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Whether it’s lead paint on toddler’s toys, or defective breaks on our teenagers new car, parents have long since learned to do their own homework when it comes to the products that they put in their children’s hands. The same is true for video games. This page will bring you up to speed on the video game rating system. We need to caution that the system was created by the video gaming industry itself, and is far from perfect. A 2006 Harvard University study revealed that 81% of the Mature rated content found in video games, was not listed on the game’s cover. (1) So when in doubt, check the industry rating AND then get a review from an independent site like Common Sense Media. If you buy it, make sure you play the game yourself.

In the United States, video game manufacturers voluntarily submit their games to the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) to be rated. According to the ESRB, “it is a non-profit, self-regulatory body established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). The ESRB assigns computer and video game content ratings, enforces industry-adopted advertising guidelines and helps ensure responsible online privacy practices for the interactive entertainment software industry.” The ratings provide information concerning the content of the game, and not its relative quality.

Only 31% of young adolescents think that their parents understand the video game rating system (2). The truth is, it’s not very difficult to understand. The system incorporates a single game rating, with a series of content descriptors. As shown in the photo above, there are six ESRB rating symbols. The symbol is displayed on the front cover of the game package.

There are 30 ESRB “Content Descriptors”, that refer to the potentially inappropriate content of the game. These descriptors note things like “Sexual Violence”, “Drug Reference”, “Use of Drugs”,  “Comic Mischief”, etc.  These Content Descriptors can appear on the front or back of the game package.

If you’re having trouble with a particular rating, you can access the ESRB’s online “Ratings Summary” at the ESRB Website. A brief summary of every game that has been rated since July, 2008 is located within that location.

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1. Thompson, Kimberly. Harvard University School of Public Health. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine; April 3, 2006
2. Gentile, Lynch, Linder, and Walsh: 2004