About Ratings and Parental Controls

The Entertainment Software Rating Board
A GUIDE TO VIDEO GAME RATINGS (Applies to North and South America except Brazil)

We understand that it can be difficult to tell which games are appropriate for children just by looking at the title. In order to make informed purchase decisions, parents and other consumers should check the rating of video games. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) independently applies and enforces ratings adopted by the entertainment software industry.

The ESRB rating system has two parts: rating symbols, which are printed on the front of each PlayStation® game box, and content descriptors, which are printed on the back. Rating symbols suggest age appropriateness for the game, and content descriptors indicate elements in a game that may have triggered a particular rating and/or may be of interest or concern.

To take full advantage of the ESRB rating system, it's important to check both the rating symbol (on the front of the game box) and the content descriptors (on the back of the game box).

TITLES RATED EC (Early Childhood) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 3 and older. Titles in this category contain no material that parents would find inappropriate.

TITLES RATED E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language.

TITLES RATED E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language, and/or minimal suggestive themes.

TITLES RATED T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood and/or infrequent use of strong language.

TITLES RATED M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons 17 years and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, blood and gore, sexual content, and/or strong language.

Adults Only or AO ratings are rare. PlayStation® does not publish Adults Only games.

ESRB Content Descriptors

Content descriptors are short, standardized phrases that indicate elements in a game that may have triggered a particular rating and, or may be of interest or concern. To fully understand what to expect from a game, parents should check both the content descriptors and the rating symbol.

Following are some of the more frequently used content descriptors on PlayStation® games.

Animated Blood
Cartoon or pixilated depictions of blood.

Blood
Depictions of blood.

Comic Mischief
Scenes depicting slapstick or gross vulgar humor.

Language
Mild to moderate use of profanity.

Mild Violence
Mild scenes depicting characters in unsafe and/or violent situations.

Suggestive Themes
Mild provocative references or materials.

Violence
Scenes involving aggressive conflict.

Please visit WWW.ESRB.ORG for a complete listing of content descriptors.

ABOUT ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE RATING BOARD (ESRB) The ESRB is a non-profit, self-regulatory body established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). ESRB independently applies ratings, enforces advertising guidelines, and helps ensure responsible online privacy practices for the interactive entertainment software industry.

ABOUT RATINGS FOR VIDEO CONTENT FOR MOVIES AND TELEVISION PROGRAMS IN THE US

Information about movie ratings can be found at the website for Motion Picture Association of America located at http://www.mpaa.org/.

The ratings provided for US television programs are called TV Parental Guidelines. For more information, please visit the website at http://tvguidelines.org/.

Sony Network Entertainment International LLC provides product descriptions and ratings information as a matter of convenience for all users and not as a substitute for parental control. Parents are encouraged to review each piece of content prior to any purchase or viewing.

Some content including movies and television programs have not been rated by any organization. Parents are encouraged to review each piece of content prior to any purchase or viewing.

ABOUT RATINGS FOR VIDEO CONTENT FOR MOVIES AND TELEVISION PROGRAMS IN CANADA

Information about ratings for television programs in Canada can be found at the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council website located at http://www.cbsc.ca/english/agvot/frenchsystem.php.Ratings for movies in Canada vary slightly from province to province. For more information, see http://www.cmpda.ca/?q=content/film-classification-boards. Users in Quebec can find information about ratings for movies in Quebec at http://www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca/en/process.asp#cG.

Sony Network Entertainment International LLC provides product descriptions and ratings information as a matter of convenience for all users and not as a substitute for parental controls. Parents are encouraged to review each piece of content prior to purchase or viewing.

Some content including movies and television programs have not been rated by any organization. Parents are encouraged to review each piece of content prior to purchase or viewing.

ABOUT CONTENT RATINGS IN BRAZIL

In Brazil, video games are rated by the Department of Justice, Rating, Titles and Qualification (“DJCTQ”). This ratings body is part of the Ministry of Justice. The following is a list of the DJCTQ rating icons and their descriptions. For more information on these ratings, please see the DJCTQ web site at: http://portal.mj.gov.br/classificacao/data/Pages/MJ6BC270E8PTBRNN.htm

(Especially recommended for Children and Adolescents): This content is recommended for children and adolescents. Contains educational materials and does not have any inappropriate content.

(General Audiences): This content contains no objectionable content and can be viewed by anyone, regardless of age.

(Not recommended for viewers younger than 10 years of age). This content is recommended for persons who are at least 10 years of age. May contain a small amounts of inappropriate language, sexual innuendo or mild violence.

(Not recommended for viewers younger than 12 years of age.) This content is recommended for persons who are at least 12 years of age. May contain mild inappropriate language mild sexual innuendo or mild violence.

(Not recommended for viewers younger than 14 years of age.) This content is recommended for persons who are at least 14 years of age. May contain moderate inappropriate language, moderate sexual innuendo, mild sexual content or brief allusions to drug use.

(Not recommended for viewers younger than 16 years of age.) This content is recommended for persons who are at least 16 years of age. May contain strong language, sexual innuendo or mild sex with our without mild nudity, strong violence or moderate scenes of or allusions to drug use.

(Not recommended for viewers younger than 18 years of age.) This content is forbidden for people under 18 years of age. It may contain strong language, explicit sexual content, frequent nudity, strong violence or explicit scenes of drug abuse. This rating is also used for pornographic content.

PlayStation®3 System Security Settings

Hint

These settings control local content (digital content stored on the hard disk, content on storage media and discs). Note that these settings do not restrict access to online content.

Change Password

Change the password required to adjust system settings. A password is required in the following cases:

• When playing content with parental control restrictions
• When changing the system's parental control level or Internet Browser Start Control setting
• When starting the browser with the Internet Browser Start Control setting set to [On].
• When changing the current password

Make a note of your new password. The password is set to [0000] in the default settings.

Hint

If you select (Settings) > (System Settings) >
[Restore Default Settings], you can reset the password to [0000]. Note that all other settings will also be restored to their default values.

BD Parental Control

Adjust the playback level for Blu-ray discs (BDs) set with parental control restrictions. A password is required to change this setting.

Do Not Restrict (Off) :
Play any BD regardless of parental control level.

Restrict (On) :
Only play BDs with the specified parental control level. After [Restrict (On)] is set, you can select an age restriction on the next screen. Note that the lower the value, the tighter the restriction.

BD / DVD Parental Control Region Code

Set a region as a basis for standard parental control levels for BDs and DVDs. A password is required to change this setting.

United States :
Set Standard parental control levels for the United States.

Other :
Set standard parental control levels for other regions.
If you select [Other], you can select a region on the next screen.

DVD Parental Control

Adjust the playback level for DVDs set with parental control. A password is required to change this setting.

Off :
Play any DVD regardless of parental control level.

Level 8-1 :
Only play DVDs with the specified parental control level.
Note that the lower the value, the tighter the restriction.

Parental Control

Set the playback level for games set with parental control restrictions. A password is required to change this setting.

Off :
Play any content regardless of parental control level.

Level 11-1 :
Only play content with the specified parental control level.
Note that the lower the value, the tighter the restriction.

The following list shows the parental control setting that corresponds to each ESRB rating

0: ESRB RP - RATING PENDING
2: ESRB EC - EARLY CHILDHOOD
3: ESRB E - EVERYONE
4: ESRB E10+ - EVERYONE 10+
5: ESRB T - TEEN
9: ESRB M - MATURE
10: ESRB AO - ADULTS ONLY

Hints

• Parental control levels vary depending on the game.

Internet Browser Start Control

Restrict the ability to start the Internet Browser. A password is required to change this setting.

Off :
Set not to use start control.

On :
Set to use start control. A password is required to start the browser.