As it stands, video games have a maturity rating which is basically an indicator as to how violent or sexual a video game could be. It also helps parents determine if their 7-year old should be playing games meant for older teens. That being said, a report from The Local (via Engadget) has revealed that over in Sweden, they could be thinking about adding a sexism rating to video games as well.
This is in light of the fact that a whopping 52% of gamers are female, not to mention the hostility to women developers and gamers in the recent Gamergate controversy in which they were sent all sorts of threats online. Right now Sweden’s game industry trade group has been given the greenlight by the government to work on their idea which could see a sexism rating ending up placed next to age and content ratings in the future.
So far the plan is to approach the ratings system similar to the Bechdel Test to determine if women in a particular game are given fair treatment, but also how publishers deal with the issue of gender equality. It’s an intriguing idea although it isn’t clear if this could end up applying to all games in the future, or those just made in Sweden.
The impact of the sexism rating on games and purchase decisions also remains to be seen, but what do you guys think? Will sexism ratings affect your decision to purchase particular games in the future?
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