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I am often approached by people I know about what video games are appropriate for their kids. So as a bit of a public service I thought I would put this out for any parents out there whose kid(s) want to get into video gaming. As an avid hard-core gamer( AKA: dork, geek, nerd, actually it is a term to describe serious gaming hobbyists) I feel it is a good thing to reach out to “newbs”, causal players and parents in the marketplace on behalf of their children, and try to help them out a bit.
Content tends to be the big issue for parents, who are rightfully concerned about what that their kids are experiencing when they boot up a game and start playing.
Why is there a rating system?
A little history:
The history of video game ratings can be traced back to the early 1990’s. That time period is referred to by gamers as “The Sixteen Bit Era” or “The Golden Age” Sega Genesis and Nintendo SNES ruled the home console world at that time. The jump from the previous “8 Bit Systems” to more powerful “16 bit” systems meant a considerable jump in developer’s abilities to display much greater detail on the screen during game play. Characters on the screen previously represented by what amounted to stick figures were given a more distinctly human appearance and consequently a much greater potential to depict graphic violence.
In 1992 the spark of outrage from concerned parents and politicians was ignited by the release of Mortal Kombat. MK was a two dimensional fighting game that debuted in the arcades and then made its way on to home consoles. Traditionally in fighting games one or two players battle characters on the screen. Usually these games would end with one of the character’s running out of “Hit points”, submitting, or time running out. The vanquished character may have been stunned or exhausted but no indication of any real injury was ever shown and the losing character lived to fight another turn. In Mortal Kombat however there was another option. The winner, using a “code” (a sequence of button pushes) could enact a finishing move called a “Fatality” on the losing character. The “Fatality” caused the losing character to be killed in very graphic ways (dismemberment, beheading, burning alive etc) Parent’s groups outraged by this display began pressuring congress to act.
In 1994, the video game industry, fearing censorship, set up the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, more commonly referred to by its acronym: ESRB. The ESRB consists offolks both inside and outside of the gaming industry. The purpose of this group is to assign ratings to games based on content. The ratings are designed to help parents understand the content of what they may be buying so they can make purchase decisions appropriate to the age of their children.
How are games rated?
A developer or a publisher (on behalf of a developer) must pay a fee and submit footage of the game in question that the developer feels is the most objectionable in content. Along with the footage the developer submits a written synopsis of the game describing plot (if applicable) and objectives of the game. The footage is reviewed for certain elements, such as violent content, sexual suggestiveness, nudity, harsh speech (use of the 7 dirty words) storyline content and character design. Once the board reaches a decision they advise the developer of their findings. The developer then has an opportunity to either have the game marketed as is with whatever rating is assigned or rework or remove the offending content for a lower age rating and resubmit for further review. If the ESRB cannot reach a consensus, they will ask the developer for additional footage to review.
Where do I find the ratings?
On the front cover it’s on the bottom left corner, on the back cover its on the bottom right corner with a detailed description. If you are buying a used game at Gamestop or EB and it’s in a “generic” cover, ask the sales clerk to look it up for you.
What do the ratings actually mean?
E: stands for Everyone. This will be the gaming equivalent of G rated film. Themes should be appropriate for any age player. There should be no violence, suggestiveness, or offensive language. These will usually be titles oriented towards young children and should be safe to buy without any concerns.
E10: This means Everyone 10 and up this will be the equivalent to a PG movie. Themes may be a little more complex and mature than E, if there is violence it will be mild or comic in nature, these games should not depict the death of character. There should be no suggestiveness or foul language in any of these games.
T: Stands for Teen, this would be the equivalent of a PG-13 Film. There will likely be some violence depicted, but it should not be graphic, blood should either be non existent or kept to a bare minimum, the titles may have some slight titillation (females in tight or scanty outfits) but should not depict nudity or sexual activity. Themes may be a little darker and more ambiguous than the above. T games may touch on controversial subject matter.
M: stands for Mature Only, 17 and up. These are the equivalent to R rated movies and will have one or more of the following: Frequent and graphic violence, dark themes and subject matter, morally ambiguous protagonists, partial nudity and strong hints of sexual activity. Objectionable speech. (Use of the “Seven Dirty Words)
AO: Adults only, 21+ this is the X rating and will contain lots of the above, plus pornographic sex. Fortunately, developers and publishers are will avoid getting this rating on anything they put out ( none of the major outlets, EB, Gamestop, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, etc will sell them to the public) Anytime a publisher is threatened with this rating, they will edit the content and resubmit to get down to an M rating.
I think overall this rating system works pretty well; although some makers have figured out how to skirt things a bit to get the more family friendly rating. Remember too that the ratings are still the product of subjective judgment. I would suggest reading the back cover for more details on what the game is about.
Who has the most titles appropriate for younger players?
I would definitely say that of “The Big Three” Nintendo carries the safest collection for the young ones. Very few Wii titles are M rated as opposed to high number of Xbox, PS2 and PS3 games (there is actually a large amount of kid friendly titles on PS2 though). It would be safe to say that the majority of Wii games are E or E10.
I hope this helps some of you out. If any of you have further questions about games or game systems, you are welcome to PM me and I will be glad to answer to help you out.
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