This article is the second installment of a three-part series about software rating systems that are implemented for use with the gaming industry. If you haven't already done so, read the first part of this series. It discusses the history and fundamentals of the rating system. This article will focus on the advantages of ratings while the final segment will examine the drawbacks of such systems. Advocates on either side of the issue are quite adament about their respective viewpoints. I will provide a review of both sides, exposing the real truths about software rating.

Many people are quick to point out the advantages of software rating while others lament about its drawbacks. All things have two sides to them; a plus or a negative, a pro or a con. It is much like the yin and yan, each balancing the other. With ratings, the opinions are often subjective rather than objective. Most people will examine their own morals and beliefs and base their thoughts of ratings around these and other factors. However, taking an objective look at these systems will be of the most benefit to everyone.

One of the most obvious advantages of labeling anything is just that; the ability, at a glance, to find out what content lies beneath the packaging. It's much like looking at a book from any public library. 'J' stands for 'Juvenile,' a label which attempts to generalize its content. Ratings or labels are just that -- the attempted generalization of content, based broadly on what it appears to be.

The main advantage for rating software is that parents of young children will be able, with a quick look at a product label, judge what is appropriate or not for their children. After all, you wouldn't buy alcohol for and eight-year-old, so why would you buy him or her Phantasmagoria or a game called "Blood"?

In conclusion, the major advantage to having a rating system is the ability to catagorize products according to their content. This makes it easier for parents when deciding whether or not to purchase "questionable" software. In this way, it is no longer difficult to complain about content after software is purchased -- the rating takes care of such problems.

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