The Entertainment Software Rating Board : Unregulated Censorship Of Violence

In 2006, Congress passed a law that required television signal providers to abandon analog broadcasting ultimately switching to digital. Best Buy was the first store completely to rid the option of buying television analog equipment. Best Buy also understood the growing global market for the gaming media. By partnering themselves with manufacturers and the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), they were able to involve themselves with rating systems assigned to games. Taking a step further, Best Buy took the initiative to control the selling of m-rated games and banning adult-only games, promoting a family atmosphere. Best Buy also considers themselves the leader in establishing policies and standards concerning protecting customer and employee privacy.

There is a concern on how to manage underage rental of DVD’s and age restricted games. The Motion Picture Association of America (37) has established ratings that are socially acceptable for rating videos. There are also similar video game restrictions set up by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) that rates content contained in the game and recommended age appropriateness. (36). To comply with these rating entities, Redbox has a disclaimer that must be acknowledge about the rating on the DVD or game chosen and the renter is of appropriate age.

Its currently outdated system is prone to angering the gaming community for its use of unnecessary bans and restrictions of games brought in from overseas. If a game is available in hundreds of other countries, why must Australia start complaining? It is apparent that by banning certain games they are setting an example for others to follow, but really are just causing more trouble than its worth. With so little cases of violence derived from gaming, when a case occurs it tends to blow up in the media, it causes needless debate on whether video games contribute to violent acts. A child should only ever be able to play a ‘violent’ game if they are able to tell the difference between right and wrong and are aware of the consequences of their actions. The R18+ classification came into effect after the Federal and State governments passed legislation in late 2012 to introduce the rating. Shortly after the R18+ rating was introduced in Australia, it was praised it for finally treating the adult gaming community as they are treated everywhere else in the world. This of course comes at a cost, with many games being stripped down to fit regulations and the Australian gamers fighting against it. We still have the Refused Classification category, which consists of games being banned, and permanently censored by the Government. Even with an R18+ rating now readily available, it does not completely overshadow this issue. The

"You can not judge a book by its binding" said the author Lester Fuller. This is not what most adults do to every M rated game. They don't look into the games, they just say "No!" to the teen/kid who is asking for it. For 24 years games didn't have ratings, so why do we need them today? The main reason we have ratings on video games is because of protests by adults blaming growing violence and abuse on video games. The funny thing was, they didn't give a shred of proof, the protests were just based on assumptions. The child may miss wholesome and beneficial experiences if not allowed to play these games. Unless adults actually start looking into M rated video games, a kid will miss wholesome experiences and will continue to be slow to flourish.

Similar to movies, video games also have a ratings system for games. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is the company that looks at video games and gives it an age restriction based on its content. The ESRB rates over 1000 games per year. It looks at factors like the amount of violence and abusive language. It is said that less than 40% of parents understand the ESRB. For instance, the rating M stands for mature, only seventeen and above can play. Today, more than 70% of children under the age of seventeen have played M rated games. One of the biggest examples that demonstrate that parents ignore the ESRB is Grand Theft Auto V. Grand Theft Auto V has managed to break sale records. A salesman in japan says that out of the first

It's ridiculous to punish a game rating company for the lack of attention being paid by the customer. It's clear that ESRB is doing their job when employees at gaming stores are stopping customers from buying games when asking how old they are. Parents want a different company to rate games, but not only will they not be as effective as ESRB, but one can almost guarantee that the new company would run into the same problems ESRB does. Providing quick glances at rating symbols and giving detailed lists, ESRB has given customers every opportunity to know what game they're

4.Reasons: 1. The raters are not required to play the video game before they rate it. 2. Gamers are not the ones rating the games. 3. The descriptions of the ratings for games are sometimes inaccurate. 4. Raters are kept anonymous. 5. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board is not

I chose this population because most of the boys I know start playing video games around the age of 6 and at 13 years old boys are going through puberty, where a lot their important perceptions and opinions are being formed and solidified. The rating for mature games is for people ages 17 and older, but I have seen first hand that parents will buy their children mature rated games, no matter what age they are because their kids tell them “it’s only rated mature because of violence.” Those games are rated M for a reason, and it’s not just because of violence. According to the Entertainment Software Rating Board, the definition of an M rated game is a game in which “content is generally suitable for ages 17 and up. May contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language” ("ESRB Ratings Guide," n.d.) I think most people would agree that 6-13 year-old boys should not be exposed to sexual content, as they are young and impressionable. Another reason I chose my population is because according to statistics from Pew Research Center, who are known for informing the public on current issues by conducting polls on public opinion and conducting content analysis along with demographic research, “Boys are significantly more likely to play games daily than girls, with 39% of boys reporting daily game play and 22% of girls reporting the same. Boys are also more likely than girls to play games on any

Ratings on video games are supposed to be the yes or no on purchase, besides the consent of the parent of course. ESRA has been trying crucially to do their part in making the age-to-play ratio on games easy to see. It seems as if their method has not been seen fit to most though. However, ESRA can only influence people to buy the game suitable for their age, they can't force them.

Circuit Court of Appeals in Sacramento ruled the law to be in violation of the First Amendment. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia sought the law as “over inconclusive” and excludes the rights of parents who believe otherwise on what is acceptable content for their children. The court viewed the industry’s voluntary rating system assigned by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) as a responsible and suitable leverage for parents/guardians to determine a game’s content. Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association stood as one of the greatest victories for the gaming industry. Justice Clarence Thomas viewed parental engagement and the youth’s overall environment to play an important part on their perception of violence in reality.

Violence can be seen everywhere even when we are not looking for it. Specifically on television, video games, and on the web. Something as simple as turning on the television and watching the morning news can even portray some violence. Many experts have debated over whether violent media has any effect on a child’s behavior. I think that many people don’t see this as an issue. Possibly because we have integrated violence as a part of society. But I feel that excessive exposure to violent media will have negative effects on a child’s psychological health and well-being.

(Raymond Chris) This system, which is responsible for rating every video game and matching them with the corresponding gaming age, is effective and prevents phycological problems if the parents can keep track of what there kids are playing. The categories for video game ratings go as followed: E for everyone, T for teen, and M for mature (which is 17+). There are also ratings that fit in-between. eC for early childhood, E for everyone 10+, and Adults only 18+ (which is made from excessive nudity, or just unsuitable for people under the age of 18). Now do parents really control what their kids play? 73% of parents believe that the parental controls available in all new video game consoles are useful. Also parents control time usage on video games more than any other entertainment industry out there. 94% of the time, parents are present at the time games are purchased or rented, and 88% of the time parents report always, or sometimes monitoring the games their children play.

“Instead of just following an ESRB rating, parent’s need to actively assess their child in relationship to the game in question” (“Leviathyn” Freese.) Parents who communicate effectively with their children allows them to see whether they are a mature enough for the game or not. There are many steps or procedures that one can do to see if a game is right for a child. One, the parent or guardian

II. ESRB (The Entertainment Software Rating Board) is a company in America that provides information the contents in video games. ESRB tests all video games that come out and reach the US, and give them a rating. ESRB will give the video game ratings in three parts: Rating Categories, Content Descriptors, and Interactive Elements. Rating Categories suggest age appropriateness.

The violence is no less than propaganda for parents to encourage the censoring of violent games. Although the gaming industry has grown into a multi million dollar franchise, it preys on the youth of society to purchase and participate in violence. Computer and video games have become very popular among children and teens. The age group varies between seven years of age to sixteen years of age. With that knowledge parents need to partake in purchases made.