Regulatory Bodies

Regulatory bodies within the Games industry

Regulatory bodies are government run agencies or a public authorities that have been set up to monitor some form of human activity and to come up with rules and guidelines within that area.    

There are few regulatory within the games industry. Although there are several regulatory bodies that clearly label appropriate age rating of games and are done so with government backing. There is a lot of fear from parents that games lead to violent children and so regulatory bodies have been set up to review the age rating of games to ensure that games are not sold to the inappropriate age range, which prevents children from easily playing games that are considered too violent or mature. Laws have been put in place to ensure merchants do not sell games to children under the set age range of games. It they do so the merchant can be heavily fined or jailed depending on the country there in. these regulatory bodies also effect the games industry. Games developers must ensure that there game has a set age range and that they stick to that throughout the games developments stage or they may get to the end of development and find their game is considered to viloent or inappropriate for their originally intended audience. This could stop the game from being released perhaps lead to the age rating being changed, which may affect the amount of purchases.

 

ESRB

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) was the first regulatory body to be set up for the games industry. There where founded in 1994 with government backing, after the outrage of violence within games such as mortal combat and doom. Their job being to monitor and give appropriate age ratings for games within Canada and the United States. Their aim is to give appropriate age ratings and to ensure parents understand what is within the games their children are playing.  

PEGI

The Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) aged rating system was made to help parents within Europe to make decisions on the games they buy their children. It was made in 2003 to replace a number of nation age rating systems, making them all one united system.  The system is supported and used by all major consol manufactures. It is one of them most commonly used and favourite rating systems as it clearly labels any inappropriate games play.

There are other regulatory bodies within the games industry, but ESRB and PEGI are the most commonly used and noticed. But not matter who they are these regulatory bodies are all for the same thing. They monitor and rate videos games for things like violence, sex and drugs. To ensure all children are safe from such things and do not lose there innocents early.

Bibliography

http://www.esrb.org/about/index.jsp (accessed 01/10/12) 

http://www.games4grandmothers.com/esrb.html  (accessed 01/10/12) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vDeXnH9DGE (accessed 01/10/12) 

http://www.pegi.info/en/index/id/28/ (accessed 01/10/12) 

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/gamesgear/digital-britain-pegi-to-rate-uk-videogames-49302653/ (accessed 01/10/12)