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Video Games: Reading the Ratings on the Games People Play

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Additional information about video and computer game content is available ... or to get free information on consumer issues visit ftc.gov or call tollfree ...

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Video Games: Reading the Ratings on the Games People Play Page 1FTC Consumer AlertFederal Trade Commission Bureau of Consumer Protection Office of Consumer & Business EducationVideo Games:Reading the Ratings on the Games People PlayVideo and computer games are popular among people of all ages. A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 83 percent of children aged 8 to 18 live in homes with a video game console and that 40 percent of them have the console in their bedroom.The content of todays video and computer games varies widely. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) the nations consumer protection agency game packages have information about the content that can help renters and buyers decide whether a particular game is suitable before they take it home.The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) set up by the entertainment software industrys trade association maintains a twopart rating system for video and computer games: the rating symbol such as E or M which suggests the games age appropriateness and appears on the front of the game box; and content descriptors like Blood and Gore which point out specific elements of the game that have caused the rating and that may be of concern. They appear on the back of the box. The ESRB also maintains a website www.esrb.org where visitors can enter the name of a game to see its rating and the descriptions of its content. The ESRB notes that ratings should be only one factor in the decision to buy or rent a particular game: personal taste standards and knowledge of whats best for ones family also come into play.The FTC notes that players can change the content of a rated game by downloading software from the Internet onto their computers. These programs called mods are created by game enthusiasts and can make a games content more explicit than the rating indicates and in turn inappropriate for players like kids and teens. In addition the ESRB says theres no rating for content cre ...

Source: www.ftc.gov

 

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