June is Entertainment Ratings & Labeling Awareness Month

June 1, 2011 -

With summer vacation on its way later this month in most parts of the country and with children looking for things to do when they aren't outside, it makes perfect sense that June has been declared Entertainment Ratings & Labeling Awareness Month by DiMA, EMA, NARM, and NATO (no, not THAT NATO).

The Digital Media Association (DiMA), Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA), National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM), and National Association of Theatre Owners are calling on theatre owners and retailers of movies, music, and video games to highlight and emphasize the motion picture and video game ratings and music labeling systems to their customers.

“Entertainment Ratings and Labeling Awareness Month” is sponsored by the four trade associations through their Coalition of Entertainment Retail Trade Associations (CERTA). It is declared annually to promote the use of entertainment ratings and labels by encouraging retailers to review their ratings and labeling education and enforcement policies, reemphasizing those policies to their employees, and educating their customers about the movie and video game ratings and music labeling systems and store policies.

“There is a bounty of wonderful entertainment options for people of all ages, and the music labeling and motion picture and video game rating systems can help parents choose the right entertainment for their children,” CERTA declared. “While the decision as to what is appropriate for a particular child ultimately rests with the parent, retailers can and do play an important role in empowering parents with the tools necessary to make those decisions: the entertainment ratings and labeling systems.”

Retailers can learn more about CERTA and the entertainment industry’s ratings and labeling systems at www.ERLAM.org. For more on the Parental Advisory Program, click here.

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Comments

Re: June is Entertainment Ratings & Labeling Awareness Month

Submitted by Zerodash on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 14:43.

Ironically, this June may also be the month the SCOTUS puts the force of law behind these ratings.

Re: June is Entertainment Ratings & Labeling Awareness Month

Submitted by RedMage on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 15:52.

Well, technically California wants to impose its own ratings because, as Leland Yee has said eleventy billion times, the ESRB is like the "Fox guarding the henhosue".

Or are you referring to the Court putting the force of law behind the ESRB by declaring California's law unconstitutional? I can't really tell.

Re: June is Entertainment Ratings & Labeling Awareness Month

Submitted by Cheater87 on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 15:59.

ESRB would be dismantled in Cali if it passes and government ratings will take over. I think if the bill dies then ESRB would remain as it always was and not have government backed laws.

Re: June is Entertainment Ratings & Labeling Awareness Month

Submitted by hellfire7885 on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 19:58.

Meaning that the very same problems the motion picture industry faced would happen all over again for the gaming industry.

A lot of movies were stifled because they couldn't market them nationally because individual states and even towns had their own rating boards and in far too many cases outright prevented a movie from being released in their area, making marketing it nationally next to impossible.

I'm guessing that's the entire point of this bill, to induce a chilling effect, which to me is the exact same as a ban. Especially since developers there would likely pack up and leave the state, removing jobs.

Re: June is Entertainment Ratings & Labeling Awareness Month

Submitted by RedMage on Thu, 06/02/2011 - 09:49.

All of the above are why this law simply will not stand up. California is essentially relying on Supreme Court justices being sloppy.

Re: June is Entertainment Ratings & Labeling Awareness Month

Submitted by RedMage on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 16:06.

Actually, California never appealed the section of the law mandating that the "deviant" video games be labeled 18, something that Sotomayor tore into California's lawyer about.

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Monte: trolls are just at their absolute worst when it comes to women and feminist. You could bet good money that if the developer were male the trolls would be silent and the conversation would actually focus on the journalism.10/18/2014 - 9:18pm

Monte: Papa: Not the first time we've had a journalism scandals before, but the harassment never got close to this level; the difference with this scandal is that feminists are involved. Without the feminist angle, their would be A LOT less harrassment10/18/2014 - 9:15pm

Papa Midnight: Monte: That's honestly rather short-sighted. As has been proven with other persons who have been targeted, if it wasn't Quinn, it would be someone else.10/18/2014 - 6:26pm

Avalongod: I think that's part of what gives an esoteric news story like this real life...it taps into a larger narrative about misogyny in society outside of games.10/18/2014 - 3:29pm

Avalongod: @Monte, well the trolls made death threats that came to police (and media attention). I think this is tapping into a larger issue outside of games about how women are treated in society (like all the "real rape" stuff during the last election)10/18/2014 - 3:28pm

Wonderkarp: Zippy : Havent tried the PS4 controller. might later.10/18/2014 - 2:37pm

Monte: Seirously, If Quinn was not involved and GG was instead about something like the Mordor Marketing contracts, the trolling would have never grown so vile and disgusting. There have been plenty of movements in the past that never sufferred from behavior..10/18/2014 - 1:57pm

Monte: We have seen scandel's before but the trolling has never been as vile as what we see with GG. Trolls usually have such a tiny voice you can barely notice them, but its like moths to a flame whenever femistist are involved.10/18/2014 - 1:53pm

ZippyDSMlee: Wonderkarp: You might be able to if you had a PS4 controller.10/18/2014 - 1:00pm

MaskedPixelante: http://store.steampowered.com/app/327940/ Night Dive starts charging for freeware.10/18/2014 - 12:21pm

Matthew Wilson: the sad thing is there are trolls on both sides of this. people need to stop acting like their side is so pure.10/18/2014 - 12:19pm

MechaTama31: So, only speak out on a scandal that hasn't attracted trolls? I wouldn't hold my breath...10/18/2014 - 10:49am

Monte: I feel like GG just needs to die. The movement is FAR to tainted by hatred and BS for it to be useful for any conversation. Let GG die, and then rally behind the NEXT gaming journalism scandal, and start the conversation fresh.10/18/2014 - 10:33am

quiknkold: and we dont have a Dovakin to call a cease fire10/17/2014 - 7:37pm

quiknkold: The whole thing is Futile. Both sides are so buried deep in their trenchs that there isnt a conversation. Its just Finger Pointing, Name Calling, Doxxing, Threats. there needs to be a serious conversation, and GG isnt it.10/17/2014 - 7:37pm

quiknkold: I thought it was a good article. Jeff is right. I feel like GamerGate did destroy its message. I am for Ethics in game journalism, but man. so much hate. and its on both sides. I've seen some awful stuff spewed on twitter. Its a big reason why I exited..10/17/2014 - 7:34pm

Matthew Wilson: while he focused on gg, he did call out both sides crap.10/17/2014 - 7:18pm

Papa Midnight: That was a damn good read offered by Jeff Gertsmann.10/17/2014 - 7:17pm

Matthew Wilson: http://www.giantbomb.com/articles/letter-from-the-editor-10-17-2014/1100-5049/ deferentially a nice write up.10/17/2014 - 6:44pm

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