Software Engineering

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CHAPTER 8 
Software Requirements Analysis Practice
Software Rating Board (ESRB) policies are designed to provide accurate and 
objective information about the content in computer and video games so parents 
can make an informed purchase decision.
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As the game industry’s self-regulatory body, ESRB is responsible for the 
enforcement of its rating system. Every publisher of a game rated by the ESRB 
is legally bound to disclose all pertinent content when submitting the game for an 
ESRB rating. After a game is publicly released, ESRB testers review the final prod-
uct to ensure that all pertinent content was fully disclosed. In the event that material 
that would have affected the assignment of a rating or content descriptor is found to 
have not been disclosed, the ESRB is empowered to compel corrective actions and 
impose a wide range of sanctions, including monetary fines. Corrective actions can 
include pulling advertising until ratings information can be corrected, restickering 
packaging with correct ratings information, or recalling the product.
This constraint requires the developers of software games to include a task 
for obtaining the ESRB rating prior to release of the video game to the market. It 
requires that the software packaging must clearly display the ratings in accordance 
with ESRB guidelines. This may affect the release date of the product and must 
be accounted for in the software development project plan and schedule. In addi-
tion, the rating system can have an effect on the design of the game, in terms of the 
intended audience and the associated content included in the game.