Data and Results

Once all of my data was collected I was able to begin analyzing so results could be interpreted. This spreadsheet shows the results of my research. The numbers correspond to the number of times said content descriptor appeared during my two hours of play. Some of these have examples of what caused me to mark each of the descriptors as well.

Significant content descriptors that led to changes in the ratings of the games I anlyzed.

Original rating and the rating I found though my research for the games I played.

In order to analyze the results I found the rates that different factors occurred in the data such as the rates at which games had their rating change and the percentages that different types of games appeared in my research. I found that 44.44% of the games I rated had a change in rating, all were an increase. These increases were due to five different content descriptors; alcohol reference, blood, comic mischief, blood and gore, and lyrics. 69.23% of the games that changed ratings were Indie games or games published by smaller developers rather than large corporate entities.

Due to this data, I came to the conclusion that the Rating system used by the ESRB is inaccurate because almost half of the games I played had a different rating according to my code. The fact that most of the games that had a change in rating were indie games is also of significance. According to Ars Technica and MUO not only are the number of games sold in physical form dropping, but Indie games are also less likely than AAA, or games that are made by corporate entities, to have a physical release. Due to the ESRB’s process of rating, Indie games are less likely to be required to submit a gameplay clip for their consideration of rating. Hence, the act of having the ESRB watch gameplay results in more accurate ratings meaning that in order for the ESRB to increase the accuracy of their ratings they must play through the games they rate.

Cult of the Lamb on Xbox Series X. Photo taken by Lucas Bobier.

Indie games such as Cult of The Lamb were more likely to include content descriptors that result in higher age ratings than allowed by their ESRB rating.

(IARC) and (Entertainment)

The emails I received from The ESRB and IARC denying my request for a questionnaire.

This study does not come without its limitations. One of my biggest limitations was my code. I was not able to use a code synonymous with the ESRB and hence had to create my own by combining multiple rating systems. This probably caused inaccuracies and two different systems coming from two different cultures that have different ideas on what is appropriate for children were used. I did try to contact the ESRB as well as the International Age Rating Coalition or IARC to see if they would send me the questionnaire that they give to developers in order to better construct my code. They both declined to give me the code. While this limits my ability to conduct accurate research on the ESRB it, in combination with the lack of information on the ESRB’s website does show that the ESRB is not willing to disclose information on how they rate their games further suggesting that something is awry with their rating system. My second limitation is my limits in human ability. This comes from possible bias when assigning the content descriptors to the games as well as the fact that I can only play through part of the games with a small number of games for limited amounts of time resulting in a less comprehensive study.

This study has many implications and applications for the future of this field of research. This research strongly suggests that the longer time spent reviewing games to be assigned age ratings the more accurate the ratings will be. Due to this implication, the ESRB should reformat its system of assigning age ratings to games by spending more time viewing gameplay or even playing the games to increase the accuracy of the ratings. Also due to the increase in the number of games that are being published exclusively digitally, the ESRB should have all games submit gameplay for increased accuracy. Future research should make some improvements to the study I conducted to get more accurate results to better understand the effectiveness of video game age rating systems. They should increase the length of the studies using a larger staff to gather more data on more games, they should create a more accurate code that represents ESRB more accurately possibly though obtaining the questionnaire given to developers, and they should investigate other video game age rating systems around the world do create a better understanding of the accuracy of these possesses. This study adds to the professional conversation in three ways. It is the first study to check the accuracy of the ESRB’s rating system. The studies before it only wanted to see if the correct content descriptors were used. It is the first to analyze games rated E and E10+ as the other studies only look at T and M. Finally this study brings the conversation into modern perspective as the two studies that actually played the games were conducted in 2004 and 2006 using an older version of the ESRB’s system and older games.

If you could revisit your research process, what would you do differently and why?

In order to improve my project there are multiple ways I would like to utilize to increase the accuracy of my data. First I would like to improve my code so that it is analogous to that of the ESRB’s. This would allow my comparisons to aline better with the original ratings from the ESRB. I would like to do this by getting in contact with someone in the gaming industry and asking for their help obtaining the ESRB’s questionnaire. If that fails I could also attempt to fabricate a game using the ESRB’s developer requirements though this is highly likely to fail. Finally, I would also like to gather more data on the games I played by playing them for longer so that I can get a better understanding of the content in each game.

What was the most important research skill you developed as a result of this process, and how might you apply it to your future endeavors?

The most important research skill I developed was adaptability. I developed this skill through a multitude of setbacks that I encountered throughout the research process. I had to adjust to the recording software not working reevaluating how I was to record so that I could rerecord. I got the wrong game mailed to me and had to restructure my schedule so that I would have time to play all of the games on my list especially since the games were taking much longer than expected to get mailed to me. This skill can be applied to future endeavors no matter their shape. The ability to pivot your methodology allows you to continue your work in the face of any obstacles.

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