In its continued efforts to educate the public on its video game ratings system, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) will begin airing nationwide (and within retail stores) a new series of TV and radio Public Service Announcement (PSA) ads in a few days. Furthermore, the organization has just developed a free iPhone app giving parents instant access to rating summaries on games anywhere, anytime. This should be particularly useful for parents in need of information when at the store purchasing games for their kids.
It's important to note that rating summaries are not displayed on a game's box. They "go beyond a game’s rating by elaborating on its content descriptors and explaining its context, helping parents make truly informed game choices for their children."
“Rating summaries provide just the kind of specific, descriptive information that parents find useful when having to make decisions about whether a game is suitable for their child,” said ESRB president Patricia Vance. “This new rating search app puts all this information at parents’ fingertips when they need it most, right at the store. It’s a powerful tool that will help assure parents that the games they give as gifts are not only fun but also appropriate for their children.”
Rating summaries are available for all games rated since July 1, 2008. The iPhone app also provides access to general ESRB rating information for over 18,000 titles. The app does not have anything to do with the rating of iPhone games themselves, although ESRB would clearly love it if Apple made ESRB ratings a standard on iPhone games.
