Mortal Kombat, a best-selling street-fighting game that in some versions lets victorious players rip out the hearts of opponents, has drawn particular criticism. So has a filmed scene in a vampire game called Night Trap that depicts hooded men dragging off a woman dressed in a flimsy nightgown.

Administering an industry-wide ratings system is a key issue. The Software Publishers Association, which represents many game makers, wants the job. After the meeting, company executives met with the New York-based Council of Better Business Bureaus Inc., which game maker Sega of America Inc. has suggested might be its choice. The council has experience in overseeing guidelines for children's advertising.

Rating by outsiders is "economically unviable," said Hal Josephson of video game firm 3DO Inc. The company this week imposed its own rating system pending what it says will be a long wait for a common system. "How are you going to rate something that has 60 hours of pathways?" Josephson said.