Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
ESRB Announces New Digital Ratings System
ESRB ratings have become a familiar sight on game boxes, but they have been conspicuously absent on digitally distributed games. That's about to change, according to an announcement from the nonprofit organization.
The ratings, which developers can add at no cost, are designed to help players navigate through not only content but what kinds of services the games are using. Ideally, that means consumers will not only get guidance on whether a game features graphic violence or drug use, but also whether a game shares a user's location or provides unscreened access to user-generated content. Ratings will be assigned after developers fill out a questionnaire.
The ESRB's president, Patricia Vance, says the new system will provide consistency across a variety of platforms, which often have their own content ratings. The first wave of games to incorporate the new ratings system will be titles appearing on Xbox Live Arcade, PSN, Nintendo eShop, and Windows 8. Other digital distributors will adopt the ratings at a later point.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
