How to Purchase Age Appropriate Video Games

Paying Mind to What Your Children or Teens Play, and Using the ESRB

Nov 17, 2008

Many parents do not understand the fascination of the younger generation with video games in all of their myriad forms. The ESRB Rating System can help!

One of the most common complaints voiced by distraught parents who find themselves witnessing their young ones reproducing or bearing witness to a violent, sexual, or simply inappropriate act in a video game is that they simply were ignorant of the industry as a whole – many of their memories of video games being a bit more facile, perhaps related to Atari or even Pong.

Understanding what your child or teenager is playing is the first step towards responsible parenting when it comes to video games – the same as any other medium, video games are not malicious or detrimental on their own. By learning more about particular genres, and the Entertainment Software Ratings Board system of rating games for their content, you can take a hand or maybe even a controller and tune in to what all the fuss is about.

If you would like to know more about the basic genres represented in most modern video games, please click here.

What is the ESRB Ratings System?

First introduced in 1994 over rising concerns about violence in the video game industry – in particular the targetting of famed fighter Mortal Kombat for its gore and fatalities – the Entertainment Software Ratings Board has found acceptance to the point where nearly all games now bear its respective ratings on the front cover of the packaging. The ratings are as follows:

EC : Early Childhood. These games are somewhat few and far between and are meant for very young children. There is no inappropriate content whatsoever and the games are usually meant as educational tools.
E : Everyone. This label represents that the game is suitable for all gamers of the age of six or older, essentially grade schoolers and upwards. There may be mild or cartoon violence as well as infrequent use of mild language. There is also an E10+ rating that signifies a slight increase in contextual violence or language that indicates appropriateness for ten year olds or older.
T : Teen. Most titles that fall under this classification may contain crude humour, gambling, violence, minimal blood, and infrequent use of moderate to strong language. Most wrestling games fall under this umbrella, as do most arcade style fighting games.
M : Mature. Unsuitable for those under the age of 17, most Mature titles feature gratuitous violence, blood, expletives, drug use, and sexual content. Popular examples of mature titles would be Gears of War, Fallout 3, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and most other blockbuster titles aimed at an adult demographic. Sale of these titles is often restricted, and in many instances where the age of the customer is in question, ID must be produced to complete a sale.
AO : Adult Only. Unsuitable for those under the age of 18, AO titles are very rare and are mostly released for the PC. Often AO games are pornographic in nature.

How Can Parents Get Involved?

As always, the best solution is usually a hands-on approach. While teenagers may cry foul at Mom or Dad playing video games with them, the results will be beneficial in the long run – whether you discover a child playing grossly inappropriate content or whether you enjoy the games as much as they do and become a regular “second player”!

Understanding the ratings system and ensuring that you screen all games coming into your household will go a long way towards boundary-setting as well as in showing an interest in the lives of your children, young and old. A somewhat arbitrary ratings system can never replace the watchful eye of an invested parent – so pick up the controller and learn what all of the fuss is about!