How will Windows parental controls affect indies?

[Adrian Lopez]

Windows Vista is going to include a Parental Controls panel that will allow parents to block games according to ESRB ratings, together with the ability to block unrated games. With that in mind:


How will Windows know the difference between an unrated game and a non-game application? Does this mechanism, whatever it is, have any drawbacks for Indie developers?
How will the blocking of unrated games affect Indie developers?

[digriz]

I think a key question, for us, should be how much does it cost to get a rating and how much effort is involved.

Check out this link to a short document here (http://slate.msn.com/id/2122746/fr/rss/)

Unfortunately, you have to register as a publisher with www.esrb.org/ (http://www.esrb.org/) to get any information about cost and processes.

Thinking about question 2 a little more, how can it know a piece of software is a game? It's an exe file and data...Windows wouldn't have a clue unless the app told it to check for a rating.

Does anyone have any technical details of how this mechanism is going to work in Vista? Also, how is the international issue going to be resolved. Isn't ESRB ratings USA only or is it Global now?

EDIT: I found this link -http://www.esrb.org/esrbratings_faqs.asp. It's worth a read.

[soniCron]

Thinking about question 2 a little more, how can it know a piece of software is a game? It's an exe file and data...Windows wouldn't have a clue unless the app told it to check for a rating.

Does anyone have any technical details of how this mechanism is going to work in Vista? Also, how is the international issue going to be resolved. Isn't ESRB ratings USA only or is it Global now? First, ESRB is global. Second, (and this is pure speculation) simply accessing multiple components of DirectX could potentially trigger the "game mode" and look for the required rating definition. Upon finding one doesn't exist, it could trigger the unrated gaming mode.

[Bad Sector]

Multimedia applications aren't neccessarily games. For example demos (http://www.pouet.net/) are not while they use parts of DirectX.

I suspect that games will simply inform the operating system that they're "games".

[soniCron]

Multimedia applications aren't neccessarily games. For example demos (http://www.pouet.net/) are not while they use parts of DirectX. Nobody said they were. But if there was any automation involved, that's about the best way I can figure they'd accomplish the detection.

You see, Adrian's question was about how the rating restrictions would affect indie developers. As such, there are three possible scenarios:

Windows refuses to run anything unsigned.
Windows automatically detects a game is being run and attempts to determine its rating.
Windows only monitors games that identify themselves as games restricts accordingly.

Under the first two scenarios the effect upon indies is broad and serious. Under the last scenario the effect wouldn't even be noticed by indies because the system would be opt-in only. If that is the case (which would make sense if it uses ESRB ratings), then there's nothing to discuss. But since we don't know how it's going to function, it would seem reasonable to discuss how scenario #2 would function. If scenario #1 is the process in which Windows will determine game ratings, then getting our unsigned software to run at all would be the most important issue, and any debate about rated or unrated indie games is moot. But since that's not what the discussion is about, I thought it necessary to discuss scenario #2.

[Sharkbait]

This thread very much reminds me of the Digital Certification thread:
http://forums.indiegamer.com/showthread.php?t=358&highlight=certification

As with certification, I think most users will simply click through the dialogs reflexively. One other factor to consider is that the indie/casual market typically attracts more mature (18+) users having access (presumably!) to parental controls.

[Musenik]

After my experience on Grab.com, I got the feeling that children are already 'controlled' to the extent that their parents won't let them download games from the web. (I can understand the parent's point of view.) So the kids have decided to hate downloads altogether. They greatly prefer in-browser games. (which we know are wonderfully regulated by the games rating board... :-)

Okay, maybe that's just my paranoid mind working, but I'd like to hear other developer's experiences.

[Adrian Lopez]

First, ESRB is globalI don't think the ESRB has any presence whatsoever in European markets. Over there, PEGI is the usual ratings body, sometimes in addition to government-imposed ratings.

[soniCron]

I don't think the ESRB has any presence whatsoever in European markets. Over there, PEGI is the usual ratings body, sometimes in addition to government-imposed ratings. Oh, that "ESRB." I thought he was talking about the European Component of GEWEX Surface Radiation Budget (http://esrb.iesl.forth.gr/01project/01summary.htm).

[DanMarshall]

ESRB have no influence in Britain, possibly UK.

The BBFC (British Board of Film Classificatoin) handles games which are realistic enough to warrant a look (which is most these days). Failing that, there's a European rating on the back of the box, but it's a guideline only and has no legal standing whatsoever.

d

[James C. Smith]

On the global issue, all I know if the Xbox game we are shipping in 10 languages requires 7 different ratings. The ESRB is only good enough for some regions. A different rating system is needed for many different regions.


I am not that worried about the parental controls on Windows since the parents are my target audience.