Exploring the Relationship between Self-Regulation of Video Games and Changes in Game Content.

Many researchers and policymakers are concerned about possible negative effects of violent and sexual video games. This has led to many attempts to regulate access to games. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a self-regulation system that rates the content of video games. This research investigated whether the 1994 implementation of the ESRB was associated with changes in game content, as represented by magazine articles about the games. A content analysis of videogame magazine articles released before and after the ESRB implementation determined that violent content and some sexual content increased nonsignificantly from 1989 until 2004, when these elements became significantly more extreme. Other sexual content increased in early years but was stable after the regulation. Because manufacturers did not dramatically alter game content after the ESRB implementation, they may be unlikely to change the content due to future regulation. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]