Meet the Guide Editor
Message from the Editor:
I am a parent, a life-long gamer and a firm believer that parents should be involved in their children's lives. Not only should you know what media your child is exposed to, but you should be informed and educated about that media.

Guide to ESRB

By Entertainment Software Rating Board Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsThe ESRB is the Entertainment Standards Rating Board, an independent and non-profit group that reviews all video games published for public consumption and assigns ratings to them, based on predetermined criteria. It is important to understand that the ESRB is not a governmental body, nor do they report to any government official. Rather, the ESRB was established in order for the video game industry to self-monitor, much like the MPAA rates movies. However, rather than the movie ratings of G, PG, PG-13, R and X, the ESRB established ratings that are much more helpful to parents who are interested in what their children are playing.

The ESRB ratings are: eC (early child), E (Everyone), E10+ (Everyone, although ages 10 and over are most appropriate), T (Teen), M (Mature), and AO (Adults Only). Ratings can be found on the front of every new video game packaging; games that are sold as used without the original packaging can be researched online to find the ESRB details.