In the Market for Electronic Games? Read This First

Children (and some adolescents, too, in fact, even some adults) think that life without electronic games isn't worth living.

The basic reaction ought to be: why don't you get a life?

But if you plan to succumb and splurge on such stuff, it might be worth your (and your children's) while if you spent a few minutes checking out the Entertainment Software Rating Board's site.

Here's what you'll find out:

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First, on top, there's a list of recently reviewed games, with a link to cover all of the games the Rating Board has checked and marked.

And then, just as importantly, there are explanations so you understand what you're looking at. And looking you should be. You might be influencing your child's (or children's, as the case may be) life (or lives), or you might be making a perfect moron out of yourself. Then again, you might be enhancing everybody's hand-eye co-ordination. The only question then will be whether playing electronic games is the way to go: how about playing hockey (in winter), or any kind of ball games (in the summer)? Would it not be healthier? A rhetorical question if there ever was one.

So, without much further ado, let's see what the ESRB tells us.

Rating symbols, in the Rating Board's own lingo:

• Rating Symbols suggest age appropriateness for the game, and appear on the front of virtually every game box available for retail sale or rental in the United States and Canada.
• Content Descriptors, which appear on the back next to the rating symbol, indicate elements in a game that may have triggered a particular rating and/or may be of interest or concern.

Ratings as such:

• Titles rated EC (Early Childhood) have content that may be suitable for ages 3 and older. Contains no material that parents would find inappropriate.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.)

Descriptions (again, the Board's own lingo):

• Alcohol Reference - Reference to and/or images of alcoholic beverages
• Animated Blood - Discolored and/or unrealistic depictions of blood
• Blood - Depictions of blood
• Blood and Gore - Depictions of blood or the mutilation of body parts
• Cartoon Violence - Violent actions involving cartoon-like situations and characters. May include violence where a character is unharmed after the action has been inflicted
• Comic Mischief - Depictions or dialogue involving slapstick or suggestive humor
• Crude Humor - Depictions or dialogue involving vulgar antics, including "bathroom" humor
• Drug Reference - Reference to and/or images of illegal drugs
• Fantasy Violence - Violent actions of a fantasy nature, involving human or non-human characters in situations easily distinguishable from real life
• Intense Violence - Graphic and realistic-looking depictions of physical conflict. May involve extreme and/or realistic blood, gore, weapons and depictions of human injury and death
• Language - Mild to moderate use of profanity
• Lyrics - Mild references to profanity, sexuality, violence, alcohol or drug use in music
• Mature Humor - Depictions or dialogue involving "adult" humor, including sexual references
• Nudity - Graphic or prolonged depictions of nudity
• Partial Nudity - Brief and/or mild depictions of nudity
• Real Gambling - Player can gamble, including betting or wagering real cash or currency
• Sexual Content - Non-explicit depictions of sexual behavior, possibly including partial nudity
• Sexual Themes - References to sex or sexuality
• Sexual Violence - Depictions of rape or other violent sexual acts
• Simulated Gambling - Player can gamble without betting or wagering real cash or currency
• Strong Language - Explicit and/or frequent use of profanity
• Strong Lyrics - Explicit and/or frequent references to profanity, sex, violence, alcohol or drug use in music
• Strong Sexual Content - Explicit and/or frequent depictions of sexual behavior, possibly including nudity
• Suggestive Themes - Mild provocative references or materials
• Tobacco Reference - Reference to and/or images of tobacco products
• Use of Drugs - The consumption or use of illegal drugs
• Use of Alcohol - The consumption of alcoholic beverages
• Use of Tobacco - The consumption of tobacco products
• Violence - Scenes involving aggressive conflict. May contain bloodless dismemberment
• Violent References - References to violent acts

Is it all? Not at all!


If you find words such as "Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB," be warned: it means exactly what it says. If you play the game online, you may encounter chat (text, audio, video) or "other types of user-generated content (e.g., maps, skins)" that the ESRB hasn't even looked at. They're washing their hands off them.

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