Peter Suciu on the Sci Fi blog offers a damning indictment of the current games ratings system, arguing that the system - at least in the US - is archaic, out-of-touch and confusing. He has a point. It's well worth a read.
As he explains, it originated in the mid-1990s, when the worst thing on the market was the grisly fighting game Mortal Kombat. Since then, we've had all kinds of new and interesting things come to play, from Grand Theft Auto and Manhunt (and others not made by Rockstar), to online worlds where user-generated content regulation is nigh on impossible (and easily circumvented). Is it time for a re-think?
Here in the UK, our ratings system complies with the pan-European, voluntary system organised by PEGI. The BBFC also gets a hand in as well. Yet there is still widespread confusion, highlighted usually around Christmastime or when a newsworthy tragedy is rightly or wrongly linked with the content in computer games. But ignorance is not an excuse; in fact, it's the worst possible solution, guaranteeing outcry, finger-pointing and the ultimate demise of the industry (nothing like being dramatic on a Thursday morning).
So, avoiding the obvious comments about parents buying GTA for Little Jimmy even after they've been warned by signage and sales staff, what recommendations would you make for re-vamping the ratings system?
