Age rating systems

You surely have heard about PEGI or ESRB. Age-based rating systems are important in the game industry and they should be taken into consideration by developers. Knowing beforehand that you are developing a game that is supposed to be PEGI 7, for example, already says a lot about the game design itself.

The same goes for mature-rated games.

Sometimes, the very fact that they are mature-rated is part of the concept.

In fact, the idea of including an expected age-based rating in the concept might help in creating a game actually suitable for that age restriction.

There is an everlasting debate about these systems and how they are (or are not) useful to consumers, especially parents choosing a game for their children. As will often be the case in this book, we strongly recommend you explore the topic on your own; but for now, keep in mind that they are not just tools to rate a finished game, but also useful guidelines to keep a project on track so it's suitable for a particular audience.