ESRB, PTA Partner For New Ratings Campaign

Ratings board ESRB and the Parent Teacher Association have announced a new campaign to educate parents on ratings, parental controls and online video game safety, with a new booklet to be distributed to all 26,000 PTAs. Entitled “A Parents Guide to Video Games, Parental Controls and Online Safety”, and also available online (PDF), the booklet is intended to "offer a step-by-step guide to setting up parental controls as well as an article about online safety from Andrew S. Bub of GamerDad.com. The groups also intend to launch a webcast by PTA national president Jan Harp Domene, ESRB president Patricia Vance, and Bub to "explain the ESRB rating system, offer information on setting up parental controls for the Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Sony PS3 and PSP, and Windows Vista, and include a discussion about online video game safety." The webcast will take place April 23rd at 7:00 PM EDT, and will conclude with a live text Q&A session. Said Domene of the effort, “Video games continue to be a popular source of learning and entertainment for children, but today’s games provide players with new abilities to interact with one another via online play. Just as with the Internet, that kind of interaction carries with it some risks.” She concluded, “Using the ESRB ratings and setting up parental controls are important, proactive steps that parents can take to make sure their kids are playing games they deem appropriate. And being aware of the risks posed by online-enabled games and what can be done to keep their kids safe when playing online is crucial information for parents. We’re very pleased to be offering them this guidance with the help of ESRB.”