ESRB Rating System

The problems right now is that ESRB is not strong enough. ESRB should be more restrictive in rating violent video games. According to Whiting, the ESRB’s decision to start hiring new gamer raters instead of non-gamer raters because “Previously, the ESRB's hiring policy has been to avoid recruiting from the ranks of actual gamers, the theory being that people soaked in game culture and aesthetics might not be the best judges of character when it came to what's appropriate for little Johnny”. Often younger teens get their hands on the video games that are made for adult consumers. I found out that the current ESRB system is ineffective in protecting children from purchasing inappropriate games (Parvaz). According to the “Video Games and Violence”
the ESRB does not have the authority for the retailer to stop the sale of M rated (Mature) game to minors. According to “Update: Video Games and Violence”,
“the FTC study conducted in 2003 which found that 69% of children between the ages of 13 and 16 who wanted to purchase M-rated games were easily able to do so, and a 2004 study, conducted by the New York City Council, which determined that 16 year old living in New York had a nearly 90% success rate in purchasing games intended for adults aged 17 and up”.
This proves the ESRB rating system lacks the power to regulate the retailers from selling M rated video games to underage children. According to “Video Games and Violence” the current rating system is not strong enough and inefficient because ESRB is run by the game industry itself, and it is a voluntary system. The ESRB rating system still has weaknesses and needs to be more accurate in rating video game policies.
First problem is that ESRB does not provide enough information to the parent or consumer before they buy it. First ESRB is establishing to help parent to buy a game suitable for their children. But the ESRB claim that it is a parents’ responsibility for their children to play the video games, but not the ESRB responsibility. According to “Video Games and Violence” the 2000 FTC report showed that 83% of violent games were bought by adults and given to children without looking at the ESRB rating
system.
Second, according to the ESRB, most retailers in the United States refuse to carry video games that are not rated by ESRB.
As a result parents should be able to know the rating of the game that they select for their children. In addition, the ratings consist of two parts: one is the ratings symbol which can be found on the front of the box and one on the back of the box which includes a description of the game so the consumers know what kind of video games it is (ESRB). Thus, with the creation of the ESRB rating system, parents have no excuse for not knowing the ratings of the video game their children are playing. According to Anderson and Bushman, “teens in grades 8 through 12 reports that 90% of their parents never check the ratings of video games before allowing their purchase, and only 1% of the teens’ parents had even prevented a purchase based on its rating”. Since parents cannot blame violent video games for causing their children’s aggressiveness, because the ESRB rating system provides content description for parents to choose the video games that are right for their children and families to play. However, parents often do not really understand what the ESRB rating symbols mean. According to Wood, “Studies show that the majority of parents buying games for their kids do check the game's rating, but unfortunately, not all of them know about or understand the ESRB rating system.” The current rating system is too confusing for parents to understand and event
contradictory for parents to use effectively. Many parents claim that ESRB is failing to educated them and children about the ESRB rating system. Therefore, the lack of parental guidance and supervision has enabled our youth to be exposed to violence in video games. For this proposed solution, the ESRB has to provide public education about the rating system and explain why it is so important to pay attention to the ratings and descriptors.
Another problem is many retailers fail to stop the sale of M rated (Mature) games to minors. It is not very difficult for anyone, even young children, to access to a game with violent content. So while retailers are not checking to make sure children are allowed to rent or buy video games, parents do not even bother to check the rating of video games their children are playing. The new rating system should be heavily enforced wherever video games are being sold. First, signs or posters need to be placed in very plain view with no obstructions at all retail stores. Second, employees need to be trained on all the different ratings and know who is eligible to buy which different rated video games. ESRB has to make laws stronger to enforce the retailers who failed to obey.