Xbox.com | Family Settings - Guiding Principles

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Guiding Principles

Responsible Industry Leader
We believe it is our responsibility to deliver industry-leading family settings (i.e., parental controls) for Microsoft®'s interactive entertainment-related products and services. Microsoft is committed to providing a safer, more secure and appropriate gaming experience for every audience. For video games and online games, Microsoft provides easy-to-use controls so that parents and caregivers can set the appropriate environment and decide which games their children can play based on game ratings.

Educated and Informed Choices
We believe in the rights of parents and caregivers to make educated choices within a wide variety of offerings. They are the ultimate judges of the quality, creativity, and appropriateness of the game offerings.

Not all games are for all audiences and Microsoft actively supports and abides by all game rating systems in effect in the different parts of the world. The goal of the rating systems is to be meaningful and descriptive and to allow consumers to make informed decisions. Education is done through a variety of methods including, but not limited to, advertising, packaging, and point-of-purchase kiosks in retail stores.

Creativity and Freedom of Expression
We believe in the freedom of game developers and publishers to create their games with a wide range of content and in the freedom of consumers to choose what they purchase. Interactive entertainment provides something for everyone and our goal is to support a vibrant ecosystem for the development of these products.

Commitment to Employee Choice
As a responsible employer, we believe that all our employees working on game development and marketing have the choice to exercise their personal preferences with regard to game content. Microsoft encourages any employee who is not comfortable working on a certain game due to the nature of its content to opt out of that specific work.