Recreational Software Advisory Council
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The Recreational Software Advisory Council (RSAC) was an independent, non-profit organization founded in the USA in 1994 by the Software Publishers Association as well as six other industry leaders in response to video game controversy and threats of government regulation. The goal of the council was to provide objective content ratings for computer games, similar to the earlier formed Videogame Rating Council (VRC) and later Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). The ratings were based on the research of Dr. Donald F. Roberts of Stanford University who studied media and its effect on children. The council formed RSACi in 1995 which was a branch which rated websites. The organization was closed in 1999 and reformed into the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA). The background, formation and rating process of the RSAC and RSACi may be viewed here.
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[edit] Software Labels
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VIOLENCE |
Harmless conflict; some damage to objects |
Creatures injured or killed; damage to objects; fighting |
Humans injured or killed; with small amount of blood |
Humans injured or killed; blood and gore |
Wanton and gratuitous violence; torture; rape |
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No nudity or revealing attire / Romance, no sex |
Revealing attire / Passionate kissing |
Partial nudity / Clothed sexual touching |
Non-sexual frontal nudity / Non-explicit sexual activity |
Provocative frontal nudity / Explicit sexual activity; sex crimes |
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Inoffensive slang; no profanity |
Mild expletives |
Expletives; non-sexual anatomical references |
Strong, vulgar language; obscene gestures |
Crude or explicit sexual references |
[edit] Internet Ratings
These RSACi ratings are included and used in the "Content Advisor" feature of Microsoft Internet Explorer.
| Violence Rating Descriptor | Nudity Rating Descriptor | Sex Rating Descriptor | Language Rating Descriptor | |
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| Level 0 | Harmless conflict, some damage to objects | No nudity or revealing attire | Romance, no sex | Inoffensive slang; no profanity |
| Level 1: | Creatures injured or killed; damage to objects; fighting | Revealing attire | Passionate kissing | Mild expletives |
| Level 2: | Humans injured or with small amount of blood | Partial nudity | Clothed sexual touching | Expletives; non-sexual anatomical references |
| Level 3: | Humans injured or killed | Non-sexual frontal nudity | Non-explicit sexual activity | Strong, vulgar language; obscene gestures; Racial Epithets |
| Level 4: | Wanton and gratuitous violence; torture; rape | Provocative frontal nudity | Explicit sexual activity; sex crimes | Crude or explicit sexual references; Extreme Hate Speech |
[edit] Criticism
The RSAC software rating system provided simple and detailed descriptions of a game's content however, one of the main criticisms of it was that (aside from the ALL rating) there was no clear suggestion of the age suitability of the product. Also, the labels were only applied to home computer software and not video game console software. The labels did not stand out on packaging as they were quite small and depending on the game content, may take a long time to read. As a result, this rating system was discontinued and the ESRB system became standard use.
[edit] References
- Archived RSAC website (April 14, 1997) - Software and internet content rating charts and the introduction.
- 3d Realms Tech Support - Pictures of the RSAC content symbols, as these pictures were unavailable at the RSAC site listed above.
| Video game controversy | |
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| Computer and video game law | Family Entertainment Protection Act - Truth in Video Game Rating Act - Video Game Decency Act |
| Organizations | Entertainment Software Rating Board - Pan European Game Information - Computer Entertainment Ratings Organization - Office of Film and Literature Classification - National Coalition Against Censorship - Videogame Rating Council (defunct) - Recreational Software Advisory Council (defunct) - 3DO Rating System (defunct) |
| People | Evan Bayh - Julia Boseman - Sam Brownback - Hillary Rodham Clinton - Herb Kohl - Joe Lieberman - Devin Moore - Cody Posey - Rick Santorum - Jack Thompson - Fred Upton |
| Games | Death Race - Doom - Grand Theft Auto series / Hot Coffee mod - Lethal Enforcers - Mortal Kombat series - Night Trap |
