ESRB Is Now Rating Online Content

post from Ubergizmo on 24 October 2012 05:17:14 PM. © Ubergizmo

The Entertainment Software Ratings Board, or ESRB, is the institution behind the “E” or “M” ratings you see on games. It’s kind of like the video games version of the MPAA ratings. However, the ratings system–intended to let parents know a little more about the content of games they’re giving their kids–has been getting a little long in the tooth lately. For years, an increasing number of game ratings came with a lame caveat: “online interaction not rated by the ESRB.” As more games came online, parents needed information beyond just knowing that the game has an online component. Today, the ESRB announced three new badges describing online play, added ratings to Windows 8 games, and also threw in a nifty crowdsourcing element for games that they can’t get around to rating. (more…)