I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6113 
To direct the Federal Trade Commission to prescribe rules to prohibit 
deceptive conduct in the rating of video and computer games. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 20, 2006 
Mr. STEARNS (for himself, Mr. MATHESON, and Mr. MCINTYRE) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce 
A BILL 
To direct the Federal Trade Commission to prescribe rules 
to prohibit deceptive conduct in the rating of video and 
computer games. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Truth in Video Game 
Rating Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DECEPTIVE RATINGS OF VIDEO GAMES. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Federal Trade Commission shall prescribe 
rules under section 553 of title 5, United States Code, 
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to prohibit the following as an unfair and deceptive act 
or practice prescribed pursuant to section 18(a)(1)(B) of 
the 
Federal 
Trade 
Commission 
Act 
(15 
U.S.C. 
57a(a)(1)(B)): 
(1) RATING
GAME
ONLY
ON
PARTIAL
CON-
TENT.—Such rules shall prohibit any rating organi-
zation from assigning a content rating to any video 
or computer game that is to bear a label containing 
such content rating when sold or distributed in 
interstate commerce unless such rating organization 
has reviewed the playable content of the video or 
computer game. 
(2) WITHHOLDING CONTENT FOR RATING.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Such rules shall pro-
hibit any person who produces, sells, or other-
wise distributes video or computer games in 
interstate commerce from withholding or hiding 
any playable content of a video or computer 
game from, or in any other manner failing to 
disclose any playable content of a video or com-
puter game to, a rating organization, with the 
intent of obtaining a less-restrictive content rat-
ing than the video or computer game would 
likely receive if such rating organization were to 
review the withheld or hidden content. 
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(B) HIDDEN CONTENT.—Such rules shall 
provide that where, in the course of obtaining 
a content rating, a person submits to a rating 
organization a video or computer game that 
contains hidden content, that such person also 
provide the rating organization with the nec-
essary codes or methods of accessing such hid-
den content, or with reproductions of the 
scenes, images, sounds and words comprising 
such hidden content. 
SEC. 3. G.A.O. STUDY. 
(a) STUDY.—The Comptroller General shall conduct 
a study to determine— 
(1) the efficacy of the Entertainment Software 
Ratings Board ratings system in assigning appro-
priate content ratings to video and computer games, 
including ratings for on-line or Internet-based 
games; 
(2) whether content ratings systems, like that 
used by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, 
should be peered-reviewed; 
(3) whether an independent rating system, de-
veloped and administered by persons or entities with 
no financial interest in the video and computer game 
industry, would result in more accurate and effective 
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content ratings for video and computer games than 
the rating system used by the Entertainment Soft-
ware Ratings Board; and 
(4) the efficacy of a universal ratings system 
for visual content, including films, broadcast and 
cable television, and video and computer games. 
(b) REPORT.—The Comptroller General shall trans-
mit a report on the findings of the study conducted pursu-
ant to subsection (a) to Congress not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act. The report shall 
contain recommendations regarding effective approaches 
to video and computer game content ratings that address 
the unique ratings challenges of online and Internet-based 
video games. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
As used in this Act— 
(1) the term ‘‘content rating’’ means the age- 
based rating assigned by a rating organization to a 
video or computer game in order to notify consumers 
about the suitability of the game for particular age 
groups, or any other description that a rating orga-
nization assigns to a video or computer game in 
order to notify consumers of any content that may 
be offensive to consumers or may not be suitable to 
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persons of varying ages, such as violence, graphic 
sexual content, nudity, or strong language; 
(2) the term ‘‘hidden content’’ means any play-
able content that may be disabled or blocked from 
a user of the video or computer game so that it can 
be accessed only by inputting a code or command or 
by altering the game’s software with a modification, 
patch, or similar tool, utility, or method; 
(3) the term ‘‘playable content’’, with respect to 
video or computer games, means all of the scenes, 
visual images, sounds, and words that a user can ac-
cess after installing the game on a computer, con-
sole, telecommunication device, or similar tech-
nology, and includes any hidden content; 
(4) the term ‘‘rating organization’’ means the 
Entertainment Software Ratings Board or any other 
independent organization that assigns content rat-
ings for video or computer games; and 
(5) the term ‘‘video or computer game’’ means 
any product, whether distributed electronically or 
through a tangible device, consisting of data, pro-
grams, routines, instructions, applications, symbolic 
languages, or similar electronic information that en-
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ables a user to interact with a computer-controlled 
virtual environment for entertainment purposes. 
Æ 
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