Today, the Entertainment Software Rating Board officially announced their new public service announcement ad campaign targeted at informing parents on the categories in the game software rating system, and how to effectively use these to make educated choices for their children. The new “Okay to Play?” campaign will consist of print and radio ads, targeted at various markets, and in parallel, there will be a series of five print ads co-developed with web comic Penny Arcade published in various “gaming enthusiast” publications.

With all the current focus on banning or regulating violent video games running through various state and Federal government legislative bodies, the focus has been on the effectiveness of the ESRB now more than ever. It should be noted that ESRB ratings should be considered a tool for consumer education, and not a replacement for an active parental relationship with the child’s gaming habits. The ESRB has made mistakes, after all, most recently with their upgrade of the rating given to Elder Scrolls: Oblivion after further content review. The best way to counter the accusations of video games corrupting the youth of today is by having an informed populance that can make effective decisions about what games they will be playing, and not having overly restrictive bans on content.

The ESRB is hosting the images and MP3s from the parent-targeted campaign, as well as the first two images from the Penny Arcade enthusiast campaign on their website.

Read More | ESRB.org