Rating system out of date

LITTLE ROCK — One of the most valuable pieces of information about a video game is also the simplest: the rating that tells parents what ages the story and graphics are suitable for and why it might not be right for younger users. But as games have moved from computers and consoles to mobile devices, the rating systems have multiplied. Apps for the iPhone and the iPad, Facebook, Android devices, BlackBerrys, Kindles and Windows phones all go through separate ratings processes, each with its own set of labels. Entertainment Software Association Chairman John Riccitiello has called for a single rating system that would work across all platforms. It’s the right move, and the Apples and Facebooks of the world should support it.

The video game industry established a voluntary rating system in 1994, creating the Entertainment Software Ratings Board to evaluate and rate games before they were released. It’s not a perfect system, and alternative systems have evolved for parents who aren’t satisfied with the ratings supplied by the industry. But the board’s ratings are simple and clear, and they come with important enforcement mechanisms:Consoles can be programmed not to allow games rated for older players, and major retailers have agreed not to sell adult-rated games to minors.

But the arrival of new platforms led to so many new downloadable games being released, the ratings board couldn’t keep up with the volume. Today, most game providers assign an age-based rating for their products, then let parents set the highest rating their children can download.

Those age-based ratings are not only inconsistent across platforms, they reveal nothing about a game’s content. Riccitiello is backing the Entertainment Software Association’s effort to extend the board’s familiar, descriptive ratings to all platforms and to any country that wants to sign on. The ratings board would have developers rate their own games through an interactive process designed to apply the same standards the board uses on packaged video games.

This approach won’t satisfy people who don’t like the idea of the industry applying its own ratings to its products. But the association’s effort, which is expected to be ready for global use next year, would be a significant improvement over the inconsistencies of the current system.