ESRB Mobile App Lets Users Snap Box Photos For More Info

A new version of the Entertainment Software Ratings Board's mobile game rating application provides expanded rating summaries when users take a camera phone picture of a game box. Basic rating information, including short content descriptors, are already available on the box of every game rated by the ESRB. But the new mobile app provides quick access to the ESRB's full-paragraph content summaries, which are available for all games released since July 1, 2008, by simply snapping a box photo. "For a parent who still isn't sure about whether a game is OK for their child after checking the rating information on the box, rating summaries provide exactly the types of examples that help parents make that final decision," says ESRB president Patricia Vance. The free app, which is currently available in the iTunes App Store and Android Market, also allows users to simply type in a game name to access full rating information on any of the 20,000 titles in the ESRB's database. This information is also available for free on the ESRB's web site. The original version of the ESRB's mobile app was release on the iTunes App Store just over a year ago, though the Android version was just released this week. A January study found 70 percent of parents use ESRB ratings in making game purchases for their children. The Parents Television Council recently blasted some retailers for ignoring the ratings when selling M-rated games to 19 percent of underage secret shoppers.