The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) system and the games industry in general received high praise from the  Federal Trade Commission (FTC) this week.

The FTC issued a report that found the computer and video game industry "outpaces" other entertainment industries in providing clear age ratings and restricting children’s access to mature-rated products.

That’s fantastic because it shows that as an industry we’re not trying to peddle violence, sex and drugs to children things we’ve been accused of by illustrious individuals like Jack Thompson).

Over 80% of sales to children under  the proper age for games rated "Mature" have been stopped thanks to the ESRB ratings and have helped parents be confident they are choosing appropriate games for their children.

This is a major turnaround for games on the whole but considering that the industry was about $28 Billion last year in the US alone, the FTC would be foolish to say otherwise. Perhaps with more open-minded people in the offices of governance they have come to realize that we are not the scourge of society, games are not eroding the morals of the country and we are not on the road to hellfire and brimstone.

If you want to know more about games ratings in general, we suggest looking into a series of games ratings articles originally published at Generation: Gamers for Game Rating Awareness Week.

• Generation: Gamerz ESRB - North America’s Video Game Rating System Explained
• Generation: Gamerz ESRB - Content Descriptors Explained
• Generation: Gamerz PEGI - Pan-European Game Information Rating System Explained
• Generation: Gamerz USK - The German Videogame Rating System Explained
• Generation: Gamerz USK - Nazi Symbolism, Violence and the Law
• Generation: Gamerz OFLC - Australia’s Video Game Rating System Explained
• Generation: Gamerz OFLC - The Art of Censorship at its Finest
•  Generation: Gamerz CERO - Japan’s Computer Entertainment Rating Organization System Explained
•  Generation: Gamerz CERO - Japan’s Content Descriptors Explained