In this installment of The Reset Button we wonder what the difference is between an M rating and AO rating.

The Entertainment Software Ratings Board, still nursing its scald wounds from "Hot Coffee," is now engaged in a Rocky Balboa-Ivan Drago like staredown with Take-Two Interactive. All indications are that Take-Two has blinked first, postponing the release of Manhunt 2 to get a more consumer-friendly "Mature" rating instead of the retail kiss of death that is "Adults Only."

No question begs asking more than "What is the difference between the two ratings?" Per ESRB's website:

MATURE
Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.

ADULTS ONLY
Titles rated AO (Adults Only) have content that should only be played by persons 18 years and older. Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity.

I'm at a complete and total loss to understand the difference between the two. Blood, sex and curse words are common denominators. Is there some kind of chart that goes from "Kind of graphic" to "Dude, that was really unneccessary?" At the risk of getting this column slapped with an AO rating, how long is prolonged?

And what sad sack has the uncomfortable job of sitting there with an egg timer and declaring it to be a prolonged sexual scene at 26.3 seconds, or whatever the cutoff period is? How does one translate that experience to a resume? Probably the only person you can really describe that job to is the person that does the same thing for movie ratings. If I may borrow a little from Kramer's musings (on proctology, not racism) when that conversation starts, don't go anywhere, Jerry.