The Entertainment Software Rating Board, the same company responsible for assigning ratings to video games on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, will announce their new system for mobile apps on November 29.

The CTIA Wireless Trade Association is planning to unveil a ratings system for mobile applications next week, allowing users to properly identify what apps are suitable for specific age groups.

Until now, mobile stores had initiated a self-monitoring system for games or apps that contain graphic content.

For example, the popular iPhone game “Infinity Blade” in the iOS App Store is “Rated 9+ for frequent/intense cartoon or fantasy violence and infrequent/mild realistic violence.

Having stores responsible for rating apps is not a reliable method for several reasons.

The main goal of the stores and developers is to sell as many copies of the app as possible, creating a conflict of interest when describing any inappropriate content.

A store selling an app that may have graphic content may choose not to put in any rating material at all so it can increase the number of potential customers.

Most apps in the Android Market, which is not as heavily regulated as the App Store, do not contain any information on ratings.

On the other hand, major publishers in console gaming submit their games to ESRB because retailers like Wal Mart and GameStop will not sell the games if they’re not rated.

Gaming on smartphones has reached high levels over the past year, leading to iOS and Android displacing Nintendo as the market share leader in mobile software revenue.

Mobile store operators like Apple, Google and Microsoft are keeping quiet about their reactions to the new ratings system.

These tech titans may sell the games without a rating.

But they will likely submit apps to the ratings process to alleviate their own liability if a system is outlined.

Industry-wide ratings may have an effect on how apps may be organized, sold and bought in their marketplaces.

But so far the consequences of a ratings system remain to be seen.

The hope is that the new system will lead to better educated consumers and a more defined idea of what’s fair and what is foul in the mobile space.

Analysts argue that such a high volume of content is reaching millions of smartphone users without any validated warning of the content of the apps.

A practice many consider socially irresponsible and dangerous.

Especially as young children become drawn to mobile devices for entertainment purposes.