CAUTION, ANIMATED VIOLENCE: Assessing the Efficacy of Violent Video Game Ratings

Video games, along with other types of violent media, are heavily consumed by young people. Concern over the effects of violent video game content on child development has led to the establishment of a ratings system to help parents understand and manage video game consumption. However, it is unclear just how effective or diagnostic these ratings are for the intended audience. In this paper, we examine video game rating perceptions and suggest that "desensitizing" may influence young people's perceptions of ratings, while prior experiences may create perceptual biases that influence how rating information is perceived by adults. Further, we show that certain rating content descriptors may strengthen perceptual biases, suggesting a need to reevaluate the current video game rating system.