How Video Games Are Rated
I’ve never really taken much notice of video, movie or television ratings. I had a general idea of what the ratings meant but it really wasn’t something I thought about when making purchases or deciding what movie or show I would watch.
Now that I’m a parent those rules have changed. I do pay attention. A babysitter allowed my child to view the new “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” movie with Johnny Depp. This turned out to be a huge mistake. She had nightmares about burning doll heads for weeks. I have to be more careful about what comes into my home and when it is played or viewed for her sake.
I live with a video game freak and he’s not quite paying attention like I am. He’s been playing a game during the evening hours, when my four-year-old is awake, that is full of blood, gore and shootings. I looked at the package and realized the warning is right there but he chose to ignore it. This led me to wonder about the process of rating video games.
Who Is the ESRB?
The ESRB is the Entertainment Software Rating Board. The organization is not a government program. It’s run by the gaming industry and most games are labeled through this program. It’s not required by law for game companies to go through ESRB for a rating but there are many retailers who will not consider putting a game up for sale that has not been labeled. The ESRB can fine a company that does not follow their guidelines and rules.
The Process
When a game developer submits their game to the ESRB they must also submit a detailed questionnaire. This questionnaire must thoroughly describe anything in the game that may be of questionable quality. This includes violence, gore, sexual content, drugs and adult language.
The developer must also include a videotape depicting the basic scenes and plot of the game. The tape should, at the very least, include each scene that may end up being questionable and prompt a rating. Also included with this should be the lyrics to any songs and any dialog that will be heard anywhere in the game. The company must also give hidden codes to the reviewers so they may view bonus materials as well.
A panel designated by the ESRB then reviews the material. The panel is made up of people at least 21 years old and that have no ties to the game industry. The ESRB then uses the reviewer’s responses to rate the game.
The Seven Ratings
These ratings can be found on the packaging of your game. The rating you think is safe for your children is up to you. The ratings are as follows:
– EC (Early Childhood) – These games are recommended for all people age three and up. There should be no questionable material what so ever anywhere in the game.
– E (Everyone) – These games are suitable for children age six and up. The game may contain minimal cartoon-like or extremely mild violence or language.
– E10+ (Everyone 10 years +) – These are suitable for age ten and up. These games may contain mild fantasy-like violence, language and situations. In simple terms this means there may be a violent action but the character remains unharmed and the situations should have no relation to real life situations. The scenes and scenarios should all be fantasy based.
– T (Teen) – These are most suited for children over the age of thirteen. The game may contain violence (with little or no blood shed), suggestive situations, mild-to-strong language or suggestive humor.
– M (Mature) – The mature rating is suggested for those age 17 and up. These games may include extreme violence, body mutilations, gore, strong sexual content and language, and strong adult themes.
– AO (Adult Only) – These games are recommended for people age 18 and up. They are marked by extremely graphic and have life-like depictions of sex and or violent situations. These scenes are often long and may contain nudity.
– RP (Rating Pending) – This rating may appear on advertising for a game that is still undergoing the rating process. The rating has yet to be established.
Descriptions
In addition to the seven ratings there are 32 different descriptions tagged to each game to further explain the contents.
Sexual related descriptions include: Mature Sexual Themes, Nudity, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Sexual Content, Suggestive Themes and Sexual Violence.
Violence related descriptions include: Animated Blood, Blood, Blood and Gore, Cartoon Violence, Fantasy Violence, Intense Violence, Mild Violence, and Violence.
Language related descriptions include: Crude Humor, Comic Mischief, Language, Lyrics, Strong Language, Strong Lyrics, Mild Language and Mild Lyrics.
Adult Theme related descriptions include: Alcohol Reference, Drug Reference, Tobacco Reference, Real Gambling, Gambling, Simulated Gambling, Mature Humor, Use of Drugs, Use of Alcohol and Use of Tobacco.
Miscellaneous descriptions include: Edutainment, Informational and Some Adult Assistance May Be Needed.
Last Words
These descriptions and ratings are supposed to be a guide for consumers so they know what to expect when purchasing a video game for their child. The parent should also view the game for themselves to make the final decision on suitability for their family. The age ratings are a guide but each child is different. What may be OK for one twelve-year-old may not be for another. Remember, you have the final say!
