How to Interpret the Rating System

We, as a gaming family, never really hear the end of the “video games are not meant for children” debate. This is my personal opinion, but if parents are really worried about a video game, then they need to research the game before they buy it. The rating system we have today does its best to provide the necessary and appropriate ratings for each game developed.

ESRB stands for the Entertainment Software Rating Board. It started in 1994 by the Interactive Digital Software Association, now called Entertainment Software Association.

The board celebrated its 20th Anniversary just last month. According to the board’s press release it has been, “Consistently praised by government officials and consumers as the most effective entertainment rated system.”

I’ve been checking out their website all week, and they are very thorough in their determination to get the appropriate rating.

Here are the rating's definitions and some examples of games with that rating. If it’s in quotes it comes from the ESRB website.

Early Childhood or eC. “Content is intended for young children.” Some games that are in the category are Sesame Street Series and Jump Start Series. They tend to be educational.

Everyone or E. “Content is generally suitable for all ages. May contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language.” As the graph above shows, this is where the majority of games are put. Games in this category include Mario, Pokemon, and Little Big Planet. There are hundreds.

Everyone ten and up or E10+. “Content is generally suitable for ages 10 and up. May contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes.” Games in this category are Lego Batman, Skylanders, and Minecraft.

Teen or T. Content is generally suitable for ages 13 and up. May contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling and/or infrequent use of strong language.” Games from this category include The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, most of the Final Fantasy Series, and the Sims series.

Mature or M. “Content is generally suitable for ages 17 and up. May contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.” Games in this category include Metal Gear Solid, Dark Souls, and Diablo.

Adults Only or Ao. “Content suitable only for adults ages 18 and up. May include prolonged scenes of intense violence, graphic sexual content and/or gambling with real currency.” This is just me, but I really don’t know any games. I just figured these games were all filth and not even worth mentioning.

Rating Pending or RP. The game is still in development or the board hasn’t given a game their rating yet.

Term Breakdown

Here's some advice The Gamer suggested. When working at a video game store people would come up to him and ask, for example, "What does it mean by sexual content? What types of strong language should I be looking for in this game?" He would then proceed to define those terms. Not every game rated M for sexual content or suggestive themes means theres tons of nudity. It could mean that there are scantily clad women and/or inuendos. Don't be afraid to ask the employees. It's one of the reasons why they are there.

OUR RULES!

If certain elements such as gore and swearing can be cut from the game, we are more likely to keep the game. If there is anything explicit, then we like to turn it off and possibly return the game. I sigh when women are scantily clad. That’s just a pet peeve of mine with the gaming industry.

It all boils down to you. What are you comfortable with? What are your standards and rules for things shown in video games? If a loved one really wants a certain game, do your homework. There are loads of websites out there that can go into detail about a game and why it's rated the way it is. A little research goes a long way.

Hopefully this helps!