Editorial: Mass Effect 2 ESRB Listing Candidly Talks Sex And Drugs

Browsing the ESRB database today I noticed the listing has appeared for Mass Effect 2, by BioWare, due out next month on Xbox 360 and PC.  Lets talk about it here, and hopefully do some damage control, before Fox News have a chance to make a complete mess out of this just like last time.Blood, Drug Reference, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence…these are all descriptive terms used in the justification of the Mature rating Mass Effect 2 has received in the United States (18 in the UK), so first of all lets look at the section where the ESRB discuss the issue of drugs in the title.

The game contains themes of illicit drug use, addiction, and trafficking—often focal points to the branching storylines; for example, “Morinth likes dancing while on a drug called Hallex,” “Narcotics flooded my veins when I attacked,” and “The asari injecting so many drugs into me was terrifying.”

So okay there’s not a whole lot to go on here aside from the implication that some female character named Morinth likes to dance whilst on a high, as well as the drug-fed torture of other characters important to the narrative.  In the gritty world that BioWare created with the first title we were exposed to a slew of shady scenarios which were, depending on how you played the title, morally justifiable such as the decision to keep the Krogan warrior Wrex from finding a cure for the genophage…which prevented his people from having the ability to reproduce.  And just because the Krogan race were creatures of war, who would have likely once again attempted to conquer than live in peaceful co-existence with the rest of the galaxy, doesn’t make it right.  The parallel here is that on one hand you have drugs which are harmful to characters, and then you have the ability to save an entire species with another.  That’s not to mention that Ashley will kill Wrex should you not be able to convince him otherwise too, so in reality do you feel bad for the character knowing that he just wants to save his people, especially when you’re trying to do the same.  The bottom line is that nobody will go out looking for a hit of Hallex, simply because it doesn’t exist.  There is no evidence to suggest that implied, or explicit, drug abuse in a video game has any bearing on a real life individuals actions.

During the course of the game, players may enter a bar where alien pole dancing exists (choreography highlighted on big-screen monitors) or hear suggestive comments such as “krogan sexual deviants enjoy salarian flexibility” and ”if this is just about sex, maybe you should just f**king say so.” [Italics added] Players can also choose to have “romantic encounters” with the alien/human henchmen characters; this involves watching a guided cutscene in which two characters flirt, kiss, and/or embrace: clothed alien/human characters may prop a partner on top of a space console, clear away the clutter from a bed-slab, unzip a future-blouse, or just talk it out. Though an alien/human may gyrate her hips while on top (fleeting—one-to-two seconds), actual sex is never depicted—the camera cuts away to space furniture and ceilings.

Here’s where we get to the meat of the issue…Mass Effect 2, yes, is going to have some “romantic encounters” which I’m sure will once again come from how well you develop, or under develop, your relationships with your squad.  If you’re not up to date on the original story you can watch the Fox News segment here where anchor Cooper Lawrence attacks the “Se”Xbox, and Mass Effect, with Geoff Keighley valiantly defending accusations that the title featured full frontal nudity, as opposed to the truth which is that the title tastefully features “the side of an aliens boob”.  To be honest the whole segment was a hatchet job, clearly evident when Geoff was cut off mid-sentence in order to get the views of a ‘politically correct’ panel who were asking each other what happened to Pac-Man, Atari and other relics of the comparatively simple 1980’s.

With this pretext you can imagine what the reaction from the outlet will be when rumors get out that “Mass Effect 2 will feature playable Krogan sexual deviants”?  The above statement from the ESRB rating only implies the sexual preference of the Krogan species from a line of spoken ‘background’ dialogue, and thus not relevant to the story.  Only in a colourless world universe would a title so rich in biodiversity feature so bland an attitude towards sexuality, to imply that it should diminishes the product and the industry itself.  In the rating we also have talk of propping “a partner on top of a space console,” and unzipping future-blouses, which contrasts with the statement that you’re able to “talk it out.”  Sexual relations in Mass Effect were strictly optional, dependent on fulfilling certain requirements in order to develop the relationship with your chosen ‘mate’.  In Mass Effect 2 it clearly states that actual sex is never depicted, instead we’ll be treated to products from the Ikea of the future, and ceiling trim.  Neither of which are turn-on’s as far as I remember.

“If this is just about sex, maybe you should just f**king say so.”  A suggestive line indeed, and from what commenter BobSagat pointed out the line is spoken by a squad member whilst straddling Shepard (thanks for pointing that out).  It’s not the language that may cause problems, but the implied association that some may take as a pretext to a visualized event.  It’s a shame because we see non interactive elements like this in films such as Total Recall where Douglas Quaid is propositioned in a bar filled with prostitutes, yet refuses their advances.  I’m almost sure it’ll be the same with Mass Effect 2, if those opportunities even arise, as the clear implication is that the majority of the dialogue in this context is non-interactive.  To imply otherwise is ridiculous.

If Fox were to pick up on the particular elements discussed here then instead of Geoff Keighley, who to be fair tried his best but wasn’t taken seriously by the anchor, get a second highly respected journalist such Stephen Totilo, Leigh Alexander or even Dr. Ray Muzyka of BioWare to defend the product and the context in which these events take place.  Mass Effect 2 is not a game for teenagers or children, but a product to be enjoyed by someone of a responsible age, and thus should be treated with some form of maturity when under debate on the moral ground it inhabits.

In the context of Mass Effect you have to remember that these key elements of a story, sexuality and substance abuse, are more than just individual components, they are part an ongoing narrative which allows us to immerse ourselves in the world without relinquishing our own personal self-control.  Every self-conscious gamer is aware of that, and Fox News would be better served to play through the title properly, as well as the sequel, without having to resort to second hand reports on sexuality, substance abuse and claims of condoning genocidal warfare.  Maybe then they’d understand that what takes place here draws some parallels with James Cameron’s Avatar, with Jake Sully employing the role of the audiences character in a story which essentially is about fighting for survival in a morally justifiable world.  It’s called temporary escapism, nothing more.

Source:// ESRB

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