The American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA) has revised the Parental Advisory System (PAS) after a group of industry leaders cam together and, in light of the recent issues surrounding violence in America, decided the former rating system was in need of an update.
After much consideration and deliberation, the revised categories now reflect a more current portrayal of the industry and aims to educate consumers about the content of various video games using an easy to follow, traffic light style color-coding system. Parents and players in general will find the revised system even easier to use in making responsible game playing decisions.
RED signifies 'Strong Content', which means the visual representation of violence is extensive, life-like or overtly graphic.
YELLOW signifies 'Mild Content', which means the visual representation of violence is present within the game, but is minimal, clearly animation (not life-like) or not very graphic.
GREEN signifies 'Suitable for All Ages', which means there should be no visual representation of violence present within the game.
As part of the revised PAS, the AAMA and AMOA have agreed to a landmark industry-wide Code of Conduct that will help raise awareness of an compliance with the new system. Also, in a further bid to ensure widespread implementation of the new system, both associations have collaborated on the development and implementation of a comprehensive program for manufacturers, developers, distributors, location-owners and operators of video games to educate them about the revised system.
If you would like to see what games come under what ratings under the revised PAS, follow this link. Overall, there doesn't seem to be any drastic changes as so far all games seemed to have retained a similar or the same rating.