Entertainment Software Rating Board
From the Super Mario Wiki
| Entertainment Software Rating Board | |
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| Founded | 1994
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The ESRB stands for the Entertainment Software Rating Board. It was established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Association in response to the concerns of politicians and parents about children having access to violent video games. The ESRB independently enforces ratings, advertising guidelines, and online privacy principles adopted by the industry.
[edit] The Rating System
The ESRB rates a game based on the content of the game. Violence, sex, substance abuse, and strong language are all things that are taken into consideration when rating a game. There are currently 6 ratings: Early Childhood, Everyone (previously Kids-Adults), Everyone 10+, Teen, Mature, and Adults Only. For more information about the ESRB rating system, see below.
[edit] Criticism
The ESRB is also a highly controversial organization, due to the fact that they cause developers to make changes considered unnecessary by some gamers when developing games or even translating them to English. Some think that the ESRB care more about the mainstream public rather the "hardcore" gamers.
[edit] Ratings
- EC, or Early Childhood games are games that have Edutainment or no descriptions in them.
- E (formerly K-A, Kids to Adults), or Everyone games are games that have commonly contain Comic Mischief, Mild Cartoon Violence, Cartoon Violence, Mild Fantasy Violence, Fantasy Violence, and Mild Suggestive Themes.
- E10, or Everyone 10 and Up, contains games that have Crude Humor, Comic Mischief, Cartoon Violence, Fantasy Violence, and Mild Suggestive Themes, Alcohol Reference, Mild Violence, and Violence commonly.
- T, or Teen, contains games that usually have Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence, Language, Simulated Gambling, and Sexual Themes.
- M, or Mature, contains games that usually contain Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence, Partial Nudity, Use of Drugs, Use of Alcohol, and Use of Tabbacco.
- AO, or Adults Only, contains games that usually have Blood and Gore, Realistic Blood and Gore, Animated Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Animated Violence, Sexual Themes, Mature Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence, Nudity, Use of Drugs, Use of Alcohol, Use of Tabbacco, and Gambling.
[edit] Trivia
- No Mario, Yoshi, Wario or Donkey Kong Game has ever been rated T, M, or AO. Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl were both rated T; however, these are not considered to be a part of the Mario series.
- Although no Mario game has been rated M (Mature, ages 17 and up), GameStop made a mistake and accidentally said that Super Mario Galaxy was rated M. Source.
[edit] See Also
PEGI (Pan-European Game Information), the organization rating games for European audience.
CERO (Computer Entertainment Rating Organization), the Japanese rating system.
[edit] External Links
| Companies |
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| AlphaDream | Artoon | Camelot | Capcom | CERO | DIC | ESRB | Fuse | HAL | Hudson Soft | Intelligent Systems | Konami | Namco Bandai | Next Level Games | Nintendo | Paon | PEGI | Rare | Sega | Sora Ltd. | Square Enix | TOSE | Treasure | Valiant |
