The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) a self-regulatory
body established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Association,
rates its own video game products by content and age appropriateness.
In June 2003, the ESRB added four new content descriptors
to the twenty-six that already exist. In a press release,
the ESRB said : The new descriptors will help consumers more
precisely evaluate the extent and intensity of violent content
in computer and video games by distinguishing between the
kind of animated violence that frequently appears in children’s
cartoons and the realistic-looking violence that may appear
in advanced M-rated (Mature) titles intended for gamers 17
and older.
“The ESRB also announced that effective September 15,
it will require the placement of new labels on the back of
game boxes. The new labels draw consumer attention to both
the age rating and content descriptors assigned to game titles
by the ESRB. The new labels are more prominent, visible, and
informative than the labels they will replace. In addition,
ESRB rating symbols will continue to be published on the front
of all game boxes.”
Are the video game ratings effective, and will they be enforced?
In a 2000 report, the Federal Trade Commission said: "The
aggressive marketing of violent games to children undermines
the credibility of the industry's ratings and frustrates parents'
attempts to make informed choices."
78 percent of unaccompanied children ages 13–16 were
able to buy Mature-rated games at retail stores, according
to a secret shopper survey conducted by the Federal Trade
Commission in 2001. Even among several of those retail stores
with programs in place to restrict sales, 73 percent of unaccompanied
children were able to buy violent, Mature-rated games.
The 2002 Media Wise Video Game Report Card, issued by the
National Institute on Media and the Family, gave video game
retailers an “F” for ratings enforcement.
The June 7, 2003 broadcast of The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
reported that a group of Seattle citizens sent children into
stores to try to buy the M-rated and top-selling video game
“Grand Theft Auto," 15 of 17 had no trouble. One
12 year-old told of his experience at the check-out counter
of a Best Buy store, where he successfully bought the game:
She looks at me and she says, "Are you sure you should
be buying this game? You look kind of under-aged." I
said, "well, it's a really cool game and all my friends
have it." So she goes off to her phone and she dials
up her manager. So she said, "okay," staples this
receipt, and she hands me the game, and I walked out the door.
