Age Rating

Introduction of Age Rating

To submit any game to 1st Parties Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony you have to provide them age rating certificates. These certificates are issues by different age rating boards all around the world. The title has to be submitted to the age rating board 6 weeks before the Master Candidate submissions. For any game, before the build is submitted to the Age Rating team, it has to be validated by the QC depending on various characteristics which are mentioned in the Age Rating certification sheet.

Age Rating Boards

PEGI: Pan European Games Information ( Europe except Germany, UK )
ESRB: Entertainment Software Rating Board ( US )
USK: Unterhaltungssoftware selbstkontrolle ( Germany )
BBFC: British Board Of Film Classification ( UK and Ireland )
OFLC: Office of Film and Literature Classification ( Australia and NZ )
FPB: Film And Publication Board ( South Africa )
CERO: Computer Entertainment Rating Organization ( Japan )
GRB: The Game Rating Board ( Korea )

What Do The Board Check?

Content of the game is what the board checks to deliver the corresponding Age Rating Certificate.

Level of pertinent themes: violence; language (slang, adult themes, swearing); nudity and sexually suggestive content; drug, alcohol and tobacco; gambling; discrimination.
Subjective effects: such as explosions and physical damage, sound effects, camera perspectives such as first person, third person, etc.
Interactivity: rewards, punishment and penalties if the player attacks civilians and so on.