ESRB planning to go mobile, wants to rate App Store games too

Posted Jun 16, 2009 at 10:36PM by Mabie A. Listed in: Gaming, News Tags: App Store, ESA, ESRB, iPhone, MPAA
Ó


ESRB rating - Image 1 Pretty soon, we just might be seeing the ESRB seal of approval for games that we download from the App Store. Calls have been strong both from ESA and the ESRB to set up a ratings system for iPhone and iPod Touch games, and that was only compounded further by the Worldwide Developers Conference held by Apple last week.

Never mind that Apple's got their own ratings board for the items on the App Store - they should all fall under the ESRB umbrella.

Eliot Mizrachi of the ratings board said, "ESRB has seen increases in rating submissions each year since its founding and have rated more than 70 mobile games to date and will undoubtedly rate more in the future as the market grows."

And no, they're not doing this for the money. Unknown to some people, there is a cost to having that ESRB logo stamped on a game's cover. There is money that goes out after all in looking through the code and rating the game. But Mizrachi explains:

Given our highly discounted rate for low-budget games, rating mobile games is not a financially attractive proposition. Apple's integration of ESRB ratings into its parental controls for iPhone games would afford parents the ability to block those video games that carry and ESRB rating utilizing the same tool they are being offered to block video content that has been rated by the MPAA or carries an official TV rating. It's about giving parents the same ability to do on the iPhone what they are being offered with other entertainment content.


These are all plans for now, however, and no concrete details as to the ESRB ratings on iPhone games have been fully confirmed.



Related Articles:


Via Kotaku

 
 
 

Comments [refresh]

by phiyuku - 2009-06-17 00:07
» As long as budget games

for the App Store don't have to pay fine by me. Because if we start seeing ESRB ratings and they charge for it, say goodbye to free and 99c Apps. And expect every other App to increase in price

Add comment

Security code
Refresh

Add QJ.NET
Add to My Yahoo!
Google Reader Subscribe with Bloglines
Add  to your Kinja digest Subscribe in NewsGator Online
Subscribe with Pluck RSS reader Add 'www.qj.net' to Newsburst from CNET News.com
Subscribe with SearchFox RSS del.icio.us www.qj.net
Add to Technorati Favorite! Add to My AOL
furl! it Stumble for Treehugger!