Whilst the tabloid press may like us to believe that the games industry is a wretched hive of scum and villainy, ESRB stats have shown that Mature rated titles are now accounting for 50 per cent less of the market than they were in 2005.

Next-gen quotes ESRB president Patricia Vance as stating: “The ESRB also had the biggest year ever in 2007, having assigned 1,563 ratings, a 22% increase over the prior year.

“And, as you'll see below, 94% of the ratings we assigned were for games appropriate for ages 13 or younger. It's never been easier to find family-friendly games that everyone can play together.

“While a handful of M-rated titles tend to garner a majority of media attention, the E (Everyone 6+) rating category continues to dominate. The E category saw the largest increase over last year, accounting for nearly 60% of ratings assigned overall.

“The M (Mature 17+) category represented 6% of the overall ratings assigned, down from 8% in 2006 and 12% in 2005.”

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