[casual_games] ESRB Need Not Apply

[Daniel Kinney]

You may not be aware that there is an already an established ratings system
for independent game developers. Dubbed TIGRS, it has all of the features
(sans Vista-integration) you mentioned. The system is easy and FREE to use.
I think you should take a look at it before you opt to dilute the pool with
another ratings system that could potentially confuse customers. Visit the
site here:

http://www.tigrs.org

And take a look at the attractive new look which will be available in the
New Year:

http://tigrs.org/contact-sheet.png

Best Regards,
Daniel Kinney


On 12/22/06, Audry Taylor <talshannon at hotmail.com> wrote:

>

> The discussion about ESRB ratings is an interesting one to me, because our

> company has been planning to use our own rating system for our games.

> Because we have a very specific target audience (teenage girls +

> twentysomethings), we wanted to design a system that would be easy for

> them

> and their parents to grasp.  Rather than creating a game and then rating

> the

> content, we plan to rate the game at conception and allow the restrictions

> of that rating to influence the content of the game.  That way our

> audience

> will always know what's in one of our games simply by glancing at which

> rating symbol we gave it.  Our ratings will be age-based (for all ages,

> teens in general, older teens only, and even adults only for women over

> 21).

>   and there will only be 4 of them.  I won't go into the design of the

> ratings or the names we're giving them, but they are designed to clearly

> communicate what kind of profanity, sexuality, violence, and storytelling

> is

> included for each age range.

>

> Obviously, Vista will not be configured to accept our ratings.  I doubt

> that

> MS will be willing to alter Vista so that developers can add their own

> ratings systems (as that would open the floodgates for thousands of

> variations), so my company will have to consider alternatives for getting

> our games into game explorer.   Using ESRB for a second set of ratings

> that

> simply allow the user to install a game without warnings is one option,

> albeit expensive because of our development model (which is neither like a

> casual developer nor a traditional developer).

>

> I consider it important to look at everything from the consumer's p.o.v.,

> not from the developer's.  What is going to be easiest for them?  What

> will

> be clearest?  What will allow them the most freedom while providing the

> greatest level of security and comfort?

>

> I would have opted for an O/S that asked a user during install if they

> wished to set up a section just for games/music/movies et al.  If they

> clicked "yes" they could either customize each section to suit their needs

> or leave them with default settings.  This would accomodate users under 30

> (and sometimes over) who are very computer-saavy and would like to be able

> to customize how their computer functions, just like they customize their

> email, their home pages, their music software, their myspace site, etc.

>

> Vista could allow game companies to develop their own in-house ratings

> based

> on a "master checklist" used by Vista.  Each game, when installed, could

> submit a checklist of items to let Vista know which "master rating" their

> game falls under.  Vista could then display two ratings for the

> user:  game

> company rating and master rating.  The master ratings would be created by

> the user themselves using an easy checklist to determine what THEY think

> is

> appropriate for teens, kids, adults.  So the master rating would be THEIRS

> and they would know whether or not a game suits their particular

> standards.

> This would eliminate the need for the ESRB entirely and put the power (as

> well as the responsibility) for ratings into the hands of the consumer.

>

> For example:

>

> A game company makes END OF THE WORLD: THE DESTROYER, a game in which the

> player uses the power of flowers to save the planet from a robot

> programmed

> to destroy it.  The game has rainbow explosions, automated seed shooting

> weapons, enemy-neutralizing love hugs, and a kissing scene at the end.

>

> The company rates their game as being "G" for a general audience.  The

> game

> company also takes the "Master Checklist" and puts an "X" next to all

> content that exists in the game (and in this example, a "--" would mean

> the

> content did not exist in the game).

>

> -- Profanity

> X Violence without blood or human/animal injury.

> -- Violence with blood and/or aimed towards humans/animals.

> -- Extreme graphic violence depicting death, abuse, and/or internal

> organs.

> X Romantic content limited to hand-holding, a kiss, or a hug.

> -- Graphic sexual content depicting nudity and mature sexual relations.

>

> Joe buys this game for his teenage daughter.  Joe has set up the computer

> to

> allow his daughter to play "Teen" games.  Under the "Teen" rating, he has

> put an X next to everything he thinks is appropriate for his daughter to

> be

> exposed to:

>

> X Profanity

> X Violence without blood or human/animal injury.

> -- Violence with blood and/or aimed towards humans/animals.

> -- Extreme graphic violence depicting death, abuse, and/or internal

> organs.

> X Romantic content limited to hand-holding, a kiss, or a hug.

> -- Graphic sexual content depicting nudity and mature sexual relations.

>

> Joe also has a 7 year old son.  He has chosen the "G" rating for his son,

> which has the following items X'd off:

>

> -- Profanity

> -- Violence without blood or human/animal injury.

> -- Violence with blood and/or aimed towards humans/animals.

> -- Extreme graphic violence depicting death, abuse, and/or internal

> organs.

> -- Romantic content limited to hand-holding, a kiss, or a hug.

> -- Graphic sexual content depicting nudity and mature sexual relations.

>

> As you can see, Joe's computer will automatically fit END OF THE WORLD:

> THE

> DESTROYER into the "Teen" category so his daughter can play it, but block

> it

> from being played by his son, who is in the "G" category.  Next to the

> Master rating of "Teen" chosen by Joe, the computer will also list the

> game

> company's original rating of "G" so that Joe now knows this game company

> gives a softer rating than he does.  Now Joe doesn't have to worry about

> whether or not *you* would let his 7 year old play the game, because he

> can

> set up the ratings system himself.

>

> I would kill for a ratings system like this.  Consumers would quickly

> learn

> that our company's ratings are designed to take mass market concerns into

> consideration while also providing them with the security of knowing they

> could overrule content they dislike.  If they found that our ratings were

> dishonest (that we were not checking off certain items on the list), they

> could take matters into their own hands and block content from our game

> company, pressuring us to be accurate in how we rate our games on the

> ratings list.

>

> Putting the power in the hands of the consumer works for Wiki, Youtube,

> and

> a million other services.  Why not the gaming industry, too?

>

> Audry Taylor

> Creative Director

> Go! Comi

> http://www.gocomi.com

>

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