Cuisine Royale Age Rating Explained
Age ratings exist for most forms of media. They’re a way of quantifying content in an attempt to determine who it’s appropriate for. Those from younger generations may find them frustrating, as it can mean that certain movies and games are out of reach. For parents, it can be concerning to know what the various ratings mean and how they apply to different forms of media. If you’re confused by the Cuisine Royale age rating, or even curious as to what it actually is, you’ve come to the right place.
Why Do We Have Age Ratings?
Although they may seem to some as unnecessarily prohibitive, and at times arbitrary, age ratings exist to protect those seen as vulnerable and easily influenced by certain things. In the same way that tobacco and alcohol are prohibited to minors, certain media faces the same restrictions. Graphic, violent, sexual content, as well as bad language has long been subject to age ratings. Whether it’s movies or TV shows, society takes steps to protect minors.
The argument about violence in videogames influencing young people is a separate issue (there’s no compelling evidence to suggest a link). However, there are ways that we rate all kinds of content to protect minors. The extent and legal implications of these age ratings differ around the world.
Age Ratings in Video Games
There is quite a lot to unpack when it comes to video games and the age ratings that accompany them. Across the world, there are different systems used, as well as a range of criteria used to assess each game that’s released. Let’s take a look at two of the main systems in use – the ESRB, used in the US, and the PEGI, used in the UK and Europe.
ESRB
The Entertainment Software Rating Board was formed in 1994. At that time, there had been a fair amount of controversy about some of the games being sold on the newly popular home consoles. Titles like Mortal Kombat showed often extreme violence, such as Sub-Zero’s fatality move, where he rips the spine out of his opponent.
It was formed during a time where campaigns such as the RIAA coined the ‘Parental Advisory Explicit Content’ label for music CDs. The aim of the ESRB is to keep extreme content out of the reach of those it could negatively impact. It’s a non-governmental, self-regulatory body, meaning that there are no legal ramifications for retailers if they sell age-inappropriate games to children.
Along with age ratings, the ESRB recently adopted content ratings too. The full list is outlined below:
- EC – Early childhood.
- E – Everyone.
- E10+ - Everyone aged over 10.
- T – Teens.
- M – Mature, 17+.
- AO – Adults Only, 18+.
- RP – Rating Pending.
- In-game purchases.
- Users interact.
- Shares location.
- Unrestricted internet.
As you can see, there are quite a few labels, and some are used in conjunction with others. It’s rare to see the AO rating, as most games, even if they have adult content, are rated M.
PEGI
The Pan-European Game Information system came into play in the UK in 2012, although it has existed since 2003. It created a legally enforceable system for classifying video games. It was developed by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe, and has replaced nationally enforced limits across Europe.
Much like the ESRB, there are ratings based on age as well as content. The rating is not an indicator of how difficult a game is, just who the content is suitable for. The ratings are:
- PEGI 3 – suitable for all.
- PEGI 7 – contains scenes that may frighten younger children.
- PEGI 12 – contains some fantasy violence and/or sexual innuendo and mild bad language.
- PEGI 16 – contains violence and/or sexual activity that looks similar to real life. Language can be more extreme.
- PEGI 18 – contains depictions of gross violence, glamorization of drugs and explicit sex.
- Violence – contains some violence.
- Bad language – contains some bad language.
- Fear – contains pictures or sounds that may be frightening.
- Gambling – contains content that teaches or encourages gambling.
- Sex – contains sexual reference or content.
- Drugs – contains the use of illegal drugs, alcohol or tobacco.
- Discrimination – contains depictions of discrimination, such as ethnic, religious etc.
- Online – may contain online interactions.
- In-game purchases – may contain paid additional content.
Again, this is a fairly comprehensive list of ratings and content markers. Unlike in the US, stores can be held legally responsible for selling PEGI-rated content to those under the age rating.
Cuisine Royale Age Rating
So, with two systems, what is the Cuisine Royale age rating? Well, in the US, it’s rated as M for Mature. In the UK and Europe, its rated as a PEGI 16 title. There are several reasons for this rating:
- The game features scenes of violence. The Cuisine Royale age rating takes into account the game’s core mechanic, shooting enemies until you’re the last one standing. As they use guns that look real, it’s not fantasy violence, and thus has a higher rating.
- The game features encouragement of the use of tobacco. This one is slightly dubious, but players can smoke cigars to gain an advantage in-game.
- The game features online play. Because there are potential online interactions, it’s harder to monitor the content that the player may be exposed to.
- The game features microtransactions. There is additional content that players can purchase inside the game.
How Does the Cuisine Royale Age Rating Compare?
So, how does Cuisine Royale stack up against other competitor games? Well, it’s pretty much as you’d expect:
- Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds gets a PEGI 16 rating for violence and drugs. For ESRB, it’s rated as T for Teen due to blood and violence.
- Fortnite gets a PEGI 12 rating for violence and in-game purchases. For ESRB, it’s rated T for Teen due to violence.
- Apex Legends gets a PEGI 16 rating for violence and in-game purchases. For ESRB, it’s rated T for Teen due to blood and violence.
So there you have it – Cuisine Royale’s age rating is comparable to other shooters. Whether or not these rating systems work or have any value is the topic for another post!
