The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a self-regulatory body established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Association, the U.S. trade association for the interactive entertainment software industry. ESRB independently applies and enforces ratings, advertising guidelines, and online privacy principles adopted by the industry.
ESRB Rating System
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) ratings are designed to provide information about video and computer game content, so consumers can make informed purchase decisions. ESRB ratings have two parts: rating symbols suggest age appropriateness for the game, and content descriptors indicate elements in a game that may have triggered a particular rating and/or may be of interest or concern.
The ESRB has five age-based rating categories: EC-Early Childhood (ages 3+), E-Everyone (ages 6+), T-Teen (ages 13+), M-Mature (ages 17+), and AO-Adults Only (ages 18 and older). Over 30 ESRB content descriptors provide consumers with more detail about the actual content in the game, including language, depictions of violence, suggestive themes and type of humor. For a complete list of ratings and content descriptors, please visit www.esrb.org.
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EARLY CHILDHOOD Titles rated EC – (Early Childhood) have content that may be suitable for ages 3 and older. Contains no material that parents would find inappropriate. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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 and/or infrequent use of strong language. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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 prior to a game's release.) |
ESRB ratings are assigned by specially trained raters with no ties to the computer and video game industry. Selected randomly from a demographically diverse pool, raters assign ratings and content descriptors after reviewing actual game footage, including a game's most extreme content.
Provincial ministers, child development experts, and other advocates have praised the ESRB rating system. Examples include:
- The Hon. Jim Watson, Ontario's Minister of Consumer and Business Services, said, "The ESRB rating system is a useful tool to help parents make informed and appropriate entertainment choices for themselves and for their families."
- David Walsh, Ph.D., president and founder of the National Institute on Media and the Family, stated in the 2003 MediaWise Video Game Report Card that, "We believe that the video game ratings have set the current standard for media ratings."
- Professor Kimberly Thompson, Director of the Harvard School of Public Health's KidsRisk project and the author of several studies about entertainment rating systems, has praised the system saying, "the specificity of the ESRB's content descriptors is a major advantage of the computer and video game rating system."
The ESRB rating system is also supported by retailers throughout Canada who have pledged to display signage and provide other information educating their customers about the rating system, and thanks to the Retail Council of Canada, will enforce the Commitment To Parents code restricting the sale of M-rated games to consumers 17 years of age and older.
Advertising Review Council
As a part of the ESRB's self-regulatory mission, the Advertising Review Council (ARC) reviews advertising, promotional and marketing materials for interactive entertainment software products and provides guidance so that the materials comply with industry-adopted guidelines. This includes packaging, print ads, radio and TV spots, Internet advertising, online stores, posters, and demos.
ARC's goal is to ensure that interactive entertainment software publishers follow standardized requirements for the display of rating information and that advertising content is responsible, appropriate, truthful, and accurate. ARC also implements marketing guidelines that prohibit game publishers from targeting audiences for whom products are not appropriate.
Oversight and Enforcement
To ensure that publishers comply with all marketing requirements, ARC monitors key media vehicles (TV, print, online) and reviews all packaging. If ARC uncovers violations of the Advertising Code or the Principles and Guidelines, it may open a formal investigation and impose sanctions including corrective actions, the revocation of a product's rating and the imposition of fines.
ESRB Privacy Online
ESRB Privacy Online is the only privacy seal provider established to meet the unique needs of the interactive entertainment software industry. ESRB Privacy Online helps its members understand and comply with the requirements of the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information collected online.