With an influx of digital titles hitting the industry these days, the ESRB is turning to automation to handle the increased load. Rather than have employees inspect each title and assign an appropriate rating, the organization has devised a system in which it sends questionnaires to publishers that cover content specifics, from profanity to drug use.

Games will automatically be assigned a rating based on results from the questionnaire, although ESRB staff still plans to test the game post-release to “verify that disclosure was complete and accurate.” Publishers that opt not to answer certain questions will be subject to penalties that may influence the final rating.

“The ESRB rating process that has been in use since 1994 was devised before the explosion in the number of digitally delivered games and devices on which to play them,” said ESRB president Patricia Vance.

Thanks, Gamasutra.

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