Efficacy of film and computer game classification categories and consumer advice a comparative analysis of public opinion

United States of America

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) promotes and supports American motion picture, home video and television industries in the United States and around the world. The MPAA's rating system is administered by the Classification and Ratings Administration (CARA) which makes independent decisions. The US classification rating system is a voluntary scheme that is not enforced by law. Films can be exhibited without a rating although the majority of cinemas refuse to exhibit non-rated or NC-17 rated films.

MPAA classification ratings consist of the following:

Rating	Symbol	Guidelines
G – General		All Ages Admitted.
PG – Parental Guidance		Parental Guidance Suggested – Some Material May Not be Suitable for Children.
PG13		Parents Strongly Cautioned – Some Material May be Inappropriate for Children Under 13.
R		Restricted – Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian
NC-17		No One 17 and Under Admitted.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) ratings provide information about the content in video games and apps. ESRB ratings have three parts:

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  Rating Categories suggest age appropriateness.
  
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  Content Descriptors indicate content that may have triggered a particular rating and/or may be of interest or concern.
  
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  Interactive Elements inform about interactive aspects of a product, including users' ability to interact, the sharing of users' location with other users, or the fact that personal information may be shared with third parties.
  

As a supplementary source of information, boxed video games have Rating Summaries that provide a more detailed description of the content that factored into the rating assigned.

ESRB classification ratings consist of the following:

	EARLY CHILDHOOD Content is intended for young children.
		EVERYONE Content is generally suitable for all ages. May contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language.
		EVERYONE 10+ Content is generally suitable for ages 10 and up. May contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes.
		TEEN Content is generally suitable for ages 13 and up. May contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling and/or infrequent use of strong language.
		MATURE Content is generally suitable for ages 17 and up. May contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.
		ADULTS ONLY Content suitable only for adults ages 18 and up. May include prolonged scenes of intense violence, graphic sexual content and/or gambling with real currency.
		RATING PENDING Not yet assigned a final ESRB rating. Appears only in advertising, marketing and promotional materials related to a game that is expected to carry an ESRB rating, and should be replaced by a game's rating once it has been assigned.

NOTE: Rating Category assignments can also be based upon a game or app's minimum age requirement.