ESRB's Vance details plans for full-time raters

Posted Feb 21, 2007 at 1:57PM by QJ Staff Listed in: News, Titles Tags: ESRB, Patricia Vance
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Patricia Vance - Image 1If the GamerDad online ad is any indication, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is taking more stringent measures to improve its ratings for any upcoming video game under its watch. In relation to this previous news, ESRB head Patricia Vance is announcing another major step by discussing plans for the board to hire full-time raters by this April. As she explained:

Having full-time raters will allow for each [rater] to have greater experience actually reviewing content and recommending ratings, given the increased amount of time each one would spend doing it. This would provide each rater with a greater sense of historical parity for ratings, not to mention helping them to be more attuned to pertinent content and how it should be considered from a ratings standpoint.

Vance further detailed that these full-time raters would be assigned to play-test final versions of the game from start to end. This in turn would allow the ESRB to play-test a larger amount of games with the rest of its part-time testers, most of whom would be the volunteers from sites like GamerDad.

It will be remembered that game retailer GameStop is taking up similar cudgels with its "Respect the Ratings" campaign, which promotes heightened game rating awareness among parents. On the other hand, could the ESRB be simply jumping the gun on Senator Sam Brownback's recently re-introduced "Truth in Video Game Ratings" Act? Then again, while the notion of such campaigns does leave some with a sour taste, it seems to be the better half of some of the heavier penalties being cooked up in congress...

 
 
 

Comments [refresh]

by R Kelly - 2007-02-21 08:41
» Ratings rock

Don't you hate it when you buy something and find out it is totally different than you expected? Like when MGS 2 came out and it had the most incoherent plot ever conceived in a video game??? or when you play a game all the way to the end and find out the final boss is Richard simmons urinating on the american flag while smoking marijuana out of the rectum of an african albino midget watching friends on a portable tv????? The games ratings system is far superior to the movie ratings system which has no structure. As long as the entire product is previewed and the content is disclosed we will have no more surprises and mgs5 can stay on the shelf if raiden is in it.

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