The Guildhall at SMU Christmas Top Ten

[Tami]

Students at The Guildhall at SMU Weigh In with Their Top Picks

Top Ten Video Games to Give for the Holidays

DALLAS, Texas - December 6, 2007 - Students at The Guildhall at SMU, the country’s premier graduate video game development program, have released their suggested top ten video game gift list for this year’s holiday season.

Leading the list is Super Mario Galaxy followed by Guitar Hero III at number two. Rounding out the top five are Mass Effect, Rock Band and Orange Box.

“Video games are huge sellers this holiday season,” Dr. Peter Raad, founder and executive director of The Guildhall at SMU. “Consumers need to pay attention to two main factors when purchasing video games for friends and family: what type of hardware is required and the ERSB Rating. Both can be found by carefully reading the labels of the video game.”

Hardware relates to what kind of platform the game runs on: PC, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PS3, PSP, or DS. Shoppers need to make sure the person they are buying the game for has the appropriate hardware.

The ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) ratings are designed to provide concise and impartial information about the content in computer and video games so consumers, especially parents, can make an informed purchase decision.
ERSB ratings have two equal parts: rating symbols suggest age appropriateness for the game and content descriptors indicate elements in a game that may have triggered a particular rating or may be of interest or concern.

To take full advantage of the ESRB rating system, it’s important to check both the rating symbol (on the front of the box) and the content descriptors (on the back).

The students’ top ten list is as follows:

Super Mario Galaxy
Platform: Wii
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Platform: Wii, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, PC
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Mass Effect
Platform: Xbox 360
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Rock Band
Platform: Xbox 360, PS2, PS3
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

The Orange Box
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Halo 3
Platform: Xbox 360
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Crysis
Platform: PC
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

BioShock
Platform: Xbox 360, PC
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Madden NFL 08
Platform: Wii, Xbox 360, Xbox, PS3, PC
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

[Josh]

I don't think my parents ever look at the ESRB when they buy games for my brothers. Once we get the game, my brothers tell my mom what kind of stuff is in it, and then we have to limit their play with it... I wish the ESRB was known more by people... Most people don't even know what it is, where it's from, or what it stands for <img src=\'http://www.killanet.net/forum3/public/s ... #>/cry.gif\' class=\'bbc_emoticon\' alt=\':(\' />

[Tami]

I know - and then they blame the industry for making games that should never have been played by their child anyway because of the rating. Like I've said before, it's the parents' responsibility to check content. Industry is doing their part by rating the games. Parents need to do their part by applying some due diligence. [/rant]

[NightStorm]

Hmm... maybe I shouldn't have let Mike onto the xBox Live "18 and older" section by supplying my profile information. <img src=\'http://www.killanet.net/forum3/public/s ... igwink.gif\' class=\'bbc_emoticon\' alt=\';)\' />

[Tami]

LOL - you know as well as I do that Mike is effected more by videos of a certain comedian than he is by videogames <img src=\'http://www.killanet.net/forum3/public/s ... >/blum.gif\' class=\'bbc_emoticon\' alt=\':P\' />