ESRB RatingIf you’ve ever bought your kids a video game or play video games yourself, you’ve probably noticed that little black box with a big black “E” or “T” or “M” (among others) in it. That letter represents the ESRB rating for the game - the Entertainment Software Rating Board rating. That seemingly meaningless little letter on the front of the box represents the “age appropriateness” of the game. On the back, you’ll find the same ESRB Rating letter along with “content descriptors” which indicate why a game may have gotten a particular rating. Do you pay much, if any, attention to these ESRB ratings? Do you think it should be illegal for a retailer to sell a video game that doesn’t contain an ESRB rating? Maybe it’s time for all of us parents to start paying more attention to these labels - here’s why…

ESRB Background

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a non-profit, self-regulating advisory body established by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) in 1994. The ESRB is the independent board responsible for assigning computer and video game content ratings. As stated on their website, the mission of the ESRB is to empower consumers, especially parents, with the ability to make informed decisions about video game purchases.

ESRB Ratings Guide

The ESRB rating consists of two parts: the first being the letter rating (the big black letter on the front of the video game box) indicating the age appropriateness of the game; the second being the content descriptors indicating the elements within the game that led to a particular rating. Letter ratings currently include “EC” (early childhood), “E” (everyone), “E10″ (everyone 10 and older), “T” (teen), “M” (mature), “AO” (adults only), and “RP” (rating pending). Content descriptors include fun terms like “Blood and Gore”, “Intense Violence”, and “Use of Drugs”, along with several others. A full listing of the ESRB ratings guide with all of the content descriptors can be found on the ESRB website.

Video Game Rating Enforcement Act

Earlier this summer, Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE) and Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT) introduced a bill known as the Video Game Rating Enforcement Act (S.3315) which would require video game publishers and retailers to include ESRB ratings on all games. Currently, participation in the ESRB ratings system is voluntary - game publishers are not required to include the rating, though most US publishers participate voluntarily.

The Video Game Rating Enforcement Act goes on make it illegal for any retailer to sell or rent Mature (M) or Adults Only (AO) video games to minors. Most major retailers already have policies in place to prevent minors from purchasing or renting adult-oriented games - the proposed legislation would make it illegal with strict penalties (a $5,000 fine!).

Several similar proposals in legislation have taken place over the years at the state level, only to ultimately be deemed as unconstitutional by the courts. The Video Game Rating Enforcement Act is currently in hands of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. It will be interesting to see what happens with this bill in the coming months.

Parental Responsibility

Here’s where we, as parents of the teens and tweens playing these games, need to step up. Keeping an eye on what video games your teens play or not play should be up to YOU.

At our house, I’ve stuck to my guns on Grand Theft Auto and World of Warcraft, not allowing my teens to play these games (in our home) for various reasons, despite repeated attempts to convince me otherwise. There are plenty of good resources on the web that can arm you with the information you need to make wise decisions (check out What They Play).

How do you feel about the Video Game Enforcement Act? Do you think it’s the responsibility of our government (our tax dollars) to require and act as an enforcement agency on something like video game ratings (what’s next, fines for 16 year-olds who sneak into R-rated movies)? Please share your thoughts in the comments.