Entertainment Software Rating Board

The ESRB's logo.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that applies and enforces ratings, advertising guidelines, and online privacy principles for computer and video games and other entertainment software in the United States and Canada (officially adopted by individual provinces 2004-2005).

It was established in 1994 by the Interactive Digital Software Association (now the Entertainment Software Association). By early 2003, it had rated over 8,000 titles submitted by 350 publishers. Some believe that the ESRB may promote media restriction, while others think that it is necessary for software to have content ratings.

The decision to found the ESRB was influenced by violent content found in games such as Mortal Kombat and Night Trap and other controversial video games depicting violent or sexual situations at the time, and by pressure from the United States Congress.

Overview

The ESRB applies ratings to games based on their content, similar to the motion picture rating systems used in many countries. Their aim is to aid consumers in determining a game's content and suitability. A game's rating is displayed on its box, the media, in advertisements and on game web sites.

The rating system is voluntary, so companies do not have to submit a game for rating before selling it. However, most game publishers in the United States use the system.

The rating has two parts: rating symbols and content descriptors. The rating symbols are usually found on the lower right or the lower left hand corner on the front of the box; they suggest what age group the game is best suited for. The content descriptors are found on the back of the box, usually in the lower left or right hand corner; they describe particular content elements that may be of interest or concern.

Ratings

The symbols the ESRB uses are stylized depictions of alphabetical letters meant to convey at a glance a game's suitability.

Current

ESRB Rating: EC (Early Childhood) ESRB Rating: EC (Early Childhood)	EC — Early Childhood: Contains content that is considered suitable for ages 3 and older. Contains no material that parents would find inappropriate. Games that fall under this rating are specifically intended for young children and are usually educational in nature. However, some educational games with more complex problems (such as the Dr. Brain series) may be rated E.
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)	E — Everyone: Contains content that is considered 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. Examples of games with this rating are, Sonic Advance, Super Mario Advance 4, Luigi's Mansion, most Mario games, all Nintendogs games and most sports and puzzle games.
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+) ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)	E10+ — Everyone 10+: Contains content that is considered suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language, minimal and/or infrequent blood and/or minimal suggestive themes. Added to the ESRB ratings icons on March 2, 2005, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat was the first game to receive this rating. Other examples of games with this rating are Project Gotham Racing 3, Test Drive Unlimited, Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy and Shadow the Hedgehog.
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) ESRB Rating: T (Teen)	T — Teen: Contains content that is considered 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. Examples of games with this rating are Tony Hawk's Underground, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, the Medal of Honor series, Super Smash Bros. Melee The Sims 2, Command & Conquer series, World of Warcraft, all of the Battlefield series, all of the Age of Empires series,and most of the Final Fantasy games.
ESRB Rating: M (Mature) ESRB Rating: M (Mature)	M — Mature: Contains content that is considered suitable for ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language. Many retailers (such as Target) have a policy of not selling games with this rating to minors without parental presence and approval. Examples of games with this rating are the Half-Life series, the Halo series, the Resident Evil series, Quake, Doom, the Mortal Kombat series, the Grand Theft Auto Series, God of War and Playboy: The Mansion.
ESRB Rating: AO (Adults Only) ESRB Rating: AO (Adults Only)	AO — Adults Only: Contains content that is considered suitable only for ages 18 and older. Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity. As of August 2007, there have been twenty-five products which have received the rating, most of which are available on Windows and Apple Macintosh computers, as well as the Philips CD-i. The AO rating is a subject of heated controversy because of the extreme restrictions it puts on game sales. For example, major retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target do not allow AO-rated games on their shelves.
ESRB Rating: RP (Rating Pending) ESRB Rating: RP (Rating Pending)	RP — Rating Pending: Product has been submitted to the ESRB and is awaiting final rating. This symbol appears only in advertising and/or demos prior to a game's release.

Original

The following rating has been updated and is no longer used, but it may appear on games published previously.

ESRB Rating: K-A (Kids to Adults) ESRB Rating: K-A (Kids to Adults) K-A — Kids to Adults: Contains content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. These titles will appeal to people of many ages and tastes. They may contain minimal violence, some comic mischief (for example, slapstick comedy), or some crude language. It was replaced by Everyone on January 1, 1998. Examples of games with this rating are Star Fox 64, Crash Bandicoot, Rayman, Super Mario 64, Donkey Kong Country and Lego Island.

Content descriptors

The content descriptors are not exhaustive descriptions of all content within a game: they are applied within the context of the rating a game is assigned. For example, a Teen game with one use of strong language and numerous uses of mild language would receive a "Mild Language" descriptor. They are also not always printed as shown below. They may have additional words added to further clarify the highlighted content such as "Mild Blood" and "Mild Suggestive Themes".

Current

• 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 or animated situations and characters. May also 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.
• Edutainment — Content of product provides user with specific skills development or reinforcement learning within an entertainment setting. Skill development is an integral part of product.
• Fantasy Violence — Violent actions of a fantasy nature, involving human or non-human characters in situations easily distinguishable from real life.
• Informational — Overall content of product contains data, facts, resource information, reference materials or instructional text.
• 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.
• Mild Violence — Mild scenes depicting characters in unsafe and/or violent situations.
• 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 Themes — Mild to moderate sexual references and/or depictions. May include partial nudity.
• Sexual Violence — Depictions of rape or other sexual acts.
• Simulated Gambling — Player can gamble without betting or wagering real cash or currency.
• Some Adult Assistance May Be Needed — Intended for very young ages, used for games rated Early Childhood.
• 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 — Graphic references to and/or 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.

Online Rating Notice

Online games that include user-generated content (e.g., chat, maps, skins) carry the notice Game Experience May Change During Online Play to warn consumers that content created by players of the game has not been rated by the ESRB.

Original

The following content descriptors have been updated and are no longer used, but they may appear on games published prior to their discontinuation. Reissued games that were originally rated when the now-discontinued descriptors were used by the ESRB may still contain such descriptors on their packaging.

• Animated Blood and Gore — Cartoon or pixelated images of blood or the mutilation of body parts.
• Animated Violence — Cartoon or pixelated scenes depicting animated characters in unsafe and/or violent situations.
• Gambling — Betting-like behavior.
• Gaming — Betting-like behavior.
• Mature Sexual Themes — Provocative material, possibly including partial nudity.
• Mild Animated Violence — Mild cartoon or pixelated scenes depicting animated characters in unsafe and/or violent situations.
• Mild Realistic Violence — Mild photographic-like detailed depictions of characters in unsafe and/or violent situations.
• Reading Skills, Fine Motor Skills, Higher-Level Thinking Skills — These phrases are found only on products rated Early Childhood and indicate whether children's reading, computer, or other skills are used in these titles.
• Realistic Blood — Photographic-like detailed depictions of blood.
• Realistic Blood and Gore — Photographic-like detailed depictions of blood or the mutilation of body parts.
• Realistic Violence — Photographic-like detailed depictions of characters in unsafe and/or violent situations.

Rating process

See also: MPAA film rating system

To obtain a rating for a game, a publisher sends the ESRB videotaped footage of the game's most graphic and extreme content. The publisher also fills out a questionnaire describing the game's content and encloses a check for between $2,000 and $3,000.

The ESRB states on its website that three trained raters, working independently, then watch the footage and recommend a rating. If all raters agree on the rating, content descriptors are added and the ESRB notifies the publisher of its decision. If there is no consensus, additional raters review the footage and materials. After the rating is agreed upon, the ESRB in-house personnel review the footage and all materials to ensure that all information is accurate and a certificate is sent to the publisher. If the publisher wishes, they may edit the game and resubmit the footage and questionnaire in order to achieve a lower rating. If this is the case, the process begins anew. The publisher may also appeal the game's rating if they wish. The appeals committee is composed of entertainment software industry representatives.

When the game is ready for release, the publisher sends copies of the final version of the game to the ESRB. The game packaging is reviewed, and the ESRB says that its in-house personnel randomly play games to ensure that all the information provided during the rating process was complete and accurate. Penalties may apply to the publisher if it is eventually found, either through the in-house personnel's playing or consumer comments that the game's content is more extreme than the publisher stated in its application.

The identities of the ESRB raters are kept confidential and selected randomly from a pool of full-time ESRB employees who live in the New York City area. According to an ESRB introductory brochure from 1994: "The raters represent a wide range of backgrounds, races, and ages and have no ties to the interactive entertainment industry. Raters include retired school principals, parents, professionals, and other individuals from all walks of life."

Background and history

File:ESRB M Original.JPG

The ESRB Mature rating symbol as it originally appeared. The Adults Only rating symbol simply repeated "Adults Only" on the bottom band.

As videogaming progressed into the 16-bit era, graphics and sound capabilities were dramatically increased. Blood and gore was much clearer and vibrant than 8-bit games. For example blood in an 8-bit game may look blocky and pixelated while in 16-bit it can be a fluid graphic that can easily be identified. After the release of games such as Mortal Kombat, Doom, Night Trap and Lethal Enforcers (which used the Konami Justifier), there was much controversy over video game content. Congressional hearings on video game violence and the corruption of society, headed by Joe Lieberman and Herb Kohl were held in late 1992 to 1993. The result of the hearings was that the entertainment software industry was given one year to form a workable rating system or the federal government would intervene and create its own system. Around this time, the Videogame Rating Council (VRC) was formed by Sega of America to rate mostly its own games. In 1993, the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) was formed to unite the entertainment software industry. Also in 1993, the 3DO Company formed their own rating system for games released on the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer called the 3DO Rating System. In 1994, the Recreational Software Advisory Council (RSAC) was formed by the Software Publishers Association. However, because of some criticisms of the both the VRC and RSAC, the VRC was phased out in 1994 and RSAC in 1999. On July 29, 1994 the proposal from the IDSA for a rating system, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) was presented in Congress and approved. In September 1994, the ESRB was established and became the official rater of video games in the United States. At this time, many companies who produced computer games such as LucasArts, Sierra On-Line and 3D Realms continued to follow the RSAC system as they were members of the SPA. This resulted in video games having ESRB ratings and some computer games having them as well while other computer games had RSAC ratings. Eventually, all companies, including 3DO, agreed to follow the ESRB ratings.

File:ESRB Teen Content Descriptor.jpg

An example of a typical ESRB content descriptor prior to June 26, 2003.

Initially, there were five different ratings: Early Childhood, Kids to Adults, Teen, Mature and Adults Only. Shortly thereafter, the Informational and Edutainment descriptors were added. In 1996, the rating icons were altered so that it would be more clear who rated the product (this can be seen in the image of the Kids to Adults icon above). On January 1, 1998, the Kids to Adults rating was replaced with Everyone. Also in 1998, the Entertainment Software Rating Board Interactive (ESRBi) was formed which rated websites and online games. In late 1999, in order to make the rating symbols more legible, the pixelated rating icons were replaced with black and white icons. Beginning in early 2001, and continuing for the next couple of years, several of the content descriptors were retired and replaced. Content descriptors with "Animated" or "Realistic" in them had those portions removed. Also, the "Skills" descriptors used for the Early Childhood rating were removed as well. A short time later, the Gaming descriptor was changed to Gambling, which itself was split into Real and Simulated Gambling in the following years.

File:ESRB Everyone New Content Descriptor.jpg

An example of a content descriptor post June 26, 2003.

In mid 2003, the ESRBi was closed down. On June 26, 2003, the content descriptors were made larger and more legible and newer, more thorough descriptors for violence (Cartoon, Fantasy, Intense) were added as well as a descriptor for Mature Humor. Also, the Mature and Adults Only icons had a 17+ and 18+ added to their title band in order to clearly signify the age appropriateness. On March 2, 2005, after conferring with academicians and child development experts, the Everyone 10+ rating was introduced. Originally, raters were hired on a part-time basis; as of April 2007, the ESRB employs raters full-time.

Criticism and controversy

Violence and the AO rating

The ESRB has often been accused of not rating games harshly enough for violence and other related themes. Games such as Harvester, Manhunt, Rise of the Triad and Soldier of Fortune have shown gruesome violence, yet only got the M rating, which is supposed to be the entertainment software equivalent of the R rating. Many critics have claimed that these games deserve the AO rating and were given the M for commercial reasons. Rise of the Triad in particular, received the highest violence descriptor: "Wanton and gratuitous violence" from the RSAC, which was therefore mitigated by being rated M by the ESRB. However, in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Ontario, their respective provincial governments re-rated Soldier of Fortune and Manhunt as Restricted. The ESRB has only given out the AO rating solely for violence twice: once for The Punisher and the second time for Manhunt 2. However, The Punisher was edited before release in order to qualify for the M category (the PC version however remains uncensored, yet still receives a M rating). The most recent one, Manhunt 2, was also given a rating of AO for violence however, this game has yet to be released. Another game, Thrill Kill received an AO rating with content descriptors for Animated Violence and Animated Blood and Gore however, it was never released after the original publisher, Virgin Entertainment, was purchased by Electronic Arts who was more concerned about the adult content. The violence in Thrill Kill was a concern to the ESRB as it was sexualized, with sadomasochistic activities.

Critics have claimed that the ESRB will only rate games AO if they have sexual content in them, regardless of how much violence is present. Twenty-five products have been given the AO rating. One was given it for unsimulated online gambling. The rest were given it for sexual content and/or nudity. One of the games with "Strong Sexual Content" as a content descriptor also had "Realistic Blood & Gore", Riana Rouge, and another one had "Violence", Critical Point. Critical Point is an eroge, and Riana Rouge has Playboy Playmates in softcore sex scenes which leads some critics to believe that these games were rated AO because of sex, not violence. Also, Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Director's Cut received the AO rating. While the game contains content identical to the original North American version titled Indigo Prophecy ("Blood", "Strong Language", "Use of Drugs and Alcohol" and "Violence"), the only content which was added in the director's cut version was sex scenes with nudity, one of which was interactive. Lula 3D also contains descriptors for "Blood", "Strong Language" and "Violence" however, it also contains sexually explicit material. Much like Fahrenheit, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas received an AO rating because interactive sex scenes were found within the game. Some critics believed that the ESRB in-house personnel may have overreacted to the attention the game received from the federal government and that the mini-game (which contained no nudity) was not explicit enough to have been re-rated. It should be noted that many adult oriented products, including erotica have actually received M ratings. However, these products are not carried by major retailers (and many are usually grouped with adult products anyway) because of the sexual content.

Rating standards

The ESRB has also often been accused of rating games overly harsh when compared to video game rating systems in other countries. The differences in ratings reflect differing cultural attitudes and standards towards certain subjects, however, games with relatively mild content have appeared to receive higher ratings, according to some. For example, the game Syberia received a T with descriptors for "Mild Language" and "Use of Alcohol". This game received a 3+ from Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) and Pan European Game Information (PEGI), "All ages" from the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK), 3 from Valtion elokuvatarkastamo (VET) and G8+ from Office of Film and Literature Classification (Australia) (OFLC). Super Smash Bros. Melee, a fighting game which features popular video game characters received a T while the PEGI gave the game a 3+. Some critics claimed the game should have been rated E by the ESRB like the previous game. The ESRB stated that the game's violence was slightly more realistic than the first. Games such as Super Smash Bros. Melee eventually resulted in the formation of the rating, E10+ in 2005.

In November 2005, Senators Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman and Evan Bayh introduced the Family Entertainment Protection Act, which calls for a federal mandate enforcement of the ESRB ratings system as what they claim is in order to protect children from inappropriate content.

Hidden content

Main articles: Hot Coffee minigame controversy and ESRB re-rating of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

In 2005, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for Windows was modified by players into allowing one to play an incomplete sex mini-game known as "Hot Coffee" that Rockstar North decided to leave out of the final game. California assemblyperson Leland Yee used the situation to rebuke them both and has cited this as a case of the ESRB not doing its job. U.S. Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Joe Lieberman, a video game censorship advocate, joined in on the disapproval. Rockstar initially claimed that the code was actually rewritten and that gamers are altering the games content, not just unlocking the game. However, their stance changed when it came to light that the console versions of San Andreas were also modifiable through the assistance of a third-party cheat device. In light of this, Rockstar conceded that the disputed scene was in the final game on all formats. The ESRB responded to the controversy by re-evaluating San Andreas' Mature rating and changing it to Adults Only. This would make Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas the most popular and best selling game to receive this rating. Rockstar released a patch that disabled modification on PC versions. In response to the ratings change, all members of the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association removed the game from their store shelves within 24 hours and either re-stickered the product with the new rating label or returned it to Take 2 as defective, depending upon their respective store policies. Rockstar also re-released the game, bearing the title of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Special Edition, which did not include the necessary files for "Hot Coffee" and had the game's original M rating.

In 2006, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion had its rating changed from Teen to Mature due to "more detailed depictions of blood and gore than were considered in the original rating, as well as the presence of a locked-out art file or 'skin' that, if accessed through a third-party modification to the PC version of the game, allows the user to play with topless versions of female characters." The game's publisher decided to not remaster or rerelease the game to remove the hidden texture, stating that it believed the original rating was the most accurate assessment of what parents should expect from the game, since the texture was intended to be inaccessible to players. However, this texture was actually only used to provide a non-clipping texture for some armor types.

General references

• ESRB's website.

See also

• Censorship
• Censorship in the United States
• MPAA film rating system, the U.S. film industry equivalent to ESRB
• PEGI, Pan European Game Information, used in many European countries, not associated with the European Union.
• TV Parental Guidelines

International rating systems

• Australia - Office of Film and Literature Classification (Australia)
• Finland - Valtion elokuvatarkastamo, Finnish Board of Film Classification
• Germany - Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle
• Japan - Computer Entertainment Rating Organization
• New Zealand - Office of Film and Literature Classification (New Zealand)
• United Kingdom - British Board of Film Classification

External links

• Official Website - ESRB.org
• The ESRB Game Ratings & Descriptor Guide