ESRB Launches Outreach Campaign with Rhode Island Attorney General

Nothing screams outreach to the people like the Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch. But hey, whatever the ESRB wants to try and spread the word about ratings.

The Electronic Software Ratings Board is teaming up with Rhode Island official to help spread the word about the ESRB ratings. Expect some public service announcements to be aired on radio and television in the near future.

“Most parents routinely check the ratings of movies before taking or allowing their children to see films, and I’m honored to join with ESRB to ask parents to use that same level of vigilance concerning video games,” Lynch said in a press release. “It’s up to us, as parents, to take every measure possible to increase protections for our children. Using the excellent ESRB rating system is an extremely important and positive step.”

But there’s definitely a point to be made about the rating system somehow not getting out there to the parents. If the ESRB ratings were enforced as heavily as those of the MPAA, a lot of this controversy would be avoided.

But according to their own press release, it looks like a great deal of parents already know about the ratings. In April of this year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a report that found that nine in ten parents are aware of the ESRB ratings, 87 percent expressed satisfaction, and nearly three-quarters use them regularly when choosing games for their children.

I guess they’re going for a 100 percent disclosure among parents.