How Are Video Games Rated?

With the recent uproar surrounding GTA: SA's "Hot Coffee" mod (Story, LB Op-Ed), online magazine, Slate.com, has written an informative piece discussing the "ABC's" of how a game gets rated. From the developer initially filling out a questionaire and making a video of questionable scenes to, "At least three raters [who] watch the videotape and answer a series of questions about its content. They are more likely to be homemakers than hard-core gamers," this piece will give you the basics of game rating.