An industry body in the Middle East has gone and done something fascinating: theyāve launched a ratings system for games based not on a nationās classification laws, but on the tenets of the Islamic faith.
This makes it a world first, a system aimed at transcending national borders and laws and appealing directly to the parents and guardians of Muslims all over the world, regardless of which country they live in or which laws they live under.
The ratings body is called the Entertainment Software Rating Association, and ārates the content ofā¦games based on parameters such as violence, promoting tobacco or drugs, sexual diversity [and] nudityā, according to a release issued by the group. As a result, āthe rating system is designed based on the culture, society and the special values of Islamā.
So far, it sounds similar to most other current ratings systems, until you hear Dr. Behrouz Minaei, from Iranās National Foundation of Computer Games, break it down.
āThe approach of Islam is based on Human being innateness āAl Fitraā, and the most important innate trends are truth, virtue, benevolence, excellence tendency, innovation and creativityā he told attendants at the Dubai World Game Expo yesterday. āThatās why we made sure that ESRA team are proficient in these areas; Religion, Psychopathology, Educational psychology, Social psychology, Sociology of the family, Family Sociology, Emotional Psychology, Family therapy and Educational technology.ā
As a freshly-launched initiative, thereās little other information on ESRA, though youād imagine that it will mainly operate as an online reference for Muslim parents. That said, if ESRA ratings can be printed off on stickers and handed out to retailers in the relevant regions, thereās no reason it couldnāt also be used on game boxes not just in Islamic countries, but in any area there would be enough Muslim customers to make it worth their while.
Makes you wonder whatās next! Iād like to see Catholic ratings. S for Shame and G for Guilt, for example.
