Writing to reach you

There are many organisations that rate game content. The ELSPA , ESRB and PEGI are but a few. There are many national rating systems too. They give games certificates according to their content. (and most also rate tv-programs and video/dvd recordings) They are categorized in 4-6 different groups. Ranging from 3+ to 18+ (some porn even has extra rules on them, dont ask me how i know :P) This is to prevent children from playing games that may damage them or give them wrong ideas. It's still too often we read stories about silly kids reinacting a scene from a movie or a game. Like Driver or Grand Theft Auto for instance. And then there is the music discussion, but thats not important right now. ESBR : The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) ratings are designed to provide information about video and computer game content, so you can make informed purchase decisions. ESRB ratings have two parts: rating symbols suggest age appropriateness for the game, and content descriptors indicate elements in a game that may have triggered a particular rating and/or may be of interest or concern. To take full advantage of the ESRB rating system, it's important to check both the rating symbol (on the front of the game box) and the content descriptors (on the back of the game box). I understand FaitH doesnt have a box. But common sense makes me believe these rules, which are only designed to inform people and guide them in their purchases, apply to any game. The list of descriptors is quite long, and most apply to FaitH in one way or an other. ESRB Content Descriptors : Alcohol Reference - Reference to and/or images of alcoholic beverages * Animated Blood - Cartoon or pixilated depictions of blood * Blood - Depictions of blood * (bit double with the prior though) Blood and Gore - Depictions of blood or the mutilation of body parts * (ditto) Cartoon Violence - Violent actions involving cartoon-like characters. May include violence where a character is unharmed after the action has been inflicted * Comic Mischief - Scenes depicting slapstick or gross vulgar humor (dunno for sure) Crude Humor - Moderately vulgar antics, including bathroom humor * Drug Reference - Reference to and/or images of illegal drugs Edutainment - Content of product provides user with specific skills development or reinforcement learning within an entertainment setting. Skill development is an integral part of product Fantasy Violence - Violent actions of a fantasy nature, involving human or non-human characters in situations easily distinguishable from real life * Gambling - Betting like behavior * Informational - Overall content of product contains data, facts, resource information, reference materials or instructional text Intense Violence - Graphic and realistic-looking depictions of physical conflict. May involve extreme and/or realistic blood, gore, weapons, and depictions of human injury and death (uhm, well, yea, kinda) Mature Humor - Vulgar and/or crude jokes and antics including "bathroom" humor * Mature Sexual Themes - Provocative material, possibly including partial nudity * Mild Language - Mild references to profanity, sexuality, violence, alcohol, or drug use * Mild Lyrics - Mild references to profanity, sexuality, violence, alcohol, or drug use in music Mild Violence - Mild scenes depicting characters in unsafe and/or violent situations * Nudity - Graphic or prolonged depictions of nudity Partial Nudity - Brief and mild depictions of nudity Sexual Violence - Depictions of rape or other sexual acts * Some Adult Assistance May Be Needed - Early Childhood Descriptor only Strong Language - Profanity and explicit references to sexuality, violence, alcohol, or drug use * Strong Lyrics - Profanity and explicit references to sex, violence, alcohol, or drug use in music Strong Sexual Content - Graphic depiction of sexual behavior, possibly including nudity Suggestive Themes - Mild provocative references or materials * Tobacco Reference - Reference to and/or images of tobacco products Use of Drugs - The consumption or use of illegal drugs Use of Alcohol - The consumption of alcoholic beverages * Use of Tobacco - The consumption of tobacco products Violence - Scenes involving aggressive conflict * * These can be found in FaitH, now i know some are double or dont state the exact things we see in FaitH, but hey, im not really rating it. ELSPA : Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. These people use a near similar system, though they only put an age tag on the box. 3+ Some 67% of the games rated so far got this rating. 11+ 22% received this rating. 15+ 10% of all games got this as a rating. 18+ Only 1% was rated 18 years or older. But the number is growing slow but steady. PEGI Pan European Game Information. The PEGI system belongs to the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE) which is based in Belgium. ISFE have contracted the administration of the system to the Netherlands Institute for the Classification of Audiovisual Media (NICAM) which is based in Holland. Yup yup, the dutch :) 3+ 7+ 12+ 16+ 18+ These ratings are pretty much the same as the ELSPA uses. The 7+ was added to account for scary things that might scare younger children, things like creaking doors and rustling bushes. Apart from these age ratings games will also have descriptors to show why a game has the rating it has. The are : Violence, Drugs, Fear, Discrimination, Sex/Nudity, Bad Language. Some of these have been shown on tv, though personally i like the dutch descriptors better :) So i hope you now have a bit of an idea what we are playing. I myself, Silly merc, thought the chat and the forums were more or less 18+, but i now understand its more 7+, like the PEGI system. Anything more then a creaking door might scare our pants off :P | posted by merc, 4:04 PM