I think a content rating system for itch.io would be great, although if there is a new system for itch.io, it should somewhat follow the industry standards as seen in IARC in order to make the transition for developers as smooth as possible since a lot of them might sell their games on other storefronts or platforms such as Steam or the Nintendo eShop. Preferably, I'd like to see itch.io with the option to use IARC (ESRB/PEGI)/CERO ratings in addition to an itch.io built a system that works in a similar but simpler way. For that simplified system, using some ideas I've seen in this thread and from other rating systems that are in IARC, this is my idea for how an itch.io rating system could work out.
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Ratings
- Everyone
- Intended for players ages 3-11
- Similar to ESRB's Everyone, PEGI's 7, CERO's A (All Ages)
- Mario Kart
- Teenage
- Intended for players ages 12-14
- Similar to ESRB's Teen, PEGI's 12, CERO's C (Ages 15 and up)
- The Legend of Zelda
- Mature
- Intended for players ages 16-17
- Similar to PEGI's 16, CERO's D (Ages 17 and up)
- Monster Hunter
- Adult/NSFW
- Intended for players ages 18 and up
- Similar to ESRB's Adults Only, PEGI's 18, CERO's Z (Ages 18 and up only)
I think 4 categories works out since each is distinct and easy to follow. Everyone represents games that are suitable for all ages and at most may have content that isn't suitable for extremely young children. Teenage (I think it should have a different name, maybe Moderate, but I can't come up with one) represents games that are suggestive or mild in terms of their content. Mature represents games that are realistic in their content but are otherwise moderate in their content. Adult/NSFW represents games that are clearly graphic or explicit in their content and should not be viewable by players that aren't 18 or older.
Content Descriptors
Content Descriptors
These broadly denote the type of content featured in a game and would be prominently featured on a games store page.
- Violence
- Fighting or harmful action
- Graphic Content
- Blood, gore, etc
- Sexual Content
- Nudity, sexual activity, innuendos, etc
- Language
- Swearing, expletives, etc
- Drugs, Alchohol, and Smoking
- Depictions or use of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco products
- Distress
- Frightful elements, horror, self-harm, etc
- Gambling
- Gambling, depictions of gambling, lootboxes, etc
Content Descriptor Tags
These are tags that go into specifics as to what type of content the game features within the descriptors themselves, and would be searchable just like the other metadata tags that are used for games currently.
- Violence
- Fighting
- Dismemberment
- Exaggerated fictional violence
- Murder
- Corpses
- Graphic Content
- Blood
- Gore
- Sexual Content
- Suggestive clothing
- Innuendos
- Partial nudity
- Nudity
- Depictions of sexual activity
- Language
- Mild language
- Abusive language
- Blasphemy
- Drugs, Alchohol, and Smoking
- Drug use and reference
- Drug reference
- Alchohol use and reference
- Alchohol reference
- Smoking use and reference
- Smoking reference
- Distress
- Occult characters (ghosts, zombies, etc)
- Unsettling atmosphere/character design
- Horrific sounds
- Horrific graphical elements
- Frightening surprise (jumpscares)
- Self-harm
- Depression
- Gambling
- Gambling reference
- Lootboxes
- Organized crime
The content descriptor and the content descriptor Tgas would be used together to denote what a games overall rating is. For example, a game like Super Mario Odyssey, at least going off of its current ratings around the world, would have the Violence descriptor with an exaggerated fictional violence tag (enemies poof out of existence when attacked) and a Distress descriptor with occult characters tag (zombie costume, realistic dinosaurs, etc) within this system. These are then used to decide the ratings through a questionnare. So, if we use Odyssey as our example, it would only have a Violence and Distress descriptor with only one tag each, which would give it an Everyone rating.
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This brings the best of both worlds in my opinion, as it simplifies the rating system to four ratings and 7 content descriptors that are easy to understand and are universal, and several amounts of tags, which allows for granularity in the content players would like to browse. When combined together, the system could make it easy to know exactly what type of content is in a game. Originally, I had the idea of a level for content ranging from Minimal to Mild to Moderate to Severe for each content descriptor, but after pondering it, that doesn't solve the issue of it being universal, as different cultures have different tolerances for that type of content. Having general and universally understood content descriptors and then more specific tags for specific types of content allow players to easily see the general rating for a game, and to view the descriptor tags for a specific look as to what content is featured, and has the benefit of being searchable within itch.io, being easier to set up in a rating submission form, and is easier to add and edit in the future as it doesn't require developers to consider what severity level their game is and instead be specific as to what the game actually features.
I would really like to see a rating system added to itch.io, and I hope this feedback helps in some way!