Kingdom Hearts III rated A for all ages by Computer Entertainment Rating Organization

[Aquaberry 759]

Japanese organization CERO (Computer Entertainment Rating Organization) has given Kingdom Hearts III a rating of A for content that is suitable for all ages. According to this rating, the game should contain no content that should offend children.

The rating is displayed on the Japanese website for the game.

Thanks @orange_desuyo_n for the tip!

Kingdom Hearts III has also been rated E10+ by ESRB and PG by ACB.

In Europe, it has been rated PEGI 12, according to which it shows "violence of a slightly more graphic nature towards fantasy characters or non-realistic violence towards human-like characters would fall in this age category." Furthermore, this rating allows: "sexual innuendo or sexual posturing can be present, while any bad language must be mild"; "gambling as it is normally carried out in real life in casinos or gambling halls can also be present (e.g. card games that in real life would be played for money)."

German organization USK (Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle) has rated the game 12 (suitable for those above 12 years of age). A general description of video game featured under this rating can be found below:

Quote

 

These games feature much more of a competitive edge. Game scenarios are set within a historical, futuristic or mythical fairy-tale context, enabling players to distance themselves sufficiently from events. This categorisation includes Arcade games, Strategy games, Role-playing games as well as some Military Simulations.

12 to 15-year olds are considered more capable of adopting a distanced perspective and differentiating between the game world and reality than younger children. They continue to gain multifarious and complex media experiences and are able to cope with longer periods of excitement and greater pressure to act when fulfilling game tasks. 

Any fight sequences or scenes of conflict which may be included in the game are staged in such a way so as to be clearly recognisable as fiction for children aged as young as 12. Game tasks are structured in a more complex manner and require a capacity for abstract and logical thought. 

Hand-eye coordination requirements are greater. Many game concepts made accessible to this age group operate without game figures in human form. They focus on a fascination with technology (historical fight scenes or science fiction scenarios) or on the motivation to take on heroic roles in complex fantasy and mythological worlds. Although dark and threatening conflict situations may be integrated into the storyline, they do not dominate the overall game. 

If representations of violence are included, they remain recognisably unrealistic for the age group in question at all times. Such representations are not capable of being transfered into everyday life and do not offer any kind of model for the resolution of conflicts.

UPDATE [Nov 27, 2018]: You can check out a higher definition packshot of the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts III for PlayStation 4 with the CERO A rating below.

 

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[ienzo628 548]

31 minutes ago, Aquaberry said:

Japanese organization CERO (Computer Entertainment Rating Organization) has given Kingdom Hearts III a rating of A for content that is suitable for all ages. According to this rating, the game should contain no content that should offend children.

The rating is displayed on the Japanese website for the game.

Thanks @orange_desuyo_n for the tip!

Kingdom Hearts III has also been rated E10+ by ESRB and PG by ACB. In Europe, it has been rated PEGI 12, according to which it shows "violence of a slightly more graphic nature towards fantasy characters or non-realistic violence towards human-like characters would fall in this age category." Furthermore, this rating allows: "sexual innuendo or sexual posturing can be present, while any bad language must be mild"; "gambling as it is normally carried out in real life in casinos or gambling halls can also be present (e.g. card games that in real life would be played for money)."

 

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Thanks for the update, mate. 

[Merilly 438]

It's really interesting how different some of the ratings are. I expected Europe to be pretty much on the same page since the game isn't really controversial and 2.8 was rated the same. USK and PEGI don't differ too much for these type of games, I guess.

The Japanese rating is interesting however. There's a huge gap between those and it just shows that cultures have a different understanding of what is okay and what is not for different age groups. One showcase of Alcohol immediately changes a rating for us for example.

Though I don't think it's questionable to rate it suitable for all ages. As grave as some situations and topics are, I never considered it to be a franchise which would traumatize children all that much. Not more than freely accessible content on TV does at the very least. In the end, I think younger children should only play video games with their parents' guidance anyway to avoid any problems. It's good for both the child and the parents.