BY JOHNER RIEHL

No doubt you know what “Rated R” and “Rated PG” mean, but does your family know what “Rated E,” “Rated T” or “Rated M” means?

 

Just like movies, video games have ratings, too. But instead of the Motion Picture Organization of America doling out ratings, an organization known as the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, or ESRB, rates virtually all video games sold in retail stores or downloaded via video game consoles such as PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 or Wii.

 

And just like the movies, these ratings act as a good starting guideline as to whether or not a video game is appropriate, but parents will need to do additional research to find out if the game might actually be a fun and enjoyable choice for their family.

 

What Are The Different ESRB Ratings?

From the ESRB website, here are the seven ratings categories and symbols:

 

EARLY CHILDHOOD: Titles rated EC (Early Childhood) have content that may be suitable for ages 3 and older. Games in this category contain no material that parents would find inappropriate.

 EVERYONE: Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language.

 EVERYONE 10+: Titles rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes.

 TEEN: Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language.

 MATURE: Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.

 ADULTS ONLY: Titles rated AO (Adults Only) have content that should only be played by persons 18 years and older. Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity.

 RATING PENDING: Titles listed as RP (Rating Pending) have been submitted to the ESRB and are awaiting final rating. This symbol appears only in advertising or promotional materials created prior to the official rating’s assignment.

 

 

More Than Just A Couple Of Letters

In addition to the symbols, which are printed on the front of each box, specific Content Descriptors are also printed on the back of each video game package.  These may include a note that the game contains references to alcohol, drugs or suggestive themes.  Or they could warn against the level of violence in the game, whether it’s simply comic mischief or intense violence.

 

Even more detailed information is available on the ESRB website (www.esrb.org). Here parents can find detailed Rating Summaries which provide a few paragraphs explaining the game’s content and any questionable material. 

How ESRB Ratings Are Determined

The simple fact is that the sheer amount of time that would be required for the ESRB to play every minute of every game they need to rate necessitates that game-makers help police themselves.  ESRB ratings are based on a questionnaire filled out by each video game publisher plus taped footage of the game which is viewed by ratings experts. 

 

In the submission form that companies fill out, any content that could even possibly be considered questionable must be highlighted. Video footage of these portions of the game are also submitted so the ESRB can quickly make judgments on appropriateness without having to play through the game.

It may seem like companies might take advantage of the fact that they are reporting themselves to try and obtain an inappropriate rating, but ultimately no one wins in that scenario.  Consumer would feel cheated and misled, and video game makers have given the ESRB the power to be fined up to $1 million for violations or omissions.

 

 

ESRB Integration

All the major home video game consoles such as PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii contain safeguards to help families restrict and monitor content called parental controls. Parents can choose to restrict what types of game a console is able to play based on the game’s ESRB rating.

 

And believe it or not, the enforcement of these ratings has been deemed to be more effective than ratings in the movie and music industries.  A 2011 report by the Federal Trade Commission detailed that undercover shoppers who were under the age of 17 were less successful in purchasing M-Rated video games than they were in being able to buy tickets for an R-Rated movie or music that was labeled to have explicit content.

 

Game review sites which focus on games from a family perspective, such as FamilyFriendlyVideoGames.com and GamerPops.com, are the first to incorporate full ESRB Rating Summaries on their game pages. But even if parents don’t have time to check online, the ESRB has created a very cool smartphone App that allows consumers to simply take a picture of a game box in order to be provided with the additional information included in the Rating Summary. The app is available as a free download for iPhone, Android and Windows Phone 7 devices.

 

 

Going Beyond The ESRB Ratings

While incredibly useful and a great starting point, it’s important to note that ESRB Ratings aren’t suggestions on whether or not a game is fun for your family, but rather just provide a critical guideline for families as to whether or not the content of a game is age-appropriate.

 

For more information on additional sources of information for families, the ESRB provides a nice list of parental resources, which includes links to game review sites, parental control information and more.