2018 Volume 28 Issue 1 Pages 53-59
The current study probes for the objective standard for the game rating. To probe for the objective standard, the following questions were investigated using the survey data on sexual expressions, violence depictions and anti-social expressions in video games published by Computer Entertainment Rating Organization （CERO）, a non-profit organization in charge of rating of video game contents: 1） Are there significant differences between parents’ and game users’ views on which rating is suitable for each expression? 2） If there are significant differences between parents’ and game users’ views, what could explain the differences? 3） Whose standard should one use to achieve objectivity? The findings of the current study are: 1） There were significant differences between parents’ and game users’ views on the ratings of sexual expressions, violence depictions, and anti-social expressions in video games. 2） The Third-Person Effect and desensitization may explain the deviation of parents’ and game users’ responses respectively. 3） Finally, as the responses of female light game users were the most unbiased, the current study proposes that the standard of female light game users may be used for setting the objective standard for the game rating.
