News

Mature rated games on the decline?

With all the maturity growth in the videogames business, developers are climbing the hills to ensure that mature audiences receive an experience that matches their age. However, recent statistics shows that the number of M rated games from 2005 to 2007 has halved.

Patricia Vance, President of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) explains:

"The ESRB also had the biggest year ever in 2007, having assigned 1,563 ratings, a 22% increase over the prior year. And, as you’ll see below, 94% of the ratings we assigned were for games appropriate for ages 13 or younger. It’s never been easier to find family-friendly games that everyone can play together.

While a handful of M-rated titles tend to garner a majority of media attention, the E (Everyone 6+) rating category continues to dominate. The E category saw the largest increase over last year, accounting for nearly 60% of ratings assigned overall.”

"The M (Mature 17+) category represented 6% of the overall ratings assigned, down from 8% in 2006 and 12% in 2005”, added Vance.

"The E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) and T (Teen 13+) categories accounted for 15% and 20% respectively."

Some of the biggest games of 2008 will be M-rated, such as Resistance 2, Killzone 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, and Grand Theft Auto IV. So we will see how long this trend continues.

Source: CVG