ESRB Lays Down the Law

[Wizard]

September 13, 2005 - In the wake of GTA San Andreas being re-rated to AO following the exposure of content not intended to be accessible, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has sent out an email to all major publishers that they must perform internal audits of their products to determine if their titles contain similar elements, dating back to September 1, 2004. Disclosure of hidden content is regular practice, if it is deemed to be eventually accessible by the user through conventional means (the controversial content in GTA:SA was exposed through an unauthorized, third-party hack). A complicating factor is that many games have content cut out but not removed from the programming code, for one reason or another. Additionally, the ESRB mandates that this industry-wide, internal audit must be finished by January 6th, 2006.

 

According to industry publication Gamasutra, the email further states: ""If you fail to notify us of previously undisclosed, non-playable, pertinent content by January 9, and such content becomes playable through a subsequent authorized or unauthorized release of code to unlock it, rendering the original rating assignment inaccurate, punitive in addition to corrective actions may result."

 

Lastly, the ESRB also addresses third-party modifications (of which Counter-Strike, BF1942: Desert Combat, and GTA: Multi-Theft Auto are a few examples), with specific attention to violent and/or sexual content. The email continues, "ESRB remains concerned about third party modifications that undermine the accuracy of the original rating, and we are exploring ways to maintain the credibility of the rating system with consumers in light of modifications of this nature."

 

We'll have more as the story develops.

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