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CTIA and ESRB team up on new rating system for mobile applications
Details are fairly light at the moment, but the CTIA has put out a press release today announcing that it has partnered with the Entertainment Software Rating Board (or ESRB) on a new rating system for mobile applications. That's the same ESRB that is responsible for the ratings on video games. Unfortunately, any word on the ratings themselves or their possible acceptance by app makers or distributors will have to wait until the press event on November 29th, but it sounds like there will be a fairly big push behind them when they are announced -- the presidents of both industry groups, along with US Senators Mark Pryor and Kelly Ayotte are slated to be on hand for the announcement.
Fallen Earth rated M for Mature by ESRB
Fallen Earth is the upcoming post-apocalyptic massively multiplayer online game where players will soon be carving out a living in a world ravaged by viral and nuclear armageddon. Not that we really thought a game where fending off packs of mutated anarchist bikers out in the wasteland Mad Max-style was really going to be "family-oriented entertainment", but Fallen Earth LLC has now made it official. Circatrix from the Fallen Earth team writes, "Thought you all should be the first to know that we've received our rating from the ESRB board and we're classified as an M (Mature). You'll start to see this in our ads and videos moving forward." We're glad to hear that they're not toning down the game's themes simply to reach a younger audience, and Massively will be keeping an eye on Fallen Earth as it gets closer to launch.
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)
Duck Hunt, others get ESRB's thumbs-up, zapper imminent
The ESRB has approved and rated another pile of Nintendo's Virtual Console throwbacks, including: Duck Hunt (E) Hogan's Alley (E) Kid Icarus (E) Kirby's Adventure (E) PilotWings (E) Pro Wrestling (E) Punch-Out (E) Wild Gunman (E) With Duck Hunt, Hogan's Alley, and Wild Gunman making appearances, the Zapper can't be far behind. Think the E3 prototype fits the bill?[Thanks, Spindash54]
104 violent deaths per hour in M-rated games, says Harvard study
A group of Harvard brainiacs recently put together a study that attempted to quantify violence, blood, sex, profanity, drugs, and gambling in M-rated games. To do this, the grad students compiled a database of M-rated games, selected a random sample, played each game for at least one hour, and quantified the "mature" content. Among other observations, the study found that gamers witness roughly 104 violent deaths per hour while playing M-rated titles.The report's conclusion: "Parents and physicians should recognize that popular M-rated video games contain a wide range of unlabeled content and may expose children and adolescents to messages that may negatively influence their perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors." [via GameBrink]
Sales of M-rated games to kids declining, reveals undercover survey
According to an undercover survey conducted by the Federal Trade Commission between October 2005 and January 2006, sales of Mature-rated games to minors have decreased significantly since 2003. The results reveal that only 42% of the survey's shoppers (ages 13 to 16) were able to purchase an M-rated title without an adult — compared to 69% in 2003. In addition, only 35% of the survey's shoppers scored an M-rated game at a national retail outlet (e.g. GameStop, EBGames, etc.). Local sellers were less strict, selling to kids 69% of the time.The survey also found that 44% of stores posted ratings information, compared to a paltry 27% three years ago. And at half of the 406 stores involved in the survey, cashiers carded kids who attempted to buy M-rated games — up from 24%. Hal Halpin, president of the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association, concluded, "[With] the industry responding in such a visible and proactive fashion, it is clear that legislative efforts are simply not required." Amen.
