After going through a historical review on how content rating systems were established in film and then games and how they evolved through time, I will compare the criteria of the main systems in place worldwide (ESRB, PEGI, CESA...) between each other, but also with those of the film and TV industries. Through concrete examples, I will demonstrate that games are rated much stricter than other forms of cultural expression, and explain how these restrictions are hurting our businesses and why game developers must now take a leading role in changing these to protect their creations.