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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 president writes open letter to Utah parents and leaders
Now that the Utah video game bill, authored by disbarred attorney Jack Thompson, has passed the state's House of Representatives, the ESRB is taking the opportunity to write an open letter to the parents and leaders of Utah. Written by ESRB President Patricia Vance, the letter concludes that the proposed legislation seeks to fix a system that isn't broken. The letter proposes that instead of attacking retailers with the possibility of a lawsuit or fines if they sell M-rated titles to young gamers, that Utah should encourage and educate parents to utilize the tools and rating system that the ESRB already provides.Vance's letter states that a recent audit of video game retailers in Utah found they already voluntarily enforce store policies regarding M-rated games 94 percent of the time. Nationally, the Federal Trade Commission found that video game retailers went from turning away 15 percent of underage customers in 2000 to 80 percent in 2008. The letter notes this is higher compliance than those found in the sale of movies, DVDs or music. Read Vance's full letter to the parents and leaders of Utah after the break.
ESRB: Number of M-rated games declined in 2007
Entertainment Software Ratings Board head Patricia Vance writes in the organization's winter newsletter that 2007 saw "8.5 our of every 10 games" rated as appropriate for ages 13 and under. In a flood of numbers and stats, the newsletter states there were 1,563 ratings given last year (a 22% increase over 2006), 94% of ratings "assigned were appropriate for ages 13 or younger."The ESRB sure has some slick spin going on with its "appropriate for ages 13 or younger" stat. With its cunning use of "or" instead of "and," the organization deftly lumps T-rated games with the two levels of "E" titles. Really, it's teens 13-16 who have 'approved' access to 94% of games, while the younger crowd should only tango with 74%.We spoke with the ESRB about why E rated titles make up such a large majority of ratings now. A spokesperson told Joystiq, "[The E ratings] growth is due in part to the recent influx of casual games for the PC, handheld devices and online arcades, etc." We learned a game could receive duplicate ratings to boost a certain category unless a publisher submits a game for multiple platforms at the same time. Also, all versions must share the same "graphical realism/intensity, and any other elements that might impact the assignment of the rating" for it to only count once. If there is "differing content, graphical realism/intensity, etc." then a single title could have multiple ratings. A game like Peggle, which has staggered onto multiple platforms over time, would boost "E" ratings for each of the game's versions.
