Activision Survey Finds Strong Parental Support For ESRB

A new online survey conducted by publisher Activision for its "Ratings Are Not a Game" educational initiative has found that majority of parents find the ESRB system effective, with 80 percent saying they follow ratings closely.

The survey, which covered 1,014 game players between 8-24 and their parents, attempted to find out how aware families were of the ESRB ratings, and how much of an influence the ratings had on purchases.

According to Activision, the survey found that eighty-four percent of parents cited an awareness with the system, compared to just 65 percent of children between the ages of 8-17 who said the same. On top of that, 79 percent of parents said they paid 'close attention,' especially those with children between 8 and 12 years old (89%).

When asked if the ESRB system was effective in determining the appropriateness of a game for their child, 68 percent of the parents responded that they believed it was, with 56 percent saying the rating was their top influence in determining whether to buy a game. Additionally, 52 percent of parents said they actively researched games before buying them for their children, which included reading reviews or previews, or generally visiting game websites.

Somewhat surprisingly, a quite high majority of parents, 74 percent, said that video gaming was part of their family's life and added that they were comfortable with this, with 58 percent of the parents adding that they were gamers themselves. Among that 58 percent, just over half (52%) said that gaming time was spent with their children. 49 percent said that even when playing without their children, it was their children's games that they enjoyed.

"We were delighted to learn that parents and their children are very familiar with the ESRB ratings system, but it was even more gratifying to see that such a large majority of parents are aware of, researching and active in their children's videogame purchasing and playing," said Robin Kaminsky, EVP of Publishing for Activision.

ESRB president Patricia Vance added, "Video game ratings can only be effective if consumers understand the ratings and use them when making purchasing decisions for their families, and this study shows that parents greatly rely on and value the ESRB ratings in helping them decide which games to allow their children to play."