Age ratings on every game: our new system for parents

Every game on Raptware now shows an age rating, including the free online games you play right in the browser. At a glance you can see who a game is for (3+, 7+, 12+, 16+ or 18+), why, and whether it has in-game purchases or lets players interact with each other.

Why we built our own age rating

Games sold on app stores get official ratings: on Google Play every app answers the IARC questionnaire and receives the ratings of ESRB, PEGI and other authorities. Our Android games already showed those on their pages.

Browser games are different. Nobody rates them: there is no store in between and no authority that reviews them. That left a hole in something we care about. In our post about how we keep comments safe for kids we promised that every game page tells you who the game is for. For our web games, that was not true yet. Now it is.

How it works

We use the same five ages as the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC): 3+, 7+, 12+, 16+ and 18+. That is on purpose: if you already know PEGI or the ratings on Google Play, you can read ours without learning anything new, and a game that is also on Google Play gets the same age here as there.

For each game we answer a questionnaire about its content: violence, fear, language, sexuality, alcohol, tobacco and drugs, gambling, criminal activity and discrimination. The age comes out of the answers; nobody types it in. It is the highest age that any part of the game calls for. When the game is also on Google Play, we check that both ages match, and if they do not, we review our answers.

The criteria for each age are public on our rating system page, linked at the bottom of every page of the site. A rating that does not say how it was given is worth very little.

What parents can check at a glance

You will find the badge on the bottom-right corner of every game card in the catalogue, and on the game page next to the official ratings. Here is how to read it:

• The age is about content, not difficulty. A 3+ game can still be a tough puzzle; a 12+ game is not "harder", it has content we would not show a young child.
• The content descriptors tell you why, for example Mild Violence or Simulated Gambling. They often say more than the number.
• The interactive elements do not change the age, but they matter: In-Game Purchases (and whether some give random prizes, like chests or packs), and Users Interact, which means your child can see something written or done by another player, such as names on a leaderboard.

Tips to help your kids play safely

• Look at the badge before the first game. It takes a second, and it is in the same spot on every card.
• Read the descriptors, not just the number. Two 7+ games can be 7+ for different reasons, and you know your child better than any rating.
• Talk about purchases before they happen. If a game says it has in-game purchases with random items, agree on the rules first.
• Play a few minutes together. Nothing replaces seeing the game for yourself.

On our side, what other players can write on Raptware goes through moderation and a profanity filter, and only a player's first name is ever shown in public.

Our own rating, said clearly

This is Raptware's own rating, not a certification from an official authority. Games on app stores keep showing their official ratings too. What we can promise is that every game here says who it is for, and that the criteria are the same for all of them.

Have a look at our games and their new badges, and if a rating seems wrong to you, tell us in the comments: that is exactly the kind of feedback we want.