Games for tweens get new rating

updated 7:07 p.m. ET March 2, 2005

BELMONT, Calif. - The ratings board for the video game industry announced a new category Wednesday for children approaching their teens.

The "E10+" category should help fill a gap between games rated "E" for everyone, which some children outgrow, and "T" for teen, which are too violent or mature for some parents' tastes.

It might bring relief to households like the Pattons, who live in the San Francisco suburb of Belmont.

A big fan of Mario Bros. video games, 9-year-old Nicholas Patton is itching to play "Super Smash Bros. Melee." But to his dismay, his parents have declared the "T"-rated game off-limits. The disagreement has sparked incessant requests and some tense moments.

With the new category, the game, which includes a little more violence than other Mario-based games, might have gotten a permissible "E10+" instead. At the least, it could bring more choices to parents and their young children, who often don't see eye-to-eye when it comes to the form of entertainment that has infiltrated millions of American households.

"In that age group, you're left in the middle," said the boy's father, Paul Patton. "Unless you're into the sports games, the "E" games aren't that exciting anymore for him, and as for the "T" ones — your concept of reality isn't totally there yet."

Ratings, which range from "EC" for early childhood to "AO" for adults only, are meant to be a guide and certainly are not always in line with parents' views.

But the Entertainment Software Rating Board, a self-regulatory body set up by the gaming industry, believes the new "E10+" label will come in handy for parents, especially because the organization has seen an increasing number of games getting a "T" rating, perhaps because of mild violence, when the titles could be considered suitable for a 10-year-old.

"We found we were putting games we thought were preteen in the teen category," said Patricia Vance, president of the board. "And with the levels of sophistication in game play and graphics now, we felt there was enough nuance in the range of games to warrant a new category between 'E' and 'T.'"

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