Codey reminds parents of video game ratings
By STEPHEN SMITH
For The Press
Published: Tuesday, November 25, 2008
TRENTON - Play an electric guitar or drums along to your favorite tune. Shoot down Japanese and German planes during World War II. Decapitate zombies with a chainsaw while dressed in a scanty leather thong. That's just a few of the things players can do in video games being released this holiday season.Of course, some of these games are inappropriate for a young audience.So New Jersey Senate President Richard J. Codey and Entertainment Software Rating Board President Patricia E. Vance have taken the helm of a public service announcement campaign to remind parents about the board's rating system before the holiday shopping season begins.It will run on regional radio, television, and local cable television stations this month. "As a father, I know parents face tough decisions about the media they allow into their homes," Codey, D-Essex, said Monday. "The board is a great service that provides tools for parents to determine if a game is appropriate."
Vance explained the uses and specifics of the board's rating system, displayed on the front and back of almost every video game package. A back-of-box rating also describes some game content, explaining why the game is appropriate for the specific age group.The board's separate ratings are EC (Early Childhood, three and older), E (Everyone older than six), E10+ (Everyone 10 and older), T (Teens 13 and older), M (Mature; people 17 and older), and AO (Adults Only; people 18 and older).For example, Rock Band 2, a game in which players perform songs using fake guitars, drums, and microphone, received a T rating for "lyrics and suggestive themes."OneChanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad, a game in which players control a squad of scantily dressed women who kill zombies, received an M rating for "blood and gore, intense violence, language and sexual themes.""Let's face it, kids will always want the hot new game that other kids are playing, and they will always say that other parents are letting their kids get it," Vance said. "But let me assure you, parents are not allowing their kids to play violent video games and you should choose a game appropriate for your children." A detailed explanation of the rating system, as well as a list of games by rating, can be found on the board's Web site at www.esrb.org.
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