Decoding the ESRB

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

The ratings used by the ESRB include:

• Early Childhood - Titles rated EC (Early Childhood) have content that may be suitable for ages 3 and older. Contains no material that parents would find inappropriate.
• Everyone - Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language.
• Everyone 10+ - Titles rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes.
• Teen - Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language. 
• Mature - Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.
• Adults Only - Titles rated AO (Adults Only) have content that should only be played by persons 18 years and older. Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity.
• Rating Pending - Titles designated as RP (Rating Pending) have not yet been assigned a final ESRB rating. This icon appears only in advertising, marketing and promotional materials related to a game that is expected to carry an ESRB rating. The RP is replaced by a game's rating once it has been assigned.

The following list of content descriptors is provided by the ESRB. Some descriptors may be prefixed by "mild" or "strong" to indicate the severity of the descriptor if not already prefixed by "strong" such as the strong language descriptor. Additionally, some descriptors in use do not appear on this list such as the edutainment descriptor.

• Alcohol Reference - Reference to and/or images of alcoholic beverages
• Animated Blood - Discolored and/or unrealistic depictions of blood
• Blood - Depictions of blood
• Blood and Gore - Depictions of blood or the mutilation of body parts
• Cartoon Violence - Violent actions involving cartoon-like situations and characters. May include violence where a character is unharmed after the action has been inflicted
• Comic Mischief - Depictions or dialogue involving slapstick or suggestive humor
• Crude Humor - Depictions or dialogue involving vulgar antics, including “bathroom” humor
• Drug Reference - Reference to and/or images of illegal drugs
• Fantasy Violence - Violent actions of a fantasy nature, involving human or non-human characters in situations easily distinguishable from real life
• Intense Violence - Graphic and realistic-looking depictions of physical conflict. May involve extreme and/or realistic blood, gore, weapons and depictions of human injury and death
• Language - Mild to moderate use of profanity
• Lyrics - Mild references to profanity, sexuality, violence, alcohol or drug use in music
• Mature Humor - Depictions or dialogue involving "adult" humor, including sexual references
• Nudity - Graphic or prolonged depictions of nudity
• Partial Nudity - Brief and/or mild depictions of nudity
• Real Gambling - Player can gamble, including betting or wagering real cash or currency
• Sexual Content - Non-explicit depictions of sexual behavior, possibly including partial nudity
• Sexual Themes - References to sex or sexuality
• Sexual Violence - Depictions of rape or other violent sexual acts
• Simulated Gambling - Player can gamble without betting or wagering real cash or currency
• Strong Language - Explicit and/or frequent use of profanity
• Strong Lyrics - Explicit and/or frequent references to profanity, sex, violence, alcohol or drug use in music
• Strong Sexual Content - Explicit and/or frequent depictions of sexual behavior, possibly including nudity
• Suggestive Themes - Mild provocative references or materials
• Tobacco Reference - Reference to and/or images of tobacco products
• Use of Alcohol - The consumption of alcoholic beverages
• Use of Drugs - The consumption or use of illegal drugs
• Use of Tobacco - The consumption of tobacco products
• Violence - Scenes involving aggressive conflict. May contain bloodless dismemberment
• Violent References - References to violent acts

However, the relationships between descriptors and ratings is not explicit, making such relationships ripe for exploration.

Games rated early childhood are not allowed to contain any of the descriptors. As such, the entire descriptor list provided by the ESRB should be avoided for those creators wanting an early childhood rating for their game.

Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude
Uncut and Uncensored

The descriptors related to substances are somewhat good predictors of rating: games rated everyone may contain the references to alcohol and tobacco descriptors as well as the use of alcohol and tobacco descriptors. Games rated teen may contain the use of alcohol and tobacco descriptors and the drug reference descriptor but not the use of drugs descriptor. Games rated mature may contain the use of drugs descriptor.

The violence descriptors are bad predictors of rating: games rated everyone may contain the comic mischief, cartoon violence, fantasy violence, violent references, and violence descriptors, but are not allowed to contain the intense violence and sexual violence descriptors. There are four ratings above everyone.

The strongest predictors of rating are the sexuality and nudity content descriptors.

Games rated everyone may contian the mild suggestive themes descriptor, but are not allowed to contain the suggestive themes, sexual content, sexual themes, sexual violence, strong sexual content, partial nudity, or nudity descriptor. The suggestive themes descriptor itself contains the word mild, so mild suggestive themes may be indicative of suggestive themes that are milder than mild.

Games rated everyone 10+ may contain the suggestive themes descriptor, but are not allowed to contain the sexual content, sexual themes, sexual violence, strong sexual content, partial nudity, or nudity descriptors.

Games rated teen may contain the partial nudity descriptor, but are not allowed to contain the nudity descriptor, which is reserved for mature and adults only games.

There is no unique descriptor associated with an adults only rating. That is, there are no descriptors associated with an adults only rating that are not allowed to appear in mature-rated games. A possible exception is Riana Rouge, which contains a realistic blood and gore descriptor. Perhaps the prefix realistic was added to the blood and gore descriptor because no intense violence descriptor was available at the time of rating. Another possible exception is the mature sexual themes descriptor given to a non-game: Playboy Screensaver: The Women of Playboy.

Riana Rouge

The ESRB does not make the relationships between content descriptors and ratings explicit. As such, the relationships explored above may or may not endure. However, over the short life of the ESRB, the relationships between ratings and some of the content descriptors, particularly those involving sexuality and nudity, have been predictable.

Let's Play Brass Monkey Games

Irma: April, let's go! New technology, get!

April: Yeah, let's do this funky monkey! Got your phone?

Irma: Check.

April: Got your computer?

Irma: Check.

April: Got your game?

Irma: Checkmate!

Phone Screen 

Phone Screen

Irma: Geez, talk about inflation. Get Ben Bernanke on the case! That reminds me of a cheer I learned in high school. "Let's go quantitative easing! Gimme a Q! Gimmie a U! Gimmie an A! Gimmie an . . . "

April: Are you really going to put me through this entire thing? Gimme a break.

Phone Screen

Phone Screen

Phone Screen

April: Looks like the cool thing for companies to do is forget where the shift key is.

Irma: "Know your audience!"

Phone Screen

Irma: This must be what they mean when they talk about halcyon days.

April: Lol.

Irma: Did you just say "lol" in real life? Don't ever do that again.

April: Don't you mean "irl"?

Irma: Did you just say "lol" irl?

April: Lol.

Phone Screen

April: You're my only friend. Can I--

Irma: Don't even think about it!

Phone Screen

Irma: We've already seen the death of the instruction manual. Are video manuals the future?

April: I can see it now: got to have those hits for that ad money. You can't have hits without making hits.

Irma: So deep I forgot to drown.

Phone Screen

Phone Screen

April: What's your WiFi network name?

Irma: "Bluetooth".

April: Trying to keep the ne'er-do-wells off the scent, I see. What's the password?

Irma: "WiMAX".

April: Shoot me now.

Irma: Not when you get home?

Phone Screen

Phone Screen

Phone Screen

Phone Screen

Phone Screen

Computer Screen

Irma: It feels like . . . the future.

April: Call me when the self-driving cars become popular.

Irma: From my phone or my controller? 

April: From your self-driving car.

Computer Screen

Computer Screen

April: Is this a metaphor for copulation?

Irma: No, it's a Binary clone with a gravity mechanic added.

April: Did they get rid of the spiders?

Irma: Yes.

April: Good. I hate spiders.

Irma: What's that over there?

April: Where?!

Irma: Never mind.

April: You did that on purpose!

Phone Screen

Computer Screen

Computer Screen

Phone Screen

Irma: You have to hold the phone in landscape, smart girl.

April: You mean sideways?

Irma: You did that on purpose.

Computer Screen

Computer Screen

Computer Screen

April: Time for a new game.

Computer Screen

Computer Screen

Computer Screen

April: What do we have here, Mrs. Datum?

Irma: It appears to be Angry Bots, Sir.

April: Bridge to Engineering, shame status-report!

Irma: Shame is empty, Captain. Repeat: no shame.

April: As I suspected. Mr. Smasher, full warp. We're out of here.

Computer Screen

Computer Screen

Phone Screen

April: I'm going to kick your alien butt . . . tail bone . . . whatever . . . with my anti-Scud P.A.T.R.I.O.T. missiles.

Irma: How Schwarzkopfian.

April: Gesundheit.

Phone Screen

Computer Screen

Computer Screen

Irma: I'm going to cherish this moment: my first win on a new system.

April: I'm going to cherish this moment as well: my first ragequit . . . 

Phone Screen

Into the Lexicon: G-piphany

G-piphany: n. A sudden realization of the appeal of a game or genre of games.

As April sneaked past her parents' room at 4:00 AM, a g-piphany regarding Metal Gear Solid caused her to knock over a vase.



Gran Turismo 5

 "Autumn, I had a g-piphany: Out Run isn't a racing game; it's a driving game."












Love Plus



Wii-U May Allow for Local Information-Asymmetric Games

Clue

On February 15, 2010, Sonnez Les Jeux Video wrote, "As the future brings more letters to the list, those that realize more genres will be needed will be in the best position for success." By adding another screen to the game experience, the Wii-U has added another letter to the list and will bring another genre of game into the fold: the local information-asymmetric game. While information-asymmetric games are the norm online, local information-asymmetric games will strike in a different area on the player map (especially if two tablet screens are able to connect to one Wii-U): social. 

As with all unexplored art forms, the first forms of the genre will merely be the entrance of popular ideas from well-established mediums. Card games and board games are the clear winners. Many card games (including collectible card games) require some cards in a player's hand, shielded from other players, and some cards on the playing surface, viewable by all players. Many board games also require pieces in a player's hand, shielded from view, and pieces on a playing surface in plain view. Wii-U tablets, shielded from other players, may be used for manipulation of cards in the hand while a television screen, viewable to all players, may be used for the playing surface. For example, in Texas Hold 'Em, hole cards may be shown on tablet screens, and community cards may be shown on a television screen. A similar arrangement may be used for board games such as Clue, Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, and the like. 

Ticket to Ride

The reason that card games and board games are the clear winners is that the social aspect of the games curbs the potential of the games online. For example, an online Texas Hold 'Em player lacks one integral skill that a well-rounded player does not: the ability to read an opponent. By allowing opponents to play in the same room, that skill can be restored while the processor still performs the undesirable functions of shuffling, dealing, and chip-counting. Similarly, online board games rarely provide an integral part of the physical board game experience: face-to-face communication and socialization. A chat window or rare video stream is usually relegated to the corner of the screen. By bringing players back into the same room, the Wii-U will allow video board games to compete with physical board games in terms of engagement and even exceed physical board games in terms of setup and clean up. 

Lesser-known games at the intersection of local information-asymmetry and social are: the Mafia accusation game (sometimes called Assassin, Werewolf, or Village), Charades, Password, and the like. 

However, once the clear winners and lesser-known games have taken their turn, imaginative creators will get their say on creating local information-asymmetric forms. And they will have much to say.   

 

Let's Play Ziggurat

It was the beginning of times. It was the end of times.

Some called me T.O.M.: the omega man. But I go by Tim. What good's a name, anyway, when there is no one left to call you by it? The only friend I have left is my gun, and she can't talk. Or, rather, the only word she knows is goodbye. Her name is Chain Reaction. But I call her Betty. I always wanted a girl named Betty.

She speaks to them for me. You know, the robots, the androids, the cyborgs, the whatever. The Freaks. The Freaks killed everyone else, and now they're after me.  

We had a plan once. We built the Ziggurats, and there was supposed to be a warrior on top of each. Sometimes, I can feel them. The others. Up in the air with me playing king of the mountain for as long as it took. And when one fell, another would replace him. Shredding up Freaks like a never-ending guitar solo. 

Well, that plan went to shit.

And now it's just me, Betty, and the empty Ziggs in the distance.

This here is your basic Freak, the jumper. The cannon fodder vanguard. He jumps high and slow, and will fire if you let him get close enough. When I charge Betty up, the explosion causes surrounding Freaks to explode as well. 

One charged shot takes out these four Freaks.

This Freak here is the Walker. The dumbest of the bunch. He just walks up the Zigg. As if he would ever get to me. Some folks liked to drop non-charged shots down the Zigg at the Walker. Get him while he's real low. But that don't make no sense. I like to use the Walker as my own personal bomb. I let him get to the top, and then . . . .

Clears the whole side for me. 

Look who decided to show up to the party. The Big Freak himself. 

Betty and I know what to do. 

We've been working together for so long, we just have this amazing friction together. There's no other way to describe it.

She blows a wind in my hair to tell me she loves me. I kill the Freaks to show her I love her. 

There are other Freaks too: the High Jumper, the Buzz Saw, and the Mother Ship. 

None shall pass.

As the Sun sets, the Moon rises. Maybe, just maybe, I take out enough before they get to me. Enough to make sure they are never a threat again. Enough to give some other life form time to prepare.  Enough to make a footnote in their log. 

Enough, enough, enough.

It was the end of times. It was the beginning of times.