Best Buy To Debut Video Game Rating System
US retailer goes to "enhance ESRB" ratings
Major U.S. electronics retailer, Best Buy is teaming up with not-for-profit organisation, Common Sense media, to provide game ratings on its websites.
To give you a flavour of where Common Sense stands on the matter, here's what its website says about video games and violence, "Video games have taken center stage as an especially powerful and violent influence. Players actively engage in maiming, killing, and raping victims in an effort for a high score or to 'win' the game."
Under the agreement, Best Buy will add reviews, content descriptions, and user comments from Common Sense Media to BestBuy.com to help shoppers make the best video game choices for themselves and their families.
"The information is meant to enhance the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) Rating information", says the join press release. Of course, this can also be seen as a major retailer weakening the authority of the ESRB ratings system. There is also the obvious issue of confusing the people at whom the ratings are aimed - parents.
Jill Hamburger, vice president of entertainment at Best Buy, works around those issues, saying, “The information from Common Sense Media provides guidance about both the content of a game and its entertainment value. We want parents to be confident they're buying games that are appropriate for their families and fun to play.”
Aside from one element, that is exactly what the bloated and embattled ESRB rating system is also aimed at providing. The missing element is guidance to the "entertainment value" - no other age rating or parental advisory system in the world is arrogant enough to assume it can assess how 'entertaining' a product is.
James Steyer, CEO and founder of Common Sense Media says, “Our goal is to give parents the information they need, when and where they need it to make the right video game choices for their families.
Bear in mind that in May last year, Steyer prior to joining California governor Schwarzenegger in defending a State bill to prohibit the sale of "ultraviolent games" directly to minors, said the following, "The latest research from public health experts at Harvard, Stanford and elsewhere clearly shows that video games make kids more aggressive. Parents and teachers across the country support this type of legislation and realize that it’s an effective tool in preventing kids from being exposed to violent content they simply aren’t ready for. It’s sad that the video game industry is putting its bottom line ahead of the interests of kids and families."
The bill banned the sale or rental to those under 18 of any video games that "depict serious injury to human beings in a manner that is especially heinous, atrocious or cruel".
So, you get some idea of how Common Sense Media and Best Buy's new system can "enhance" the ESRB rating system with unbiased, objective comment.
To give you a flavour of where Common Sense stands on the matter, here's what its website says about video games and violence, "Video games have taken center stage as an especially powerful and violent influence. Players actively engage in maiming, killing, and raping victims in an effort for a high score or to 'win' the game."
Under the agreement, Best Buy will add reviews, content descriptions, and user comments from Common Sense Media to BestBuy.com to help shoppers make the best video game choices for themselves and their families.
"The information is meant to enhance the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) Rating information", says the join press release. Of course, this can also be seen as a major retailer weakening the authority of the ESRB ratings system. There is also the obvious issue of confusing the people at whom the ratings are aimed - parents.
Jill Hamburger, vice president of entertainment at Best Buy, works around those issues, saying, “The information from Common Sense Media provides guidance about both the content of a game and its entertainment value. We want parents to be confident they're buying games that are appropriate for their families and fun to play.”
Aside from one element, that is exactly what the bloated and embattled ESRB rating system is also aimed at providing. The missing element is guidance to the "entertainment value" - no other age rating or parental advisory system in the world is arrogant enough to assume it can assess how 'entertaining' a product is.
James Steyer, CEO and founder of Common Sense Media says, “Our goal is to give parents the information they need, when and where they need it to make the right video game choices for their families.
Bear in mind that in May last year, Steyer prior to joining California governor Schwarzenegger in defending a State bill to prohibit the sale of "ultraviolent games" directly to minors, said the following, "The latest research from public health experts at Harvard, Stanford and elsewhere clearly shows that video games make kids more aggressive. Parents and teachers across the country support this type of legislation and realize that it’s an effective tool in preventing kids from being exposed to violent content they simply aren’t ready for. It’s sad that the video game industry is putting its bottom line ahead of the interests of kids and families."
The bill banned the sale or rental to those under 18 of any video games that "depict serious injury to human beings in a manner that is especially heinous, atrocious or cruel".
So, you get some idea of how Common Sense Media and Best Buy's new system can "enhance" the ESRB rating system with unbiased, objective comment.
Comments
tyrion 17 May 2007 12:54
1/5
Here's a thought I've just had. Why don't retailers group games by rating in their stores?
Obviously they group by platform, but after that it's generally just an alphabetical list, with maybe a chart shelf or a new releases shelf.
Why don't we see the general games grouped by rating with the 18s (or M rated) games together, under a large red 18 banner.
Something has to be done to make parents wake up to why we have ratings on games, maybe this would help.
Obviously they group by platform, but after that it's generally just an alphabetical list, with maybe a chart shelf or a new releases shelf.
Why don't we see the general games grouped by rating with the 18s (or M rated) games together, under a large red 18 banner.
Something has to be done to make parents wake up to why we have ratings on games, maybe this would help.
TimSpong 17 May 2007 13:11
2/5
tyrion wrote:
Here's a thought I've just had. Why don't retailers group games by rating in their stores?
Remembering what was my local K-Mart in Broadway (Sydney), retailers have problems grouping their products by bloody product. I think the answer is that it's too much effort.
The ESRB and PEGI systems will be brought to their knees and eventually done away with due to parents really not giving a stuff (or not 'having the time') and by the 'moral' majority being more engaged than the liberal, freedom of speech loving, hippy, tree-hugging, Guardian reading, sitting room blathering classes.
This "enhancement" rating is the thin edge of the wedge!
I think I need a nice cup of tea and a bourbon.
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Joji 17 May 2007 14:33
3/5
Undermining the current ESRB system will just confuse people more than anything. This is clearly middle american thinking.
This kind of thinking reminds me of the food labeling systems we now have in the U.K. First there was one and now there's two similar ratings, to decipher and confuse.
Old saying: If it ain't broke don't fix it. All the current ESRB system needs is tweaking. Perhaps they should look at the colour coded system that the U.K has had with films forever and use that. Get ads on tv and cinema to explain the change and things should go down well.
This kind of thinking reminds me of the food labeling systems we now have in the U.K. First there was one and now there's two similar ratings, to decipher and confuse.
Old saying: If it ain't broke don't fix it. All the current ESRB system needs is tweaking. Perhaps they should look at the colour coded system that the U.K has had with films forever and use that. Get ads on tv and cinema to explain the change and things should go down well.
Anonymous 17 May 2007 14:44
4/5
I honestly don't see what's wrong with a legally enforceable and enforced age ratings system for games. The wording of the bill outlined above was inflammatory, but the idea behind it - to stop children buying violent games - seems perfectly reasonable to me. Movies have such a ratings system, and it hasn't exactly hurt the film industry.
TimSpong 17 May 2007 14:45
5/5
Joji wrote:
Undermining the current ESRB system will just confuse people more than anything. This is clearly middle american thinking.
This kind of thinking reminds me of the food labeling systems we now have in the U.K. First there was one and now there's two similar ratings, to decipher and confuse.
Old saying: If it ain't broke don't fix it. All the current ESRB system needs is tweaking. Perhaps they should look at the colour coded system that the U.K has had with films forever and use that. Get ads on tv and cinema to explain the change and things should go down well.
This kind of thinking reminds me of the food labeling systems we now have in the U.K. First there was one and now there's two similar ratings, to decipher and confuse.
Old saying: If it ain't broke don't fix it. All the current ESRB system needs is tweaking. Perhaps they should look at the colour coded system that the U.K has had with films forever and use that. Get ads on tv and cinema to explain the change and things should go down well.
Perhaps the stores should inform their staff not to sell games marked with age ranges to inappropriate ages. Perhaps parents should give a damn.