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The Elder Scrolls Online tagged with Mature rating by ESRB
The Elder Scrolls Online has been given a Mature rating by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board. Bethesda noted on the game's official Facebook page that while it does not agree with the ESRB's rating, intimating that it expected a "Teen" label, it is "unwilling to change the game's content to achieve a different rating." As a result, fans can expect Bethesda to promptly begin age-gating its Elder Scrolls Online materials, such as the game's website and trailers, though it mentioned that "the game we have created is the one we want our fans to be able to play." The Elder Scrolls Online is due out April 4 for PC and Mac with next-gen console launches following in June.
ESRB relaxes rules for trailers and demos of M-rated games
Good news for people who hate age gates. The ESRB has released revised rules for the marketing of games rated M for Mature (or games likely to be), reported by Giant Bomb, allowing trailers and demos of such games to be released on websites without age gates – as long as those trailers are designed for "general" audiences and approved by the ESRB. Such trailers will include green headers noting that they have been approved for a general audience, much like those in front of movie trailers.The ESRB also allows M-rated games to be promoted via demos included in other games, even if those games have a more permissive rating. This requires ESRB approval, however, and research suggesting that the two games have the same intended audience.Other new rules include removing the mandatory 4-second ESRB logo in front of demos, as long as the rating is shown on the download page, and a removal of a restriction on placing multiple regional ratings next to each other on websites.
ESRB now supports Windows 8, introduces cost-free questionnaire for rating digital games
The Entertainment Software Ratings Board has a huge responsibility -- to rate and regulate the entire medium of video games -- but only has so many resources with which to do so. With the rise of digital delivery, it's become increasingly difficult to fulfill the task of rating every single title that comes out, but the ESRB is betting on a new initiative that'll help streamline that process. The new "Digital Rating Service" employs an online questionnaire to determine a wide variety of criteria, beyond just age-appropriateness: content, interactivity, and privacy settings (whether or not it shares your data). As the name implies, the DRS specifically applies to digital delivery services: Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network (on PS3 and Vita), PlayStation Certified devices, Nintendo's eShop (on the Wii, DS, and 3DS), and Windows 8. That last one sounds new because it is -- Windows 8 games are now part of the ESRB's rating system. In addition to the new initiative and new platform, the ESRB is also adding more guidance to its game ratings. "Shares Info," "Shares Locations," and "Users Interact" are all now part of ESRB guidance, per the changing nature of digital, portable games. The ESRB says its new system will help to streamline its rating process for both itself and game creators, and this will resultant in faster ratings for consumers.
Grand Theft Auto 3 and GTA: Vice City rated by ESRB for PS3
The ESRB has rated crime epics Grand Theft Auto 3 and Vice City for the PlayStation 3. Considering the blockbuster third entry in the series is available on iOS and Android, word of it coming to the PS3 isn't the craziest news we've heard about the classic title in recent memory.The third entry in the GTA3 series, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, still doesn't have a PS3 listing from the ESRB, so we aren't sure if it's just cruisin' in later for a drive-by or part of what's likely Rockstar adding the two other games to PSN for digital distribution. Of course, if you own a first-gen PS3, your system is backwards-compatible and should have no issue playing the original PlayStation 2 discs (chances are you already own them).
Is Zelda about to hit the MMO space?
The land of Hyrule may be invading your computer very soon -- or maybe you will be invading it. Nintendo, creator of the console hit the Legend of Zelda, has just registered for an ESRB rating for a game called Zelda Universe. According to the ESRB website, this mysterious game has received an "E" rating with "violence" as the only descriptive text, but the game is listed as "online." Although all other Nintendo games have a console listed along with the rating, this particular title does not. This could very well mean that everyone's favorite adventurer will appear in an MMORPG. The official website for the Legend of Zelda games is called Zelda Universe, but the Entertainment Software Rating Board is not in the habit of handing out ratings to online content unless that content is also a game. Perhaps this is one of the big announcements Nintendo will reveal in its presentation at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in less than 12 days.
Report: Game industry best at preventing sale of mature content to minors
The Federal Trade Commission recently conducted an annual undercover shopping survey and found that, of the various consumer entertainment industries, the video game industry was actually best at self-policing and keeping material intended for mature audiences away from children. Following a trend since 2000, the game industry scored very well with only 13 percent of underage shoppers able to buy M-rated games, down from 20 percent last year. Of the various retailers in the survey, Walmart had the worst track record with 20 percent of sales allowed, while Target let only 8 percent of potential shoppers buy games they weren't supposed to. Outside of the game industry, the music industry was the least effective, with 64 percent of the FTC's shoppers able to buy music marked with a Parental Advisory Label. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board responded to the survey through president Patricia Vance, saying it was happy with the results and that retailers have helped. "The strong support that the ESRB ratings have enjoyed from retailers is crucial, underscoring their firm commitment to selling video games responsibly," she said in a statement. The FTC issues this report to Congress every year and says that, despite enforcement improvements across the board, "more needs to be done" to prevent the sale of mature content to young audiences.
ESRB issues apology for mass email blunder
Following last night's email gaffe, the ESRB has issued a statement today apologizing to the nearly 1,000 folks whose emails were unwittingly exposed. The software ratings board calls its "reply all" message, which revealed Real ID complainants' email addresses, a mistake made during an "effort to respond quickly to the thousands of gamers who wrote to the ESRB." Apparently, (and thankfully), the email did not include the addresses of all those who had contacted the organization, as the aplogy claims that only a "limited" portion of email recipients were affected. Further, the ESRB statement places fault for the issue on "one of our employees" before promising to do "everything we can to ensure it will not happen again in the future." We've placed both the ESRB's public statement and its email to those affected just after the break.
ESRB accidentally releases email addresses of Real ID complainants
In an ironic turn of events this evening, it appears that the Entertainment Software Ratings Board has revealed the entire list of email addresses belonging to people who appealed to the ESA's rating group over Blizzard's recently proposed and then retracted Real ID implementation. According to our World of Warcraft-focused sister site WoW.com, the ESRB issued a response letter to the nearly 1,000 folks who had emailed with complaints about Blizzard's decision -- unfortunately, it seems that rather than hide everyone's email addresses, someone hit "reply all." We've dropped the letter itself beyond the break, which, as WoW.com points out, concludes with a statement espousing the ESRB's "Privacy Online" program. Whoops! All that said, mistakes will happen from time to time. Unlike Blizzard, however, the ESRB can't simply take this back.
Activision survey: 82% of gamer parents aware of ESRB ratings
That woman buying her 12-year-old a copy of Modern Warfare 2 at Gamestop right now may not know about it, but Activision says a recent survey concluded that 82% of gamer parents are well aware of the ESRB rating guidelines and what they mean. The survey also found that 75% of children who play games understand the rating system, and that 70% of parents actually pay close attention to the ratings when buying a game either for themselves or for their families. Note that it doesn't say they follow the ratings, only that they are aware of the system and pay attention to how games are rated. Gaming families spend a lot of time playing games, too: 76% of parents agree that video games are a big part of their family activities, and among gamer parents, a majority (52%) of their gaming time is spent playing with their children. Finally, a full 59% of kids polled say that "it's a little creepy" when Jane Lynch shows up to play games with you for a Microsoft commercial. Okay, you got us, we lied about that last stat. When anyone from Glee shows up, it's 100% fun.
John Morrissey's 'Video Game Timer' is made of pure evil
Look folks, we'll admit it -- it's been kind of awhile since we had nagging overlords demanding we shut off the game system and finish our homework. We can, however, understand the plight of our younger readers, worried their elders may find out about the built-in parental controls on Xbox 360 and simply flip a switch rather than engage their kids in spirited debate. Unfortunately, you guys may be in a bit of trouble, as John Morrissey, a man in Edina, Mn. recently took it upon himself to assist in the neverending War on Fun by inventing a device specifically meant to limit time spent playing games on, well, any electricity-based device. It's called the "Video Game Timer" (distributed by Digital Innovations).From the looks of the thing, you plug whatever electric device you'd like to limit access to into the VGT, set an amount of time, and that's that. Star Tribune says that the device emits "some warning beeps" before automatically shutting off the power, though we're wary of anything instantly cutting off the power to the games we're playing. If anything, the interaction between parent and child every time they want to play a game as a result of this will help to act as punishment for any parents out there thinking about purchasing such a game console chastity belt. For those parents out there trying to avoid such ... less than pleasant interactions with their kids, we humbly suggest the Entertainment Software Ratings Board.
ESRB reveals new rating summaries, we await comedy gold
In what's sure to lead to some awkward moments in the future, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board has added new "rating summaries" to its site. By doing so, the ESRB is going down the BBFC's road of being overly descriptive in its content ratings and thus opening itself up to the inevitable, context-lacking descriptions of things like "implied child rape" and lesbian alien sex. The ESRB's new summary reports only exist for games rated by the organization after July 1, 2008. Therefore, you'll get a summary for Far Cry 2, but not for Gears of War 2. Speaking of the FC2 summary -- it lists the bad words used in the game, with an asterisk replacing the vowel, and dialogue containing references to sexuality ("D*cks pay good money to watch girls sh*g chaps like you..."). We're totally going to make a game out of this. Try covering up the game titles and matching them with the content summary blurbs!Source (Warning: PDF link)
Stephen King goes batty about video games
Stephen King is "the man." He's one of my favorite authors and a very big reason why I'm a writer today. I've followed the ebb and flow of his career, from his meteoric rise (and eventually perpetual stay) on the New York Time's Best Seller list to the the mostly abysmal adaptations of his books to film. Anytime he talks, I tend to listen.So you can imagine my intrigue when King, a man who has never tested the virtual waters (F13 doesn't count) with his magnificent worlds - how great would an MMO set in the world of The Dark Tower be? - voiced his opinion about the proposed Massachusetts bill to ban the sale of "violent" video games to anyone under the age of 18.
Sears Xbox 360 commercial has underage kid loving M-rated games
A new Sears commercial for the Xbox 360 has a young boy named Connor telling us what he discovered at Sears. Connor hit the mother lode, because he found a 360, Need for Speed, FIFA, and ... Halo and Halo 2. He dreamily looks off-screen as he fondly remembers fragging someone on the Sanctuary, and telling them they just got pwned.Apparently Connor, his parents, and Sears all laugh in the face of the Entertainment Software Rating Board, because these two games are both rated M. While we don't always agree with the ESRB, we do find it a bit odd that Sears, a major national retailer, didn't do at least 30 seconds worth of research (which we in the business call "looking at the back of the case the game comes in") and realize that Connor is a bit too young to wax nostalgic about Halo in this nationwide spot.Check out the video after the jump, and someone let Connor know he'll be able to get Gears of War for that 360, as long as he buys it at Sears.[Thanks, otakucode]
