Hello

We're approaching alpha version of our game and considering it's famil orientated we thought we'd look into getting an ESRB rating. We kinda hope it would reassure people. After a couple of emails I got the submissions forms needed. Apparently it will cost $1,500 to get a rating.

Is it worth it? Money is tight enough as this is our first game so $1,500 is quite a lot.

Thanks

Scott

I wouldn't if you're not planning to go retail... The website's information and shots of the game should be enough to promote the family-friendliness. If you *say* it's a family product, you've got shiny happy screenshots available, and possibly a forum of happy customers discussing your family product (not always applicable, of course, but it helps prove you're legit), why should they doubt? What are they going to think, that you're hiding machineguns inside the toys? :)

You should be able to find some web services to review your site/product for free in order to get a shiny family-safe logo to put on the webpage. I can't see how it's really that much different than an official rating as far as the comfort level of the consumer goes.

Putting it in movie terms (movie ratings mean more to me than software ratings) nobody bothers trying to fake a G. They snip things out of their movie to push it down to PG or PG-13, to ride that edge of the teen and preteen audiences where they try to fit in enough sex and violence to be exciting without quite sending parents into a rage. They take as much as they can get away with - they WANT to call themselves PG-13. But nobody wants to call themselves G if they're not - the mainstream market would assume the movie was boring.

Also, isn't the ESRB about to overhaul their ratings scheme? I think I read an article about that... it would be a shame to get yourself rated and have the rating promptly be out of date!

ESRB is required on the Retail front, so if you want to get into Walmart or Targe' you will need one.

On the Online side, you do see folks like WildTangent do it but they don't seem to be playing it up much.

I'd think if funds are tight, to invest that money into getting to press releases into the hands of some reviewers.

If you had some play money, then ya you might want to test to see if it does make a diffrence. I'm guessing it isn't going to Double your sales or even half that, so you can probably do the math if it's going to pay off anytime soon.

ya never know though ;)

Originally posted by papillon
Also, isn't the ESRB about to overhaul their ratings scheme? I think I read an article about that... it would be a shame to get yourself rated and have the rating promptly be out of date!

From Gamasutra (6/30/03):

The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) has added four new ratings categories for games, hoping to better spell out the type of content in games. The new descriptors are as follows:

1. "Cartoon violence." Defined as when "a character is unharmed after the action has been inflicted."

2. "Fantasy violence." Defined as actions that involve "characters in situations easily distinguishable from real life."

3. "Intense violence." Defined as content that contains "graphic and realistic-looking depictions of physical conflict" that may involve "blood, gore, weapons and depictions of human injury and death."

4. "Sexual violence." Defined as "depictions of rape or other violent sexual acts."

These four new categories bring the total number of content descriptors to thirty (see the ESRB web site for a complete listing).

In addition, beginning September 15, publishers must begin displayihng content warning labels more prominently on the front of videogame boxes.


I find it disturbing that the ESRB felt it necessary to add a "Sexual Violence" category. Are there that many games out there that have such content? On the other hand, even if there's just one, it'd be nice to know before you buy it.

Anyway, I agree with papillon and Jonas: your money is better spent on other things unless your game is going to be sitting on a shelf in Walmart (in which case, $1500 for a rating should be nothing).

I'm no prude by a long shot, but ya I gotta admit it's sad that Sexual Violence has earned a category in the ESRB rating system.

I doubt it will be the last disapointment in the state of the world.

Another alternative to getting an ESRB rating is getting a ELSPA rating. ELSPA is the european equivalent of ESRB, with the exception that it is based on self moderation in most cases. Only if your game contains heavier elements does it need to be submitted. I recently worked through their form for Space Station Manager and received a 3+ rating, meaning for ages 3 and up. It was just filling out a long form answering "no, no, no" all the time .. :)

Here is their link:
http://www.elspa.com/

If I know an US reviewer usually has a ESRB rating in their reviews I just quote the ELSPA rating and say it is roughly equivalent to an ESRB of "E".