Several top sellers of mobile games will show content ratings...
Several top sellers of mobile games will show content ratings on their storefronts, CTIA and the Entertainment Software Rating Board announced Tuesday. AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile USA, U.S. Cellular and Microsoft will participate, and others have expressed interest,…
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CTIA and ESRB said. However, several major app sellers haven’t yet come aboard, including Google, Apple and BlackBerry. Rating of mobile games will be automated, CTIA and ESRB said. When submitting a game, developers will have to complete a multiple-choice questionnaire with questions on the amount of sex, drugs, violence and bad language. The quiz also seeks information on a minimum age requirement, exchange of user-generated content and the sharing of user location and personal information. Once completed, applications are rated “within seconds,” CTIA and ESRB said. Each app is then given a certificate and unique code that may be submitted to other storefronts. To ensure appropriate ratings, the ESRB will test the most popular games and track consumer complaints, it said. If an update changes a game’s content, it must be resubmitted for rating. Developers may appeal to the ESRB if they disagree with a rating, said President Patricia Vance. At a press conference Tuesday, Sens. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., and Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., applauded the groups for the ratings initiative. It “makes complete sense” to apply to mobile the ratings system that’s long been available for videogames on other platforms, Ayotte said. Vance and CTIA Vice President David Diggs dismissed the absence of Google, Apple and other major app stores because they said the ratings initiative is still new. The program can be expanded to other app stores, Vance said. Google, Apple, Amazon and Research In Motion didn’t respond when asked why they were not participating.