Game Content Rating info (WIP)

[foxhack]

Here's a quick guide to the currently supported (and unsupported) game ratings. This is still a work in progress.

Currently Supported:

No Rating:
If a game has no rating... then it doesn't get a rating. You select "None" in the listbox. Please do not use the blank option.

ESRB:

The US standard. Largely unchanged since its creation, except for replacing the Kids to Adults (K-A) rating with Everyone (E).

VRC:
(Picture pending.)
Mostly used on the Sega Genesis, Sega CD and Sega Game Gear. Only two PC games to my knowledge have VRC ratings: the original releases of Mortal Kombat and Leisure Suit Larry 6. Later releases of those two games used ESRB ratings.

PEGI:

Used in Europe. This is the "redesigned" version; the original version had a + sign next to the numbers for some reason. The ratings are otherwise the same (so a Pegi 3 game is a Pegi 3+ game.)

ELSPA:
(Picture pending)
Used in some European countries. There are only four ratings: 3+, 11+, 15+ and 18+. More or less the same as PEGI, only done by different people.

Currently Unupported:

BBFC:


USK:


CERO:

The above is the current standard. Before that, the ratings were A, 12, 15 and 18.

Sega Saturn rating system (Japan):

Green = All Ages. Yellow: Some mature content. MA-18: Violent Content. X / Last image: Has nudity and adult content.

RSAC
Explained here. Has three different rating categories - Violence, Nudity / Sex and Language.

Feel free to suggest other rating systems so matt can add them later on.

[scott]

Oh this is sweet! Thanks Fox!

[matt]

You rock for putting this together.  I actually contacted the ESRB to see if we could use the images on the item pages and they said...hell naw. I thought that was really odd since you'd think they would want to put the word out and educate as many people as possible.

[disgaeniac]

"Foxy", indeed

[disgaeniac]

You rock for putting this together.  I actually contacted the ESRB to see if we could use the images on the item pages and they said...hell naw. I thought that was really odd since you'd think they would want to put the word out and educate as many people as possible.

Ye-e-a-h...that *does* seem like pretty backwards-thinking on the ESRB's part; wtf?!

[foxhack]

You rock for putting this together.  I actually contacted the ESRB to see if we could use the images on the item pages and they said...hell naw. I thought that was really odd since you'd think they would want to put the word out and educate as many people as possible.

It's still their copyrighted materials.

They're asshats, but it's still their materials.

[soera]

Ive never noticed the rating system when Ive entered a game. What is the default setting? Cause to be honest, I havent a damned clue what the rating is on any one of my games

[foxhack]

Ive never noticed the rating system when Ive entered a game. What is the default setting? Cause to be honest, I havent a damned clue what the rating is on any one of my games

The default setting is "Select...", which shows up in an entry as "NA" - like on this entry's Item Number / Barcode fields.

If you don't enter a rating, then don't worry, someone else will eventually notice the lack of rating and submit it, just like with other stuff that's left blank in submissions (images, product codes, etc.)

[htimreimer]

@matt do you have any idea how would you incorporate RSAC it into the site?

[brunauss]

When will this be available to select, when entering new entries? I entered only one Japanese title so far and holding off for now.

[foxhack]

@matt do you have any idea how would you incorporate RSAC it into the site?

This is going to be a -pain in the ass- to implement. RSAC has three different content ratings. How do we even add it? Three ratings?

When will this be available to select, when entering new entries? I entered only one Japanese title so far and holding off for now.

As soon as matt is able to do so. I created this as a reference for him (so he knows what to add) and other submitters (so they stop submitting BBFC/USK ratings as PEGI ones.)

[htimreimer]

@matt do you have any idea how would you incorporate RSAC it into the site?

This is going to be a -pain in the ass- to implement. RSAC has three different content ratings. How do we even add it? Three ratings?

and the worst thing about this is that you can skip it, moby games alone has 152 game listed with the rsac and there's is a possibility there being more, you guys are gonna have to be creative with this also the rsac has 4 different levels for each one of those content ratings

[brunauss]

Sounds like solid plan so far foxhack