ESRB allowing trailers for M-rated games to skip the age gate

According to a report on Giant Bomb, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, kingpin of North American age ratings on games, is relaxing some of their rules a little bit this week. The highlight is that they will no longer require that all video marketing materials for M-rated games be hidden behind an age gate.

That allowance does not extend to trailers which content the sort of content that earns the game that M, of course. If you want your Bioshock Infinite launch trailer, for example, to avoid the age gate, said trailer must be approved by the ESRB before it goes out into the wild. Such trailers will get a green splash screen explaining they're for games rate M or expected to be rated M, but that the trailer is OK for minors to see.

There are a few other notable changes, but I won't poach all of Giant Bomb's report. Head over there for more.

This is good news. Age gates are quite annoying. What will you guys do with all your free time now that you won't have to enter in a fake birthday constantly?