ESRB ratings changes

[Bond]

The ESRB's game rating system will be expanded with new content descriptors and more-prominent labels.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board has announced several upcoming changes to the rating system it uses for games sold in the US. The changes include bolder labels intended to draw consumer attention to content descriptors, the short standardized phrases that alert buyers to content elements that may be of interest or concern. Four new content descriptors are also being added to the 26 already in use: cartoon violence, fantasy violence, intense violence, and sexual violence. Effective September 15, the ESRB will require the placement of the new labels on game boxes and the use of modified logos for the "Mature" (17 and over) and "Adult" (18 and over) ratings that clearly specify the minimum recommended age for those categories.

"This change is designed to ensure that parents can't miss the critical content information printed on game boxes, which frequently provides greater insight into why a game has received its rating," said Patricia Vance, president of the ESRB. "To get the most from the ESRB rating system, parents should check both the rating symbol on the front of the game box and the content descriptors on the back. When parents check the rating and t

Source: Gamespot

Oh joy! Now I'll know if my games contain cartoon violence and/or fantasy violence and/or "intense" violence. And there's always that sexual violence!

[One Winged Angel]

don't forget animal violence

[Xantar]

Hey, don't complain. The labels are bigger and bolder (so the story says), and if that means more parents actually notice the ratings and stop buying inappropriate games for their kids (and thus there would be less blaming of videogames for youth violence), then I'm all for it.

In point of fact, though, I don't know that any game has had sexual violence yet. Unless it's a hentai game imported from Japan...

[One Winged Angel]

No matter how noticable the rating sticker politicians will ALWAYS blame videogames.

[Dyne]

As long as they don't ruin boxart, they'll be fine.

*shakes fist*

[Stonecutter]

Modified logos?

They already did that when they changed the letters from white to black near the end of the N64 days. That pissed me off because some games just looked different than the others. They stuck out like a sore thumb and now they're doing it again.

What are they going to do, make them "scary"



and I thought they already had "cartoon violence"

I'm sure that sex violence one will get a lot of use. After all, there's so many BSDM games.

[Jonbo298]

Hopefully the "new" look will not be as bad as what Nintendo did with Conker on the '64. That thing was quite large in a few pics I saw. (I dont have the game anymore so I dont know if the "big" look stayed). But I wonder what Sexual Violence will be.....