Computer Entertainment Rating Organization

CERO logo

The Computer Entertainment Rating Organization ( CERO , Japanese 特定非営利活動法人コンピュータエンターテインメントレーティング機構 , Tokutei Hieiri Katsudō Hōjin Kompyūta Entātingueinmentō , the Japanese organization for rating video games . It was established in July 2002 by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA), the association of the Japanese video game industry.

Procedure

Japanese video game publishers send videos and other material about the games to be rated to CERO, which uses this to rank the games. From a technical point of view, this classification is purely voluntary. However, since CESA member companies control a large part of the Japanese distribution channels for computer and video games, it would be very difficult to sell games that have not been tested by CERO.

For the first three years, the organization only gave age recommendations with large numbers in the logos. In June 2005, CERO also introduced description symbols that inform the buyer about the content of the game. These symbols are shown on the game packaging of all games that are not rated without age restriction.

On March 1, 2006, the classification system was changed. The four previous classifications (no age limit, suitable from 12 years, suitable from 15 years and suitable from 18 years) have been replaced by five new ones, which are largely identical to the old ones. The biggest innovation was the "Z" rating for games aged 18 and over, which is similar to the "D" rating (17 years and older) but is regulated by the government and restricts the sale of games with this rating. Games with this rating must be kept separate from other games in the shops and can only be purchased with proof of age.

The majority of the games rated by CERO fall into the “no age restriction” category. Of the more than nine hundred games rated by March 2004, this was around 70 percent. Erogē - games with pornographic content - which make up a large part of the Japanese games market, are for the most part not checked by CERO, as their manufacturers are not members of CESA, but are represented in EOCS or CSA .

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