The Entertainment Software Rating Board faces a difficult task in assigning ratings to digital games, one not about to be made any easier on it by game makers. Setting aside the matter of increasing complexity of these titles, the number of digital releases continues to grow at a strong pace. In order to keep up, the ESRB last year announced it would begin making use of an automated system for assigning ratings to downloadable games. This week it took things a step further by making this service available to developers for free, a move that could have more of an effect than simply reducing development costs.
Downloadable games released for Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network (including Vita), the 3DS eShop, the Wii Shop Channel, Windows 8, and PlayStation Certified devices are among those covered by this initially. Others will be added in the future, including streaming services (and the new ratings provide additional information on things like the presence of location sharing and player interaction). The idea is to ensure ESRB ratings, which are the most recognizable ratings for videogames in the United States and Canada, are more widely adopted as digital games are delivered more and more often on platforms that otherwise might not use them.
