Bethesda's upcoming fantasy RPG, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which includes a reference to rape, stacks of blood, gore, intense violence, sexual themes and alcohol, has unsurprisingly been given a Mature (M) rating by the US Entertainment Software Rating Board.
The M rating suggests that the highly-anticipated game "may be suitable for persons aged 17 and older", but young US gamers won't be entirely excluded as the rating has no legal bearing and it's left to retailers to choose whether or not to enforce any age-restricted sales policies.
We suspect some retailers will choose sales over moral responsibility, but if you're worried about exposing your kids to adult-orientated games, here's an ESRB summary of what to expect in The Elder Scrolls V:
"This is a fantasy role-playing game in which players assume the role of Dovakin, a prophesied figure with the power to combat dragons in the fictional world of Skyrim."
"As players traverse through mountainous open-world environments, they complete missions and quests that impact the eventual fate of their character. Players use swords, bows and arrows, axes, and magic attacks (e.g., fireballs, ice shards) to kill various enemies (e.g., wolves, dragons, human bandits and soldiers)."
"As players engage in melee-style combat, some sequences are highlighted by slow-motion effects, particularly for decapitations. Large blood-splatter effects also occur during combat, and some environments are stained with blood or body parts (e.g., heads impaled on spikes). Some sequences allow players to injure/kill non-adversary characters, including prisoners chained to a wall; they scream in pain amid splashes of blood or fire."
"As the game progresses, the dialogue and on-screen text contains references to sexual material (e.g., ". . . all the whores your heart, or any other organ, desires," "She . . . raped the men as cruelly as Bal had ravished her," and "Remember when you thought [he] was . . . intent on making you . . . into his personal sex slave?")."
"Alcohol such as wine, mead, and ale can be purchased and consumed by players' character throughout the game; and in one sequence, players can engage in a drinking contest with another character, which eventually results in slurred speech (e.g., "One more. No problemsh . . . Thash grape!")."
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is slated for release on November 11th for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
