Wednesday, November 26, 2008
KY Attorney General Advises Parents To Check Ratings On Video Games.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (November 26, 2008) – Attorney General Jack Conway is urging parents and other consumers to check the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating before purchasing computer or video games as gifts. Although these ratings appear on the front and back of each game, the ESRB has introduced a video game rating search “widget,” a free downloadable tool, that will allow consumers to search for games by their title, and provide easy access to “rating summaries.”
“As a supplement to the ESRB rating system, the new online device will empower parents and consumers to make informed decisions about what’s appropriate for their children. The rating summaries take consumer education to the next level by providing exclusive and unprecedented insight about game content,” said General Conway.
According to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), more than 40% of Americans expect to purchase a computer or video game this year and a majority of those games are purchased during the holiday shopping season.
“As parents choose titles from the broad range of entertainment choices our industry offers, we urge them to use the ESRB ratings system to ensure the games they purchase for their children are appropriate,” said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of ESA.
The new rating summaries are available by searching titles on ESRB’s website at www.esrb.org. Consumers can download their very own video game rating search widget, free of charge, by going to http://www.esrb.org/widget . The tool is also available on the Attorney General’s website at www.ag.ky.gov. Rating summaries are also accessible from a new mobile website at m.esrb.org, which allows consumers to search game titles on their mobile devices right at the point of purchase.
To stay ahead of the curve on the games children might be asking for, parents can sign up for the ESRB ParenTools, a new bi-weekly e-mail that offers lists of recently rated titles customized to your preferred rating category and game platform, complete with rating summaries. To sign up for the free ParenTools e-mail, visit www.esrb.org/parentools.
“As a supplement to the ESRB rating system, the new online device will empower parents and consumers to make informed decisions about what’s appropriate for their children. The rating summaries take consumer education to the next level by providing exclusive and unprecedented insight about game content,” said General Conway.
According to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), more than 40% of Americans expect to purchase a computer or video game this year and a majority of those games are purchased during the holiday shopping season.
“As parents choose titles from the broad range of entertainment choices our industry offers, we urge them to use the ESRB ratings system to ensure the games they purchase for their children are appropriate,” said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of ESA.
The new rating summaries are available by searching titles on ESRB’s website at www.esrb.org. Consumers can download their very own video game rating search widget, free of charge, by going to http://www.esrb.org/widget . The tool is also available on the Attorney General’s website at www.ag.ky.gov. Rating summaries are also accessible from a new mobile website at m.esrb.org, which allows consumers to search game titles on their mobile devices right at the point of purchase.
To stay ahead of the curve on the games children might be asking for, parents can sign up for the ESRB ParenTools, a new bi-weekly e-mail that offers lists of recently rated titles customized to your preferred rating category and game platform, complete with rating summaries. To sign up for the free ParenTools e-mail, visit www.esrb.org/parentools.
# posted by Joe Kinzer @ 2:29 PM 
