ESRB announces rating summaries for the general public

11:17 AM on 11.12.2008   |   Colette Bennett

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In an effort to better help parents understand the games that their kids are asking to play, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board made an announcement today that it will offer "rating summaries" for all games they have rated since July 1st.

These summaries can be found at ESRB.org and will be available starting today. Per the ESRB, they will "explain in objective terms the context and relevant content that factored into a game's ESRB rating assignment." There is also a mobile version of the website that will allow users to quickly browse summaries, which ought to come in handy when Timmy is tugging your pant leg in Best Buy and begging for a copy of Burly Men Blow Sh*t Away IV.

Hit the jump for more on this new development.

Here is an excerpt of the rating summary for Fallout 3:

Fallout 3 is a action role-playing game set in the barren wasteland of a post-apocalyptic society.... Characters are sometimes seen consuming fictional drugs (e.g., "Buffout," "Jet," and "Mentats"), while the player can also use – with no visual depiction of consuming/administering – a narcotic called "psycho," which with repeated uses leads to addiction. A screen-blurring effect indicates the state of characters' intoxication and the need to use the narcotic to fend off various side effects. Several of the characters are prostitutes and the details of their sexual activities are mildly insinuated (e.g., "You got the cash I got the time…I take care of men around here."). Strong profanity can also be heard throughout the game (e.g., "f*ck," "a*shole," and "sh*t").

Well, that certainly sums it up and makes a parent's job easier. This move drew the attention of several video game industry critics, including Hillary Clinton and Joseph Lieberman. Lieberman commented:

"The ESRB has now taken consumer education one step further with their new rating summaries, which provide a greater level of detail about game content to help parents be even more prepared to make informed game selections for their children."

Now all we have to do is teach parents to use the website, which if you've had any experience teaching these types of things to your parents, you know could be a major challenge. 

[Via Shacknews]