I just took a survey asking for my thoughts on the ESRB starting to rate mobile video games and it got me thinking about just how much I use the ESRB. The ESRB rates video games much like how the Rating Board rates movies. If you’re a parent, check out their site. They do a really good job of describing what’s in a video game. If you’re a gamer, check them out because they usually have the details for a game before even the news sites like IGN can get an update.
But with mobile video games, many apps are coded by small companies and not traditional publishers. That’s the beauty of the self-publishing online game marketplace. There’s a downside, though. The descriptions for the games in the marketplace don’t do the games justice and frequently leave me wondering what in the world the game is about.
Having the ESRB start to rate games would be helpful because that’s what they’re good at. I cringe at some of the summaries game developers put up. I would like a consistent style that gave me information about the game. Some of the proposed information will be whether the game takes your personal information and if the app transmits your location. That’s there in the marketplace, but depending on the store may only show up after you’ve already clicked on the app. A database with the ESRB’s established credibility will be nice.
I’m excited for the ESRB to start helping out. If anything, it shows that mobile gaming is becoming a legitimate platform.
