The U.S. video game industry today announced a new national public education campaign to educate American parents further about the tools and information available so they can manage the entertainment choices for their families. The campaign’s focal point will be a new series of Public Service Announcements (PSA) encouraging parents to review the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) video game ratings and utilize existing video game console parental controls.

‘This campaign will connect with consumers in an immediate and sustained way in addition to the traditional mechanisms over TV outlets. By channeling our industry’s compelling and innovative medium, we will instantly provide proven, practical, and effective information to millions of consumers,’ said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the U.S. trade association representing video game publishers.

‘No one knows better than parents when it comes to making decisions about which games their children should and should not play,’ said U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD), ranking member of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. ‘The video game industry makes games for people of all ages, but that doesn’t mean all games are appropriate for everyone. I commend the industry for raising awareness of the tools available to parents that can help them make informed decisions about the games their children play.’

Every month, the video game industry has more than 300 million interactions with consumers through online storefronts and video game play. Leveraging this energy and passion, the industry will:

Enhance public education efforts around video game ratings and parental controls by developing and funding a series of new PSAs;

Utilize the unique interconnectivity and reach of the video game industry’s platforms to promote these public service messages and related content;

Coordinate with video game retailers to use both their physical store footprints and dedicated online networks to educate millions of their customers about video game ratings and parental controls;

Work with policy makers to extend the proven ESRB rating system to the broader games ecosystem of smart phones, tablets, and online social games; and support and partner with non-profits using video games for educational and other pro-social purposes.

‘The more parents know about the wealth of dynamic tools the video game industry has developed for monitoring game play, the more empowered they will be to make informed decisions about which video games are appropriate for their family. I commend the video game industry for recognizing the importance of educating and engaging parents about the ratings and other resources and for leading a national program that will ensure the decision-making power remains where it should be ‘ with parents,’ said Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-23).

Specifically, the video game industry stated that they will accomplish their objectives by: Featuring new PSAs on video game platforms that will expand on the series already completed and available here;

Providing consumers with information on video game-specific web sites and online stores;

Providing PSAs to video game industry news and fan discussion sites for use;

Encouraging broadcast outlets to run the PSAs on local channels;

Working with federal and state elected officials to provide rating and parental control information to their constituents and distributing PSAs to retailers for use on their in-store and online channels.

‘Our industry has a long-standing, high-quality track record of empowering parents,’ said Mr. Gallagher. ‘The Federal Trade Commission described the ESRB as having the strongest self-regulatory code with regard to its marketing guidelines and enforcement system. Today we will build on that success.’

According to industry statistics, approximately half of American homes have at least one video game console. Every video game console has password-protected parental controls that allow parents to limit their children’s video game use. As such, each of those consoles, handheld devices, and PCs can be activated to block types of video games and restrict access to the Internet.

For more than 18 years, all computer and video games sold at retail have been rated by the ESRB. 85% of parents of children who play video games are aware of the industry’s rating system and this campaign will build on the already high awareness rate. The Federal Trade Commission reports that parents are present when video games are purchased 9 out of 10 times.

According to a survey conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates in 2012, 70% of parents regularly check the ESRB rating before buying video games. The ESRB rating system also enjoys high levels of trust among parents, who consistently report being satisfied with the information it provides in terms of selecting games for their children.

In the future, the distribution channels established as part of this campaign could also provide a platform for other educational and pro-social messages and information.