The Video Game Rating System
This entry was created by a student in Stanford's Rhetoric of Gaming class. For more about the class and the assignment, click here.
Although most kids (including me) never even so much as glance at the rating of a video game, it's a primary concern of many parents. My goal is to dig a little deeper and find out just how video games are rated. What's the process? Who's in charge of this sort of thing? I'm also going to explore the social effects that these ratings have. What percentage of kids/parents take the rating into account when they look to buy a game? Are there any parents that believe the rating system is too lenient? Furthermore, has any legal action been taken against video games?
The following information was found at: http://www.childrenshospital.org/newsroom/Site1339/mainpageS1339P1sublevel46.html
The above url contains an article that summarizes the results of a study conducted by the Center on Media and Child Health at Children's Hospital Boston and the Kids Risk Project at the Harvard School of Public Health. The study took a random sample of 81 video games that were rated T for Teen by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). The games were analyzed and it was found that " in 48 percent of games, the researchers observed content involving violence, sexual themes, profanity, substance use, or gambling that was not noted on the game box." The researchers go one step further and state that the ESRB should "...consider using additional age-based categories in its ratings" and should also "...make playing games an integral part of the rating process". Not only do the researchers attack the games, but they attack the rating system itself. These types of claims are central to my topic, as I am trying to find out if there are negative opinions about the rating system. With this type of hard evidence, it is difficult to imagine that some crazed (in my opinion) parents have not pushed for legal action against the rating system. This only leads to more questions: Does the ESRB have rationale for not being as strict as they could be? Would game sales go down if the rating system became stricter? Would alleged video game related problems (i.e. increased violence, attention deficit problems, etc.) go down if the rating system was stricter? Hopefully I'll soon know.
Comments
You have an hotly debated topic. I suggest that you examine exactly how the ESRB works. Its surprisingly terrible, so you can go into the controversy surrounding that, and maybe compare it with the MPAA. Also, you can talk about laws for selling games to minors, or the lack of them. There is how most gamers are way older than 16, and how crazy Jack Thompson is. Even so, the rating system stuff you wrote about is good so far.
Posted by: Charley Ho | October 13, 2009 09:49 PM
Sounds like you've got everything under control. The topic is interesting, and you will definitely be able to make a strong claim one way or another. Definitely try and get some numbers, because I think statistics about this topic would make for a very persuasive argument. Good luck!
Posted by: Kevin Dade | October 13, 2009 11:47 PM
I think it would be fantastic if you could find one or more cases of the "crazed parents" you mention, and discuss the legal issues of the rating system. I'm also interested in where you take your research topic in terms of the social effects of the system and its (probably differing) impact on children and their parents. I can see that you're already asking yourself some pretty insightful questions, so I think your paper will turn out to be one with a lot of depth! I look forward to seeing the final product.
Posted by: Akiko | October 14, 2009 01:10 AM
This is definitely a rich topic -- and you're entering in with a good list of research questions, which with any luck will help you develop a powerful claim about the rating system.
I like the MPAA comparison that Charley suggested above - -though, as you know, I also am interested in the international perspective. You can find some information on the international question of rating and censoring games mentioned here at a blog post I put up on the subject.
You also might look at this post from 2006 on the relationship between ratings and game content or this one, entitled "How to Fix the Rating System."
Posted by: Christine Alfano, Stanford | October 17, 2009 07:20 AM
I believe that this is an intersesting topic because i am a person who spends a lot of time playong videogames and i have never really thought about the rating the game gets. I think it would be intersesting to know the procedure of how games are rated. Today there are always people comlplaining that video games are too violent and deserves a higher rating, especially parents.
Posted by: Frank Calderon | October 19, 2009 07:07 PM
Video game ratings are important. They make sure that parents do not buy games that are not appropriate for their children. Ratings also make sure that stores that sell "M" rated games do not get in trouble for selling them to minors. I think that if a 10 year old boy were to play a game like Grand Theft Auto, he would most likely imitate what he played. If this child does not imitate what he sees early on in his life, then he may be prone to committ crimes later on in his life. I'm not saying that all children that play "M" rated games will be criminals. Some children are mature enough to play violent video games. I'm just saying that parents should be careful when buying video games for their children.
Posted by: Guillermo Ortiz | October 19, 2009 08:29 PM
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Posted by: Software | November 8, 2009 08:13 AM
Video game ratings are a waste of time, i know parents who buy 18+ games for themselves and let their 8 year old kids play on them. So the protection these ratings are supposed to be giving are being overidden by societies irresponsibilities.
Posted by: Tom Rogers | November 26, 2009 06:09 PM
Does the ESRB have rationale for not being as strict as they could be? Who cares brother.. I definitely could care less what the ESRB has to say!
Posted by: make money online | November 27, 2009 04:31 PM
I really think the rating system is great but in the end, it' the parents who should protect their children from video games that are violent or have sexual content.
The games sales would not go down because I believe the children will pressure their parents to purchase.
Posted by: Pendana | November 27, 2009 04:50 PM