Nielsen Media Research, which provides the standard television rating system for calculating advertising prices, is to launch a service to rate video games.

GamePlay Metrics will provide demographic data on video games and the people who play them. The service is set to launch in mid-2007.

"A reliable and accurate standard of measurement for video games will drive advertising investment in this medium and help convert video game advertising from a discretionary experiment to a must-have option," said Jeff Herrmann, vice president of Nielsen Wireless and Interactive Services.

The company explained that GamePlay Metrics will also research the non-game playing habits of users, including television viewing patterns. 

Nielsen hopes that combining the two fields will provide advertisers with a clearer picture of where to advertise both in and out of the games.