who is rating your video-games?
A group called the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is in charge of rating the games we see in stores and on apps today. Software developers are NOT actually required by law to submit their games to the ESRB, but many stores will only sell games that have received a rating from the board. If a company chooses to not ask for a rating, it must comply with the rules of the ESRB or face penalties, which can include cash fines and product recalls. When submitting a game for the board's inspection, the game developer fills out a questionnaire that describes potentially offensive material, particularly sequences involving drugs, sex, or violence. At least 3 trained raters watch the videotape and answer a series of questions about its content. Most new games require 50 hours or more to complete, so the ESRB does not play titles all the way through. The board combines all of this information to issue a final rating and a set of official content descriptors like, "Alcohol Reference", "Drug Reference", "Mature Humor", and "Blood and Gore". The ESRB issues seven rating labels which range from Early Childhood, Everyone, Everyone 10+, Teen, Mature, Adult Only, and Rating Pending. Many stores, like Walmart, will not stock a game with the adults only rating, so many manufacturers will submit their product to the board repeatedly to assure they get a desired rating. In this way, they are able to alter content in their games in order to get the “better rating” that makes it more easily accessible to consumers.
Video games have a rating system similar to movies, but after the Supreme Court ruled video games are protected under the First Amendment, children are able to purchase even the most grotesque titles. Daniel Seiberg reports on what parents need to know about game ratings.