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The easiest of
the platforms to spot is the Nintendo GameCube. Here is its
distribution:
On both of the
other platforms, the Xbox and PS2, games from the E and E10+
categories account for less than half of the game catalogs. On the
GameCube over 51% of the games were rated E and 6.1% were rated E10+.
This makes the GameCube appear to be more friendly for younger
gamers. While only 7.5% of the GameCube catalog was rated M, that
fraction represents a significantly larger proportion than found on
either the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance where M-rated games are
less than 1% of the software library.
The overwhelming
success of the PlayStation 2 is the key to distinguishing its
distribution of game ratings from that of the Xbox. As an exceedingly
popular platform, the PlayStation 2 attracted budget-priced software
and licensed games starring characters from children's television
programs, cartoons, and movies. For this software to succeed
commercially it must be accessible to the largest population
possible. Therefore, publishers may seek the most consumer-friendly
ratings of E or (at worst) E10+. For example, every SpongeBob
SquarePants game in the ESRB database is rated E. Additionally, all
but one of the 184 games with Disney in the title (across all
platforms) received an E, E10+, or EC (for "Early Childhood")
rating. (The exception -- a game based on the PG-rated Pixar movie
The Incredibles -- received a T rating.)
The flood of
licensed and budget software on the PlayStation 2 may explain the
modest differences between the distributions for the PlayStation 2
and Xbox, pictured below:
The PlayStation
2 has slightly more E-rated software (40.1% compared to 37.3% on the
Xbox) and significantly more E10+-rated software (7.1% compared with
4.5%). Microsoft courted an older set of consumers with its Xbox
marketing, which may explain why over 19% of Xbox games were rated
appropriate for a mature audience. That is, publishers released
M-rated games for a platform which appeared to attract older gamers.
Current Generation -- Xbox 360, PlayStation 3,
and Nintendo Wii
While we are
only a year into the current generation of console hardware, the
ratings of their games already reveal some interesting
characteristics. As before, here are the graphs for each of the three
systems, without labels and in random order:
Take a few
moments to try to determine which you think is which. Then go to the
next page for the answers and some possible explanations.
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Can you update the article to include PC?
Awesome article. It's nice to see the rating system. The only thing that Microsoft needs to get is the retailer associates who feel the 360 is "The FPS" machine. I'd be interested in seeing the breakdown of genres for each system.
Thanks a lot.