Player can gamble, including betting or wagering real cash or currency. Sexual Themes. Simulated Gambling. Player can gamble without betting or wagering real cash or currency. Strong Lyrics. Suggestive Themes. Mild provocative references or materials. Use of Alcohol. The consumption of alcoholic beverages. Use of Tobacco. The consumption of tobacco products. Violent References. Alcohol Reference.
View All. View Less. Interactive Elements Interactive Elements highlight interactive or online features that may be of interest or concern but do not influence the rating assignment of a product. In-Game Purchases. In the U. Created in , the ESRB serves as an independent entity from the gaming industry, and it rates video games across all platforms, including handheld video games , video game consoles , and computer games.
In alone, the Board rated more than 30, video games. Our partner, Siege Media, analyzed a sample of those video games to discover just how the Board divvies up its ratings, who and what determines the ratings, and how much gamers and parents really rely on them. Video game rating systems vary geographically.
You can usually spot an ESRB video game rating badge in an upper or lower corner of a video game box or on the footer of the download page for a computer game.
The ratings are usually accompanied by a content descriptor or descriptors providing context to the rating, as well as interactive elements. Typically, M-rated games will have more violence, blood, and language and also some sexual content. Some AO-rated games involve gambling. You might be surprised to learn the ESRB does not play every single video game it rates. Instead, video game publishers submit the most extreme content of a video game to the Board for review.
The Board assigns three specially trained raters to review the content and then the trio collectively deliberates on a rating assigned to the video game.
Content descriptors play an enormous role in how video games are rated. The ESRB uses around 30 content descriptors total, some of which are modified. Generally, these content descriptors are classified into eight categories:. To get a sense of how these ratings are distributed and some of the content descriptors that influenced them, Siege Media analyzed a sample of 8, video games rated by the ESRB in By continuing to use our site, or clicking "Continue," you are agreeing to our Cookie Policy Continue.
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Anderson CABushman BJ Effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behavior: a meta-analytic review of the scientific literature Psychol Sci ; PubMed Google Scholar Crossref.
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Violent actions involving cartoon-like characters. May include violence where a character is unharmed after the action has been inflicted. Content of product provides user with specific skills development or reinforcement learning within an entertainment setting.
Skill development is an integral part of product. Violent actions of a fantasy nature, involving human or non-human characters in situations easily distinguishable from real life. Overall content of product contains data, facts, resource information, reference materials or instructional text.
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