Video game content rating system


A video game content rating system is a system used for the classification of video games into suitability-related groups. Most of these systems are associated with and/or sponsored by a government, and are sometimes part of the local motion picture rating system. The utility of such ratings has been called into question by studies that publish findings such as 90% of teenagers claim that their parents "never" check the ratings before allowing them to rent or buy video games, and as such calls have been made to "fix" the existing rating systems. Video game content rating systems can be used as the basis for laws that cover the sales of video games to minors, such as in Australia. Rating checking and approval is part of the game localization when they are being prepared for their distribution in other countries or locales. These rating systems have also been used to voluntarily restrict sales of certain video games by stores, such as the German retailer Galeria Kaufhof's removal of all video games rated 18+ by the USK following the Winnenden school shooting.

Comparison table

A comparison of current video game rating systems, showing age on the horizontal axis. Note however that the specific criteria used in assigning a classification can vary widely from one country to another. Thus a color code or age range cannot be directly compared from one country to another.
Key:
In the above table, Italics indicate an international organization rather than a single country.

Initial controversy

Similar to other forms of media, video games have been the subject of argument between leading professionals and restriction and prohibition. Often these bouts of criticism come from use of debated topics such as video game graphic violence, virtual sex, violent and gory scenes, partial or full nudity, drug use, portrayal of criminal behavior or other provocative and objectionable material.
Video games have also been studied for links to addiction and aggression. There have been a multitude of studies linking violent video game play with increased aggression. A meta analysis of studies from both eastern and western countries yielded evidence that "strongly suggests that exposure to violent video games is a causal risk factor for increased aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, and aggressive affect and for decreased empathy and prosocial behavior."
There are also groups that have argued to the contrary, that few if any scientifically proven studies exist to back up these claims, and that the video game industry has become an easy target for the media to blame for many contemporary issues. As is evidenced by meta analyses such as the one cited above, there have been a multitude of studies proving a link between violent game play and short term aggressive behavior; other studies find no concrete link between long term aggression, bullying or criminal behavior. Researchers have also proposed potential positive effects of video games on aspects of social and cognitive development and psychological well-being. It has been shown that action video game players have better hand-eye coordination and visuo-motor skills, such as their resistance to distraction, their sensitivity to information in the peripheral vision and their ability to count briefly presented objects, than non-players.

Rating systems

Argentina

The law 26.043 states that the National Council of Children, Youth and Family in coordination with the National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts will be the government agencies that assigns age ratings. The Argentine Game Developer Association was critical of the law. There are three ratings: "Suitable for all public", "Suitable for those over 13 years of age" and "Suitable for those over 18 years of age".

Australia

The Australian Classification Board is a statutory classification body formed by the Australian Government which classifies films, video games and publications for exhibition, sale or hire in Australia since its establishment in 1970. The Classification Board was originally incorporated in the Office of Film and Literature Classification which was dissolved in 2006. Originally apart the Attorney-General's Department and overseen by the Minister for Justice, the ACB is now a branch of the Department of Communications and the Arts which provides administrative support to the Board and is overseen by the Minister for Communications & the Arts. Decisions made by the Board may be reviewed by the Australian Classification Review Board.

Brazil

The advisory rating rates films, games and television shows in Brazil. It is controlled by the Ministry of Justice.

Europe

The Pan European Game Information is a European video game content rating system established to help European parents make informed decisions on buying computer games with logos on games boxes. It was developed by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe and came into use in April 2003; it replaced many national age rating systems with a single European system. The PEGI system is now used in more than thirty-one countries and is based on a code of conduct, a set of rules to which every publisher using the PEGI system is contractually committed. PEGI self-regulation is composed by five age categories and seven content descriptors that advise the suitability and content of a game for a certain age range based on the games content. The age rating does not indicate the difficulty of the game or the skill required to play it.

Finland

The Finnish Centre for Media Education and Audiovisual Media is an official institution of the Finnish Ministry of Education. It is responsible for the age-ratings of films, television programs and interactive games. Only material intended to be accessible to minors is subject to classification before being released to the public; sex films do not need to be classified. Films and television programmes are classified by authorized classifiers, trained by the Centre. The classifiers usually work within the media industry.
In January 2014, Finnish Centre for Media Education and Audiovisual Media was merged with National Audiovisual Archive to form National Audiovisual Institute.

Germany

Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle , is Germany's software rating organization founded in 1994.
The Indonesian Game Rating System is an official video game content rating system founded and set by the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Informatics in 2016. IGRS rates games that are developed and/or published in Indonesia. There are 5 classifications of ratings based on the game content, which includes the use of alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, violence, blood, language, sexual content, etc. These are the following classifications:
The Entertainment Software Rating Association is a governmental video game content rating system that is used in Iran. Games that have been exempt from the rating are de facto banned from sale in Iran.
In practise, the rating applies largely to PC and mobile games, as none of the console games are officially released for the Iranian market.

Japan

In Japan, the content rating is not required by law, but most commercial video game publishers take the industry self-regulations. Console manufacturers force for video game publishers that games must be rated by CERO. Distributors of PC games require games having the approval of EOCS or Japan contents Review Center. These ratings are referred to by local governments, and the Ordinance Regarding the Healthy Development of Youths prohibits retailers from supplying 18+ rating games to persons under 18. Dōjin softs don't have such restrictions, but distribution of obscene materials can be punished under the Article 175 of the Penal Code of Japan.

Computer Entertainment Rating Organization

The Computer Entertainment Rating Organization is an organization that rates video games and PC games in Japan with levels of rating that informs the customer of the nature of the product and for what age group it is suitable. It was established in June 2002 as a branch of Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association, and became an officially recognized non-profit organization in December 2003. It currently consists of five age categories and nine content descriptors.
The Ethics Organization of Computer Software is an incorporated association that rates PC games in Japan. It was established on November 20, 1992, and was incorporated in 2009. The association also works to crack down on copyright infringement of PC games for the companies it represents, and sponsors the Moe Game Award to help PC game sales.
The current ratings are:
The Japan contents Review Center is a cooperative that reviews adult videos and adult PC games in Japan. The organization was founded on December 1, 2010 as Ethics Organization of Video after the dissolution of the Content Soft Association.

New Zealand

The Office of Film and Literature Classification is the government agency in New Zealand that is responsible for classification of all films, videos, publications, and some video games in New Zealand. It was created by the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993, replacing various film classification acts, and is an independent Crown entity in terms of the Crown Entities Act 2004. The head of the OFLC is called the Chief Censor, maintaining a title that has described the government officer in charge of censorship in New Zealand since 1916.
The current ratings are:
The Entertainment Software Rating Board is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings, enforces industry-adopted advertising guidelines, and ensures responsible online privacy principles for computer and video games and other entertainment software in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. PEGI ratings are used on some French-language games sold in Canada. Despite being self-regulatory, in Canada, games rated by the ESRB are required by law to be rated and/or restricted, though this only varies at a province and territory level.
A similar system also exists for arcade video games, which is enforced by the American Amusement Machine Association and the Amusement and Music Operators Association. It is called the Parental Advisory System, and uses three colors for ratings - green, yellow, and red. Stickers displaying the ratings are placed on the game marquees, and the rating can also be displayed during the attract mode if the game's developer or publisher chooses to do so.

Russia

The Age classification of information products is a new statutory classification set of rules formed by the Russian Government after enacting in September 2012 a Federal Law of Russian Federation no. 436-FZ of 2010-12-23 “On Protecting of Children from Information Harmful to Their Health and Development”, which classifies films, video games and publications for exhibition, sale or hire in Russia since 1 September 2012. The Ministry of Culture provides administrative support to the classification.

Saudi Arabia

The General Commission for Audiovisual Media is responsible for the age-ratings of films, television programs and interactive games.

Singapore

The Info-communications Media Development Authority is a statutory board of the Singapore Government which regulates films, television programs and video games in Singapore.

South Africa

The South African Film and Publication Board is a statutory classification body formed by the South African Government under the Films and Publications Act of 1996 which classifies films, music, television programmes, and video games for exhibition, sale or hire in South Africa.

South Korea

The Game Rating and Administration Committee is the South Korean video game content rating board. A governmental organization, the GRAC rates video and computer games to inform customers of the nature of game contents.

Taiwan

Game Software Rating Regulations, also translated as Game Software Rating Management Regulations, is the video game content rating system used in Taiwan.

United Arab Emirates

The National Media Council is a body of the federal U.A.E. government which regulates all aspects of media production, publication, and media trade in the United Arab Emirates. The body was established under Federal Law of 2006. By 2013, the NMC has sustained full authority over the media market in the country.
In 2018, the NMC introduced local age rating systems for various media, including video games available in retail.

United Kingdom

The British Board of Film Classification.
In July 2012, the VSC Rating Board became the sole UK statutory video games regulator for the UK. The VSC Rating Board has been a PEGI Administrator since 2003 and subsequently uses the PEGI criteria to classify video games. The UK Interactive Entertainment Association, a UK industry trade group, works with the VSC to help properly label such games and provide informational material to parents. Games featuring strong pornographic content or ancillary mini-games to be included with a DVD feature will still be rated by the BBFC.

International

The IARC adopted its own rating system in countries and territories that are not represented by a participating rating authority.

Usage

The image below presents outdated usage of various video game content rating systems around the world. Countries filled with gradients are using several rating systems.