ESRB sits down with PTA

With Rockstar Games gearing up to release Grand Theft Auto IV next week, the Entertainment Software Rating Board is likewise bracing for scrutiny over the readily granted M-for-Mature rating it awarded the game earlier this year. In advance of that controversy, which has already begun to rear its head in Chicago, the ESRB today announced its latest partnership with the Parent Teacher Association to help keep parents informed.

As with its previous collaboration with the PTA, the ESRB will be distributing free booklets to all 26,000 PTAs that offer a step-by-step guide to setting parental lock features as well as a guide to online safety penned by Andrew Bub of GamerDad.com. The booklets will also be available online in both English and Spanish through the PTA and ESRB Web site.

Tech-savvy parents will also have the opportunity to participate in an online Q&A session with PTA president Jan Harp Domene, ESRB president Patricia Vance, and Andrew Bub. The webcast will take place at 7:00 p.m. EDT on April 23, and will cover such topics as the ESRB's rating system, online safety, and parental controls on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PSP and Vista.