By: Dave Leva
BLUE BELL, PA--Assuming common sense and good parentage, you wouldn’t sit your toddler down to watch “The Godfather” with you. It’s an incredibly graphic film, clearly not meant for a human being of that age (it’s still a fantastic film, but I digress). The Motion Picture Association of America’s film rating system makes sure your little one doesn’t see a film like this. Video games developers do the same thing, with the ESRB rating system.
The Entertainment Software Rating Board is still a pretty recent innovation. It is only about 20 years old. But the role of game ratings in the video game industry is vital. They keep incredibly graphic video games away from kids that aren’t supposed to be playing them. Wouldn’t it be nice if this actually worked?
I worked at GameStop for over a year, between the 2012 and 2013 holiday seasons. It was a highly stressful job, especially when hot new games or gaming systems were launched, but I enjoyed working there. One thing that always peeved me, though, was selling M-Rated games. The ESRB’s “M for Mature” rating is like a movie’s R-rating: 18 and older.
I’d have a little boy walk up to the counter holding the new Grand Theft Auto V; this kid clearly wouldn’t hit puberty for a few more exits on the road of life. This is a game with seven Content Descriptors to tell you what’s inside. Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Nudity, Mature Humor, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content and Use of Drugs and Alcohol. That’s seven big red flags for the parent who, when I tell them all this and ask if they’re sure this is right for their child (as was my job), shrugs and says, “Yeah, I guess.”
The ESRB ratings don’t mean anything to parents anymore. It’s just become something to keep the kids distracted. The moment the retailer sells the game, rating law goes out the window with it. And just how do you regulate something like that? You can’t tell people what to do in their own homes. The system works just fine, and yet, it doesn’t work at all.
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