way age thing in website?

[MirindoR 10]

ok so recently (talkin bout past year or so) ive been noticing how all videogame websites have started to request age or date of birth when accessing their websites...

i find the process quite annoying and time consuming especially since if you dont select a +18 age you get locked out and to re enter it you have to delete cookies etc..

is this a videogame company thing trying to establish the age of theyre customers or has EU regulation somehow imposed on vg companies this age threshold on their website in addition to the sticker on the boxes?

am i the only one whos annoyed about this?

i tried to join a website on moh, somehow got a "wrong" date (i just changed the year to domething down the list randomly so it was 1-1-19something) and it locked me out...

what's the goddamn point?!?!!?!?

[Zipper5 74]

I imagine it's main purpose is to avoid lawsuits. People will sue for anything nowadays. It can get annoying, but oh well.

[MirindoR 10]

ill sue them for trying to steal personal information

[Inkompetent 0]

You can enter any kind of age really as long as it is a legal age, and the date is (not supposed to be) saved. It's just like the ruler measuring your height at theme park attractions to see you ain't too short or tall to have a ride. However it protects them against lawsuits in the Happy Land of Sue Everyone You See For Any Reason You Can Make Up, Especially For Things You Are Only And Only Personally Responsible For If You Have Enough Common Sense To Breathe On Your Own (also called USA).

[bascule42 10]

I like the ones where I can select 1900 for age :) I'm waiting for a pop up from the Guiness World Records book telling me I'm the oldest person alive.

[MirindoR 10]

yeah bascule i remember i always used to do that until i once got locked out so i just click on the pop down menu and select a random age. some websites require you to select month and day too, so if you leave them as default 1's they lock you out.......

[NeMeSiS 11]

I remember years ago that i gave a youtube link to a friend and he said he couldnt view it 'because he wasnt old enough yet'. I struck me as very odd that someone gave his real age in a case like that. I didnt know people even did that.

[ryguy 10]

It's only with games over 18. You can't sue the website for "stealing personal information" because by entering their website you agree to their Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Honestly, selecting two random days and months then clicking on a random year (about 5 seconds) doesn't count as "annoying and time consuming" in my book.

[Jack_Ryan_ 10]

it keeps out bots

[max power 21]

Yeah, if you lie about your age, it's not BI's fault. Therefore, they are not responsible for any wrong doing if minors who lie about their age see things they should not have seen.

[Guest]

I like the ones where I can select 1900 for age :) I'm waiting for a pop up from the Guiness World Records book telling me I'm the oldest person alive.

Actually a couple of months back I can remember to have vistted a site which made a joke if you selected an age like that. Something like "you are really an to old a fart to watch this". I lauged my ass of cause I always just do what you do :D

[echo1 0]

ill sue them for trying to steal personal information

Well, given that you chose to give them your DOB of your own free will, the judge might look at you funny :p

[Zipper5 74]

I was incredibly naive in putting my real age when I created my YouTube account. Freakin' retarded, in fact...

To be honest I've seen way more f*cked up shit on the internet than an 18+ video game. It is the internet after all. In fact I'd go as far to say that if you aren't able to deal with seeing that crap (you might not like seeing it, of course, like the sane person you surely are, but what I mean is you don't go apeshit) you shouldn't be using the internet in the first place. :p

Oh well, only 5 more months. ;)

[sparks50 0]

I like sites that defaults the selection to old age so I can just press OK. The ones where you have to enter the entire date is slightly annoying.

On a unrelated note, Maruk is posting quotes at the bottom of the post answering them. Anyone else finding this annoying? :bigsmile:

Edited August 11, 2010 by sparks50

[Zipper5 74]

I find it unique. :p

On a unrelated note, Maruk is posting quotes at the bottom of the post answering them. Anyone else finding this annoying? :bigsmile:

[celery 8]

The websites could just as well have a binary "Are you 18 years or older? Y/N" choice rather than waste everyone's time by making them click 6 or 7 times to get the first day and month available and a random year past the age limit. Either way only an idiot would deliberately identify themselves as a minor if the website requires a certain age.

[Simon C 0]

it keeps out bots

Why would you try and stop 'bots' from accessing a page where they can't post anything? I've yet to see an age selection screen on a forum, just on the intro page to a game, where 'bots' can't do anything.

[Big Mac 19]

it keeps out bots

One day they'll make a AI enhanced spam bot. Kinda like the Terminator, except it won't kill you or sound like a certain governor of california.

[sparks50 0]

I am. Joined 2006 and have still not said one sensible thing :D

Edited August 12, 2010 by sparks50