ESRB

Video game ratings

ESRB stands for Entertainment Software Rating Board, the organization that assigns age and content ratings to video games sold in North America.

The ratings—ranging from E for Everyone to AO for Adults Only—appear on game packaging and help consumers, particularly parents, make informed choices about game content.

The game got an M rating from the ESRB for violence and language.

The system is self-regulatory, meaning the gaming industry created and maintains it rather than the government.

descriptors

violence

Harmful physical force

  • bloodBody's oxygen carrier
  • goreGraphic bloody violence
  • languageSystem of symbolic communication

nudity · gambling · alcohol · drugs · tobacco · mild · moderate · strong · intense · simulated

ratings

E

Fifth alphabetic character

  • TTwentieth alphabetic character
  • MThirteenth alphabet letter
  • RPPrestige British accent

age ratings · warnings · labels · parental guidance · age-appropriate · classification · retail · packaging · box art

organization

self-regulation

Managing one's own behavior

standards · guidelines · policies · trade association · publishers · developers · members · advisory · coalition · lobbyists

Categories
Opposites
regulatory structure

ESRBstate censorship

Government restricting public expression

government censorship · federal regulation · FCC

media type

ESRBMPAA

Industry content evaluator

MPA · RIAA

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Mostly American · Rated G