These are not final - we seek the approval of AGDev members before we can consider them as such. Please discuss on the mailing list before making any changes, so we can track what's going on!
Ratings under development:
Early Childhood (EC)
for children under age 8
Games with this classification should be playable by people of all ages. They are typically, though not always, targeted at children under eight years of age and will often be educational in nature.
- Violence
None.
- Horror/Suspense
None.
- Strong Language
None.
- Sex
No sexual content or innuendo.
- Illegal Drug Use
None.
- Delinquency
No glorification of realistic delinquent, anti-social, dangerous, or illegal activity.
This category is expected to be used only by educational games for very young (pre–school or less than eight years old) children.
Note to developers/publishers: Think many times more than twice before classifying your product as "Universal".
Universal (U)
for children aged 8 and above
Games with this classification should be suitable for ages eight and above. Parents are encouraged to take an active role in determining whether games with this rating are appropriate for their individual children.
- Violence
Occasional, non–realistic.
- Horror/Suspense
Occasional mild threat/menace.
- Strong Language
Occasional, very mild.
- Sex
Occasional very mild/discrete references or innuendo.
- Illegal Drug Use
None.
- Delinquency
No glorification of realistic delinquent, anti-social, dangerous, or illegal activity.
Young Teens (YT)
for ages 12 and above
Games with this classification may incorporate some mature themes, presented suitably for young teenagers. They should be appropriate for people aged twelve and above. Games rated YT may include:
- Violence
Yes. No explicit emphasis on pain/injury.
- Horror/Suspense
Sustained threat/menace. Occasional mild gore.
- Strong Language
Occasional moderate.
- Sex
No explicit sexual content, references to sexual activity or innuendo suitable for young teenagers only.
- Illegal Drug Use
Occasional references justified by context. The dangers of use should be noted within the game.
- Delinquency
No glorification/glamorisation of contemporary weapons. Moderate presentation of dangerous stunts or combat techniques is permitted if presented without explicit description.
Mature Teens (MT)
for ages 15 and above
Games with this classification may include any theme presented appropriately for teenagers fifteen years of age and above. Games rated MT may include:
- Violence
Strong violence. No detailed presentation of the infliction of pain and/or injuries. Sexual violence, if presented, must be brief, justified by context, and without explicit description.
- Horror/Suspense
Sustained threat/menace. Occasional gore.
- Strong Language
Frequent. No prolonged or excessively aggressive use is permitted.
- Sex
Sexual activity may be presented without the use of explicit description or pornographic material.
- Illegal Drug Use
May be presented without explicit description or promotion.
- Delinquency
If used, emphasis should not be placed on delinquent, anti-social, dangerous, or illegal activities nor on the use of contemporary weapons.
Note: In many film classification schemes, sustained or detailed depiction of violence is not permitted. Due to the fact that computer games are currently significantly less detailed than real life, this classification of accessible or audio game does permit sustained violence as long as the injuries inflicted are not dwelt upon and/or the setting of the violence is not one that could be found in the real world (i.e. is a fantasy setting).
Adults Only (AO)
for ages 18 and above
Adults should be allowed to choose their own entertainment, within applicable law. For this reason, almost any content is allowed under this category (again, as long as it is compliant with the law).