Study says 'M' rated games garner more sales

San Diego (CA) - A new study seems to go paradoxically against the Wii’s success, claiming that "Mature" games sell better than less violent titles.

The Electronic Entertainment Design and Research (EEDAR) group, a new firm tracking the video game industry, released a report on the impact of video game ratings.

According to the report, games with an M rating received higher average review scores and higher average sales than any other rating.

The study, which looked at 406 games (219 retail titles and 187 downloadable titles), also said that "highly rated titles" sold on average five times more copies than those with lower review scores.

The M rating is much more selective than other ratings. Low-budget publishers tend to steer clear of the gore and violence that warrants an M, leaving mainly high cost, high profile games to carry the restrictive rating.

Despite what the EEDAR’s report shows, the Wii has continued to be the best-selling console all year. The Wii currently has less than 10 M-rated titles.