[casual_games] If Vista is going to be such a problem...

[Chuck Walbourn]

> Why not carefully investigate it. It seems to me that the first question goes to Microsoft. Can we use a



> different ratings system than ESRB - or is MS going to endorse a monopoly over game ratings for each



> country. ;)




Microsoft has an agreement with a number of ratings boards to use their system and symbols (yes, these are typically copyrighted and/or trademarked) for the Parental Controls implementation. The rating system's symbol appears in the Game Explorer when a rated title is selected, along with some other metadata. The default rating system locale detection setting is likely part of that agreement, but users are free to set the system to any supported rating system. Currently we have implemented ESRB, PEGI, USK, OFLC, and CERO. Additional ratings systems may be added in future updates.



Again the ratings agreement is between the rating board and the publisher. Microsoft is not involved with the ratings process. For the few hundred legacy titles we prepopulated into the Game Explorer, we just used the rating information on the box. Otherwise titles are responsible for providing their own ratings information or they will show up as "unrated".



As I said in my original e-mail, I agree the ratings systems as they currently exist have a number of issues: impacts on low-cost tiles, non-retail titles, online titles, user-created content, etc. These are issues that are best handled by industry initiatives, and the IGDA has a very important role to play in this process. That said, users of Parental Controls will need to understand that "unrated" is a common case for games and they have to make their own judgment about these games on a case-by-case basis. The Windows Vista Parental Controls system absolutely allows the parent to override the rating and allow or disallow a game on a case-by-case basis to support this usage.



-Chuck Walbourn

SDE, Game Technology Group



PS: I'm actually out of the office and will be through next week :>