ESRB, Georgia Attorney General To Educate Parents On Game Ratings

Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) president Patricia Vance has announced that the organization is working with Georgia State Attorney General Thurbert Baker on new public service announcements aimed at educating parents on the ESRB video game ratings system. The campaign, which is a notable example of the game industry regulatory body reaching out to politicans to work with them, as opposed to being legislated against, will be featured as both television and and radio public service announcements, and will begin running in Georgia in the coming weeks. “Just like movies and TV shows, video games are created for a diverse audience of all ages,” said Vance. “That is why it is so important that parents remember to check the rating when purchasing games for their children. We are very grateful to have the support of Attorney General Baker in reaching out to Georgia’s parents and educating them about the ratings.” Another example of this political co-operation was the recently launched Commitment To Parents' initiative, which was announced at a press conference on Capitol Hill in June featuring Senators Rick Santorum (R-PA), George Allen (R-VA) and Mark Pryor (D-AR), and ESRB president Patricia Vance, as well as several other notable trade body and public figures. However, despite this outreach, the ESRB rating system itself has come under increased scrutiny lately, most recently by Florida Republican Cliff Stearns in the form of a new bill dubbed the “Truth in Video Game Rating Act”, which would, among other things, force the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) to play a game in its entirety prior to giving it a rating, a move that would no doubt require much more time and manpower than the current system which has no such restriction.