240w ago - Courtesy of marketwire via YouTube, below is a video and related Press Release as the ESRB announces rating summaries, a new source of information for parents about video game content.

Press Release: ESRB Announces New Video Game Rating Summaries

New Resource Provides Parents With More Detailed Information on Game Content Just in Time for the Holiday Shopping Season

The ESRB announces rating summaries, a new source of information for parents about video game content.

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - November 12, 2008) - The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), which assigns age and content ratings for computer and video games, today announced the availability of "rating summaries," a new, supplementary source of information about game content that parents can use when considering which games to purchase for their children this holiday season and beyond.





The new rating summaries will be accessible when searching for rating information via the ESRB website at www.esrb.org, its rating search widget (http://www.esrb.org/widget), and a new mobile website at http://m.esrb.org.

"Research shows that the vast majority of parents who purchase games for their kids are aware of and regularly check ESRB ratings,...

246w ago - Anyone who had been hoping that the big screen version of the hit videogame Max Payne would be a hardcore, R-rated release will be very disappointed by the following news.

GameDaily reports that Max Payne, a 20th Century Fox release, has been re-cut to attain a broader audience-friendly PG-13 rating. The John Moore-directed film had initially earned an "R" rating from the Motion Picture Association of America due to its violent content.

What's notable, however, is that this time it was the director and not the studio forcing the issue of getting the more audience-friendly PG-13 rating.




"I didn't have to change much. We trimmed some frames more for the sake of trimming frames than anything, but we got the rating without any major changes at all," Moore told GameDaily.

"I'm a little surprised that we changed their minds, effectively, but I'm happy about it. It proves that if you stick to your guns and you have the creative, and dare I say moral sense, that you're in the right, that you can get the right thing done."

293w ago - The ESRB: they decide what we should and should not play. Their initial verdict on Manhunt 2 was that it warranted an Adults Only rating. The UK decided to not allow the game at all. Rather than simply shelve the project, Rockstar toned down the game's content and resubmitted it to the ESRB, at which point the game managed to slide back down to a Mature rating.

In some people's eyes, forcing Rockstar to alter the game may seem like something done for the greater good. Less virtual violence will prevent any real life incidents, right? But in reality, it's part of an ongoing effort to limit video game developers' freedom.

There is a reason for the ESRB ratings. A 10-year old kid can't go into a store and purchase Grand Theft Auto. Sure, there have been slip-ups here and there by employees, but the rule is set in stone. Despite this, numerous individuals fight to take away violence and sex in video games. It's a parent's job to know what their kid is playing, so shouldn't we be focusing on that? Instead, we get people like Jack Thompson suing Take Two to prohibit the sales of Manhunt 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV, even to gamers that are of age and should be able to choose any type of game to enjoy.

Let's pretend for a second that there are only a bunch of Wii Sports clones out there, all family...