ESRB adds 'Ratings Summaries' to ratings @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on November 12, 2008

News: Just in time for the holiday shopping season.

The Entertainment Ratings Software Board (ESRB) has announced they will be expanding the ratings information they supply for games by adding a "Ratings Summary" to a game's listing on their website (which can be found at esrb.org). The Ratings Summary will be added to every game rated since July 1, 2008. The ESRB website is currently inaccessible, no doubt due to people checking out this new feature.

The Ratings Summaries will roughly be a paragraph long and "explain in objective terms the context and relevant content that factored into a game's ESRB rating assignment." For an example, here is the Ratings Summary for the upcoming Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe (the latest game in the series that caused the creation of the ESRB):

After an opponent is beaten twice, players can perform one of several finishing moves called 'fatalities' and 'brutalities.' Fatalities depict a variety of dramatic finishing moves including gunshots, stabbings and neck snaps. Female characters are depicted in revealing clothing with exaggerated breast proportions and movement.

Other games, such as Fallout 3 and Resistance 2, feature more in-depth Ratings Summaries with plot details. These details contain several spoilers, so be wary when searching for narrative-focused games.

The Ratings Summaries will also be accessible from an ESRB Ratings Widget installed on a website and the ESRB's new mobile site, m.esrb.org.