It is said that about ninety percent of students in elementary school these days have experienced playing some sort of video game. These range from educational games that they might play while they are at school to those that they have in their home that they enjoy with their friends on weekends. Video games come in many different genres with a variety of themes and there are definitely those out there that are means for players of different age groups. If you're a parent and you're interested in finding out if a video game is appropriate for your child then you can turn to the ratings offered by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, or ESRB.

The ESRB has been in operation since 1994 and is a not-for-profit organization that assigns content ratings for video games and computer programs. It's mission is to help people make informed decisions when they are choosing what to bring into their home and would like to make sure that the members of the video game industry are held accountable for their content and marketing practices. They not only provide an age recommendation for who the game is acceptable for but also some basic information on the type of content that can be found in that program.

The ratings system that the ESRB uses was created through consultations with academic experts as well as people working in child development. Research was done with feedback from actual parents to find out what they were most interested in knowing about these games before they chose to buy them. A ratings system was created that is meant to provide information and suggest who might be able to play it, but it is not meant to pass judgement on the acceptability of the game for the whole market. That is left up to the individual and the parents to decide on their own.

You might see some similarities between the ratings offered by the ESRB for video games and those that are attached to movies but you should realize that they are not exactly the same. More detailed information is provided for the games that you bring into your home, as there are thirty different content descriptors that could be attached to the program. There are six different age categories and about ninety percent of the people considering a purchase of these games find that the ratings and information that is offered is very useful to them. As a responsible home owner, you would never choose the first pool opening business (here) for example, that came across your desk. No, you would check reviews and look for rating scores. Parents also want the ability to read about the game content and the level of violence or inappropriate behavior before giving it to their kids.