The Ratings Game

A thought to mull over

Since the various ratings agencies have a worldwide effect with their ratings despite being localized, how can we create a worldwide solution? The industry is still wrangling over how much genuine authority to give these agencies, as well as their methods of testing - this makes it hard to sit down and talk about the consequences of their methods, since the methods themselves are under question.

However, one solution is already in existence, and I think it could have a pretty powerful effect - digital distribution. The largest problem with how ratings affect availability comes down to retailer bottom lines - if a game can't be sold to a wide audience, they don't want to waste the storefront. This has a domino effect both up and down the chain, as consumers have less access and publishers are less likely to produce another title like it.

Digital distribution removes this barrier for not just one store chain, region, or even nation. If the governments arguing over ratings practices were to instead help invest in things like a working age verification model for digital distribution, legal enforcement could be handled by IP location and an age check. It wouldn't be all that hard to create a small, voluntary database for citizens to verify their age and have a unique password, even employ age or content restrictions for minors in their households.

The system could send an email to the person who actually approved the purchase, keeping kids from stealing a parent's password to buy games. However, if it's not tied in with the billing system, account information can be kept safely separate. This reduces hassle and security for both parents and teens, who may have a bank account and debit card to buy games with their own money.

A solution like this could be ideal, legally enforceable in any and all participating nations, and a boon for publishers and gamers alike. As we move toward digital distribution as an entertainment delivery system across many fronts, the rating and verification system could easily cross multiple aspects of entertainment to accommodate film ratings, age-restricted internet sites, or even "Explicit Lyrics" ratings for music.

End Game

I hope you've enjoyed this look into the ratings systems, practices and pitfalls. There are definitely some misconceptions floating about as to which system is better and why, as well as some practical difficulties in implementing the best ideas as gamers, as nations, and as a world. Games may be arts and entertainment, but that doesn't mean they really are fit for all audiences - and the current system may not be working as well as we like to think.

It's especially important to keep in mind that this is a global problem. It's great to say that what's happening on the other side of the pond is just those lazy, sue-happy Americans or pompous, insular Brits (no offense to either side intended, just calling out the stereotypes). But the reality is that what happens one one side does effect the other, whether directly by the title in question or indirectly by the next one that may never make it to the light of a store shelf. Not everyone can fight the system like Rockstar or Take Two - controversy is a niche market in the grand scheme of things, and once there it's hard to get back into the mainstream.

I've taken the time to propose what I think is a good solution to this mess - if the governments implemented the system carefully with consumer privacy in mind, I think it could be a good one. But mine is far from the only one that could work - and I'd love to hear some of your ideas about the system, its problems, and your own solutions and ideas in our forums.