Recreational Software Advisory Council
Encyclopedia
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 RSAC ratings were based on the research of Dr. Donald F. Roberts
of Stanford University
who studied media and its effect on children.
In 1994, senators Herb Kohl
and Joseph Lieberman raised concerns over the levels of violence and other adult material appearing in video games which were available to children. Under threat of government regulation, industry groups like the Software Publishers Association (SPA), the Association of Shareware Professionals
(ASP), and others had concerns about the intrusion of the government, and the costs, delays and subjective judgements of a review-committee-based system.
At the time, the largest trade group, the SPA had few members in the gaming field, but the ASP had many, and the two organizations decided to work together. Lance Rose (a software attorney) and Rosemary West (ASP board member) appeared before Congress in the summer of 1994 in support of the SPA representation.
The SPA and ASP (and other industry groups) were opposed to an age-based rating system operated by a review committee as developed by the ESRB, which was proposed by several multi-national console game manufacturers and distributors. The groups preferred a content labeling system that would allow parents to know what was in the games and then make their own judgements about what their children would see.
An ASP-sponsored committee, led by Jim Green of Software Testing Labs, and staffed by Karen Crowther of Redwood Games, and Randy MacLean of FormGen, developed the initial version of what would become the RSAC ratings. The committee identified the elements most likely to be of concern to parents and developed specific descriptions of the levels of such content that would define the levels reported. The system would be self-administered by game publishers who could use the system to label their games.
The entire system was turned over to the SPA for its newly formed Recreational Software Advisory Council in 1994.
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.
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.
Video game controversy
Violent video game debates often center on topics such as video game graphic violence, sex and sexism, violent and gory scenes, partial or full nudity, portrayal of criminal behavior, racism, and other provocative and objectionable material. Video games have been studied for links to addiction and...
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
Videogame Rating Council
The Videogame Rating Council was introduced by Sega of America in 1993 to rate all video games that were released for sale in the United States on the Sega Genesis, Sega Game Gear, Sega CD, and rarely, some computer games...
(VRC) and later Entertainment Software Rating Board
Entertainment Software Rating Board
The Entertainment Software Rating Board is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings, enforces industry-adopted advertising guidelines, and ensures responsible online privacy principles for computer and video games as well as entertainment software in Canada, Mexico and...
(ESRB). The RSAC ratings were based on the research of Dr. Donald F. Roberts
Donald F. Roberts
Donald F. Roberts is the Thomas More Storke Professor Emeritus in Communication at Stanford University.Roberts studied at Columbia University, where he received his B.A. in 1961, at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned an M.A. in 1963, and at Stanford University. He received his...
of Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
who studied media and its effect on children.
In 1994, senators Herb Kohl
Herb Kohl
Herbert H. "Herb" Kohl is the senior U.S. Senator from Wisconsin and a member of the Democratic Party. He is also a philanthropist and the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks National Basketball Association team...
and Joseph Lieberman raised concerns over the levels of violence and other adult material appearing in video games which were available to children. Under threat of government regulation, industry groups like the Software Publishers Association (SPA), the Association of Shareware Professionals
Association of Shareware Professionals
The Association of Software Professionals , formerly Association of Shareware Professionals, is a professional association for authors of shareware computer software...
(ASP), and others had concerns about the intrusion of the government, and the costs, delays and subjective judgements of a review-committee-based system.
At the time, the largest trade group, the SPA had few members in the gaming field, but the ASP had many, and the two organizations decided to work together. Lance Rose (a software attorney) and Rosemary West (ASP board member) appeared before Congress in the summer of 1994 in support of the SPA representation.
The SPA and ASP (and other industry groups) were opposed to an age-based rating system operated by a review committee as developed by the ESRB, which was proposed by several multi-national console game manufacturers and distributors. The groups preferred a content labeling system that would allow parents to know what was in the games and then make their own judgements about what their children would see.
An ASP-sponsored committee, led by Jim Green of Software Testing Labs, and staffed by Karen Crowther of Redwood Games, and Randy MacLean of FormGen, developed the initial version of what would become the RSAC ratings. The committee identified the elements most likely to be of concern to parents and developed specific descriptions of the levels of such content that would define the levels reported. The system would be self-administered by game publishers who could use the system to label their games.
The entire system was turned over to the SPA for its newly formed Recreational Software Advisory Council in 1994.
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
Internet Content Rating Association
Internet Content Rating Association was an international non-profit organization with offices in the United States and the United Kingdom...
(ICRA). The background, formation and rating process of the RSAC and RSACi may be viewed here.
Software labels
 |
Level 1 |
Level 2 |
Level 3 |
Level 4 |
|
| 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 |
| NUDITY/SEX |
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 |
| LANGUAGE |
Inoffensive slang; no profanity | Mild expletives | Expletives; non-sexual anatomical references | Strong, vulgar language; obscene gestures | Crude or explicit sexual references |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
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 consoleVideo game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
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.