More to explore See more articles and resources to help children stay safe online. Support on site How do you rate age ratings on apps? Age ratings for online music videos welcomed by parents As gaming soars during lockdown, research shows only 1 in 3 parents check age ratings. Our site uses cookies to give you the best experience. Table 1 groups ESRB content descriptors by type and compares the content descriptors assigned to the 80 video game titles in the random sample with the content descriptors assigned to all T-rated video game titles.
Although we stratified games by genre, no statistically significant difference exists between the 2 distributions of content descriptors. The range of content descriptors reflects the continued evolution of the ESRB rating system eg, in the ESRB introduced new content descriptors for violence and now uses separate content descriptors for use of alcohol and use of tobacco.
None received content descriptors for gambling. Table 2 , Table 3 , Table 4 , and Table 5 group game titles in the random sample by genre and compare the content we observed with the content descriptors assigned by the ESRB. The tables also show the console and release year. This included 3 games that did not receive content descriptors for violence when we observed violence and 1 game that received a content descriptor for violence when we did not observe violence within 1 hour of game play.
These results indicate that an ESRB content descriptor for violence provides a good indication that the game contains violence using our definition. The sample included 10 games that did not receive content descriptors for blood when we observed red blood and 2 games that did not receive content descriptors for blood when we observed green blood.
The sample included 9 games that did not receive content descriptors for sexual themes when we observed such content and 3 games that received content descriptors for sexual themes when we did not observe such content.
Table 6 shows the sex of characters who engaged in dialogue or behaviors related to sex or who had exposed breasts, buttocks, or genitals in the games we played. Table 7 shows the observed uses of profanity per hour in dialogue, on-screen writing, lyrics, or gestures. The sample included 11 games that did not receive content descriptors for profanity when we observed such content and 3 games that received content descriptors for mild language when we did not observe profanity within 1 hour of game play.
Table 8 shows the percentage of game play depicting substances in our sample. We identified illicit drug use in X-Files: The Game , which depicted film clips of stolen painkillers used by a character.
The choice of how long to play the game affects the amount of content observed, and we modeled this relationship data available from authors. Our analyses demonstrate significant differences between the types and degrees of content found in T-rated video games compared with E-rated video games.
The ESRB age-based rating symbols and content descriptors provide important information about game content. We emphasize that any content analyses or studies that select a mixture of games of different ratings will generate results biased by the most extreme games. We believe that information about the game genre also provides useful information about the content in the game.
However, the T-rating reflects a range of different types of content, not just violence. Overall, the ESRB content descriptors provide a good indication of content in the game, but the absence of a descriptor does not mean the absence of content.
The current content descriptors fail to capture positive messages eg, the player-character in Shadow of Destiny decides to quit smoking cigarettes exclaiming, "I don't want to die!
This means game manufacturers may lack good incentives to include positive messages and parents lack the means to find games that do include positive messages. The ESRB's current use of separate content descriptors for use of alcohol, use of tobacco, and use of drugs, and new content descriptors for alcohol reference, tobacco reference, and drug reference will help distinguish between the use and depiction of different types of substances.
Our results suggest the need for greater attention to the depiction and use of substances in T-rated video games.
We assumed that content descriptors indicate whether the game contains any content of that type, but they could indicate the presence of content above a threshold either in type or amount. While our definitions reflect our subjective judgment and alternative definitions are possible, we were unable to find specific criteria for why the ESRB assigns a given content descriptor.
This suggests the need for much greater transparency in the ESRB rating system. Our results also suggest that the ESRB should play the video games as part of its rating process to provide a means to ensure the absence of content other than that indicated in the materials submitted to the ESRB by the game manufacturers. However, we emphasize that game manufacturers should continue to provide all of the information that they currently provide to the ESRB because the raters should not have to play the entire game prior to assigning a rating; anyone playing the games could miss specific content.
Because video games represent an interactive medium, we suggest that the game raters should experience parts of the game containing content that could warrant a content descriptor.
We also believe that parents should know that game players gain access to additional material in video games by entering codes readily available from video game Web sites. Some important limitations exist in this study. Our method does not benefit from the same information supplied by game manufacturers to the ESRB, as suggested by the fact that we did not observe all of the content that received descriptors.
Video games continue to evolve with increasing technological sophistication and with the use of film clips that influence the realism of games. While our use of a random sample provides the best strategy for generalizing the findings to the full population of games, it gives a snapshot at a fixed point in time from an otherwise growing population. We emphasize, however, that neither the game's content nor the ESRB rating information printed on the game box changes after a game's release, and that all of the games we played remain available for sale or rental.
Our results also depend on the actual game play that we recorded and the methods we used for coding information, which introduce limitations associated with some subjective judgment in the definitions and in implementation. Contains in-game offers to purchase digital goods or premiums with real world currency, including but not limited to bonus levels, skins, music, virtual coins and other forms of in-game currency, subscriptions, season passes and upgrades e.
Provides unrestricted access to the internet e. Warns that songs that are streamed or downloaded as add-ons for music-based games have not been rated and that their content has not been considered in the ESRB rating assignment.
Game Rating Information The ESRB rating system is an unbiased, standardized way to help you determine whether an Xbox game is appropriate for your child.
Skill development is an integral part of product Fantasy Violence Violent actions of a fantasy nature, involving human or non-human characters in situations easily distinguishable from real life Real Gambling Betting like behavior Informational Overall content of product contains data, facts, resource information, reference materials or instructional text Intense Violence Graphic and realistic-looking depictions of physical conflict.
Interactive Elements In-Game Purchases Contains in-game offers to purchase digital goods or premiums with real world currency, including but not limited to bonus levels, skins, music, virtual coins and other forms of in-game currency, subscriptions, season passes and upgrades e.
This highest ranking is given out only in rare, extreme cases; Sony , Microsoft , and Nintendo do not allow AO games on their platforms and their sale is heavily restricted. Updated on March 22, , by Reyadh Rahaman: Due to the ESRB branding them with various reasons for being inappropriate, Adult Only games are understandably hard to find, both when they were initially released and even more so today; most have never seen console publishing and never will.
There are even a few that were never released at all, having been canceled for being too extreme. Now, this one was all but inevitable. This dialed up the already adult content of the game to the limit, and so San Andreas was slapped with the AO rating.
Curiously, though, said rating was actually rescinded later. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was released on October 26, , and is available on the following consoles:. Over the course of this list, we'll take a look at a lot of games that make it obvious why the ESRB gave them the rating they did.
Peak Entertainment Casinos deals with adult content of a very different kind gambling , which makes it the only AO title to be entirely devoid of violence or nudity. Nevertheless, the team was pleased to receive the rating.
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