Software Group to Create Game Ratings System : Computers: Consumers could see the labels on retailers’ shelves by December. Lawmakers say they’ll press ahead with legislation.

The computer games industry will develop a ratings system to voluntarily label the sex and violence content of about 2,000 new games that come to market each year.

The Software Publishers Assn., the industry’s principal trade group, said Tuesday it will work with four other computer software groups to develop rating criteria and symbols. Ken Wasch, executive director of the association, said the group will also try to coordinate its ratings with those of video game makers.

Consumers could see labeled games on retailers’ shelves by December’s holiday shopping season, Wasch said in an interview.

Under the plan, the industry won’t rate some 5,000 computer games already in stores, Wasch said. The plan would cover games sold on floppy disks as well as CD-ROMs, compact discs that contain sound, text and images.

The video games industry is developing its own set of ratings criteria for sex and violence content. Those games are played on special devices hooked up to TV sets.

Congressional and consumer concern over the violent content in video games has led to a number of ratings proposals covering both video and computer games.

Although both industries are taking steps in this area, lawmakers have said they will continue to press ahead with legislation.

Differences between the two industries over the content of a ratings scheme have led video games and computer games companies to begin developing separate plans.

“No one wants to see two sets of ratings that could confuse consumers,” Wasch said.

Even though future video and computer games will be labeled, there’s nothing in any of the ratings plans that would require a retailer to sell only new games that are rated.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Toys R Us Inc. and Babbages Inc. have said they will carry only rated games. Some retailers are developing policies for refusing to sell children games that rate high on the sex and violence scale.

Wasch said his industry’s plan would exempt educational software such as the geography computer game “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” based on the popular public television program.