Special Post: ESRB Ratings

Believe it or not, I actually have friends outside of libraries and library-like situations. One of them was recently pleased to discover I play video games. Her tween enjoys them as well, but she is intimidated by them. Like a lot of parents, she has trouble determining which games are appropriate for her son. Fortunately, there are tools available for tweens' parents, including the ESRB Rating Guide. While the guide includes all forms of video games, three ratings (E, T, and M) especially apply to tweens.

Before we go over the three ratings, please keep a few things to keep in mind:

- The ratings are a tool and a guide, not an ability to ignore what the tween is playing.
- Each tween is different. A tween that plays Call of Duty without a problem can get nightmares from Raving Rabbids. Understand your tween's sensitivities.
- Games from the same series can have different ratings. Double-check everything.
- The ratings do not grade the difficulty of the games, merely the content. Plenty of E rated games are harder to play than T or M rated ones.
- Games may have the same rating for different reasons. One may have a certain rating for language, while another may have the same rating for violence. The reasoning behind the rating can often be found online or on the back of the game's case.

Like this

 

This particular review will focus on three popular ratings: E, T, and M. Additionally ratings can be viewed at the  ESRB Ratings Guide, which can also be used to access the reasonings for the ratings of specific games. The images of the rating are taken from the website. 

Let's begin.

E - Everyone

Definition: Generally suited for all ages, but often includes some language or cartoonish violence.

Popular examples: Pokemon, Kingdom Hearts, Mario Kart, Angry Birds, Skylanders

T-rex approved

 

 

 

T - Teen

Definition: These games tend to focus on a less sensitive audience. As such, they include more language, suggestive themes, violence, and blood.

Popular Examples: Destiny, World of Warcraft, Uncharted

Still usable, but may need a discussion on acceptable vs. unacceptable behavior, 

language, and violence

 

M - Mature

Description: Marked by extreme violence, gore, language, and sexual references.

Popular Examples: Halo, Diablo, Call of Duty

 

Tweens need to approach with caution

 

To end the post, I'm going to ask for some feedback. Did you enjoy this type of post? Do you have any suggestions? Would any additional links be useful? Should games be more explored? 

Please leave a comment. Thank you for reading!