Successful age rating submissions in QA
One thing we admire about gaming is its capacity to be entertaining and educational at any age. Contrary to popular belief that gaming doesn’t have much benefits for children’s development, studies have shown that young people who play video games can experience:
– cognitive benefits: Video games can improve thinking skills by helping players focus more quickly and accurately, process visual details better, and understand spatial relationships more easily;
– motivational benefits: Because of the immediate feedback system in many video games, children develop an incremental theory of intelligence, which means that they perceive intelligence as something they can further improve and train, not as an inherited habit, which can raise their motivation to demonstrate their abilities further in life;
– emotional benefits: According to the popular uses and gratifications theory, media is a highly available product that continues to be used by humans because it satisfies their certain needs. In the case of playing various video games, children experience feelings of relaxation, anxiety decrease, and even pride and self-confidence from completing challenging tasks;
However, we are aware that certain violent or intense scenes may negatively impact the development of children and adolescents. Therefore, it is essential to carefully weigh both perspectives and ensure that all games are appropriate for minors.
Age ratings ensure that video games suit the right age groups and follow local laws. If a game’s age rating is not handled properly, it can lead to delays, fines, or even prevent the game from being sold in certain countries.Â
In this article, we want to demonstrate how thorough tasting and verification provided by Quantic Lab’s team helped streamline the process for one of our partners, saving both time and resources while ensuring compliance with the regulatory standards set by various boards.
Context and challenge
Some time ago, we provided age-rating submission QA for a developer who had created a complex Sci-Fi Role-playing Game that contained themes of space exploration, combat, mild violence, and narrative elements dealing with complex emotional topics. Given the fact that our partner’s intention was to release this game globally, the video game needed approval from various rating boards including ESRB (North America), PEGI (Europe), and CERO (Japan). These boards impose different criteria for what qualifies certain content for certain age groups.Â
In addition, the developer had unpleasant previous experiences where the age ratings were not approved on time, which led to misunderstandings, repeated submissions, and ultimately, delays. To solve this problem, the partner turned to our QA team, requiring assistance in age rating submission management to streamline the process for their new game.
How Quantic Lab approached Age Rating Submission
After almost two decades in the game testing industry, we managed to develop a strategy that guarantees success. We apply it when collaborating with our partners, and we believe it’s useful to share it further.
The first step is to review the content and categorization. To understand the game’s potential risks that could cause delays in receiving approvals, we thoroughly reviewed the game’s content and identified potentially problematic areas, such as combat intensity, language, and sensitive thematic elements. We then took each segment one by one and split it into categories, based on the content guidelines provided by ESRB, PEGI, and CERO.
The second step was to carefully document scenes, dialogue, and visual effects (such as blood splatters and combat sequences) in a detailed report that matched the specific guidelines of each rating board. This step helps us to provide transparency and clarity while also minimizing the risk of misunderstandings or rejections by the rating bodies.Â
When we said that different rating bodies have slightly different criteria, we meant that the rating boards usually take into consideration their country’s youth profile – their vulnerabilities and their current challenges – and generate a list of criteria that tackles them. For example, Japanese ratings are typically stricter regarding psychological trauma or blood visuals, while North American boards might be more concerned with language or sexual content. That is why, the next step we took was to get our QA team to run simulated playthroughs from the perspectives of different age groups based on regional guidelines.
Fourthly, after finalizing research and testing, we valued our experience with rating boards and helped our partner to compile and submit the appropriate documentation so everything was clear and organized. We also acted as the intermediary between our partner and the rating board and assumed responsibility for handling any clarification requests from them.
Last but not least, after analysing the feedback, we understood that minor adjustments were required in a few regions, such as adjusting the color of the blood and changing certain dialogue lines. We offered our assistance to manage these edits and resubmissions and we were time efficient, so this process managed to avoid delays in the global launch schedule.
What we attained
By applying our strategy, we received approvals for all regions on the first attempt.Â
Thanks to detailed preparation and strategic management and communication, our partner’s project was approved by ESRB, PEGI, and CERO. This approval avoided a major problem: resubmissions (a common cause of delay that involves extra costs in the release schedule). Even more so, by respecting the nuanced guidelines of each rating board, the game didn’t need any last-minute major edits. Therefore, the game complied with the requirements without compromising the developer’s creative vision.
Other than that, our procedures helped the partner developer save the company’s resources. Firstly, the game was launched exactly as scheduled because our QA team was time efficient and helped the developer save 30% of the time they usually spent on age rating processes. In terms of costs, by avoiding delays and additional modifications, our partner saved an important amount in terms of re-development and re-submission fees, ensuring a smooth global release without any unexpected costs.
What to keep in mind regarding age rating submissions
Drawing from our experience, we realised that age rating submission QA requires:
– early intervention and preparation
– careful testing and documentation
– open communication and collaborative approach between QA teams and rating boards
Most of all, game testers must take a proactive approach to age rating submission management. Besides the other mentioned benefits, like saving time, reducing costs, and ensuring a successful global release of a fascinating game, age rating submissions are important because they ensure that all players, regardless of their age, can experience the creative and immersive world from video games and the benefits and pleasure of simply playing.
