mature Ones
All-Ages Games Deserve The Same Recognition As Mature Ones
All-Ages Games Deserve The Same Recognition As Mature Ones
By Cristina Alexander
December 4, 2022
Summary
Like previous years, even Nintendo's most well-regarded games were tossed into that category - even ones that were reviewed better than some of the titles competing for Game of the Year.
More and more, it feels like games aren't getting top-level recognition unless they fit into a "Mature" mold.
That's leaving E-rated titles that aim to suit all ages struggling to be seen on the same level, giving the video game industry its own version of the Oscars' animation bias.
As Gaming writer De'Angelo Epps wrote earlier this year, the bosses that Klonoa encounters in each game teach us that we can't ignore negative emotions no matter how painful they are, as they are just as much an important part of life as positive ones are, and to disregard such emotions otherwise breeds toxic positivity.
E-rated games being overlooked in favor of Mature-rated games at ceremonies like The Game Awards is nothing new; it's the same thing has happened at the Oscars vis-à-vis animated films being passed over in favor of traditional, live-action films.
Since The Game Awards' inception eight years ago, Mature-rated games have outnumbered all-ages games for Game of the Year nominations by more than 3 to 1.
The only all-ages game that won Game of the Year was The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in 2017, when no "Mature" games were nominated for the award at all.
Reference
Alexander, C. (2022, December 4). All-ages games deserve the same recognition as mature ones. Digital Trends. Retrieved January 9, 2023, from https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/the-game-awards-2022-all-ages-games-vs-mature-games/