The Entertainment Software Rating Board ( ESRB ) was created in 1994 as a means of independently assessing and rating video and computer games for content and age-appropriateness. Many parents are unaware that, while completely voluntary, almost all retail software and video games sold today contain an ESRB rating.
The ESRB considers aspects of game content that are of concern to most families in our society: violence, sexual content, offensive language, and substance abuse.
The rating is then broken down into two parts: the rating symbol and the content descriptors.
The rating symbol is located on the front of the box, usually in the corner. There are currently six ratings a game can receive:
- EC – Early Childhood rating is given to any product that is appropriate for children ages 3 and over. These products are found to contain no questionable content.
- E – Everyone rating is given to products found suitable for children ages 6 years and older. Products given this rating may have mild or infrequent use of unsuitable language or mild fantasy or cartoon violence.
- E10+ – This rating is given to any product found suitable only for children ages 10 and older. These products may contain mild language, increasing levels of violence and possibly minimal suggestive themes.
- T – Teen rating is given to products appropriate only for children ages 13 and older. These products may infrequent strong language, crude humor, sexually suggestive themes and violence.
- M – Mature Audiences rating is given to products only appropriate for people 17 years of age and older. These products often contain overtly sexual content, strong language and/or intense violence, blood and gore.
- AO – Adults Only rating is given to products only appropriate for adults over the age of 17. These products may contain intense violence or graphic sexual images and nudity.
The ESRB also has a rating of RP for products that are not yet released and are pending a rating.
The content descriptors are located on the back of the box next to another copy of the rating symbol. They are more specific descriptions of the types of questionable content, if any. There are currently 30 descriptors that are used to warn of more specific depictions of sex, violence, gambling, substance abuse, illegal activity, language, adult humor and other potentially objectionable behaviors.
Although parents should always fully research any game before purchasing for a child, the ESRB is a quick and easy tool that parents can use to asses the general age-appropriateness of video or computer games.