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What Parents Need to Know About Shopping for Video Game Consoles

Updated: November 22, 2024 It can be a challenge for parents to keep track of new video game consoles, games, and online services as they release and change. This gets especially complicated when trying to factor in timing around birthdays, holidays, and other gift-giving events. Fortunately, we’re here to offer some helpful tips about: Information […]

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A cartoon family sits in a living room. A man and a child sit onthe floor while a woman and an older child sit on a beige sofa. They are all holding video game controllers and it looks like they're having a great time playing together!

Nov 18, 2024

Manage Your Kids’ Video Games With ParentalTools.org

By Patricia E. Vance, President, ESRB

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Nov 7, 2024

A Parent’s Guide to Mario & Luigi: Brothership

By Colin Campbell, Contributor

What Parents Need to Know About Minecraft. ESRB Blog Post. Minecraft is rated E10+ (Everyone 10+)

Oct 30, 2024

What Parents Need to Know About Minecraft

By Patricia E. Vance, President, ESRB

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Oct 9, 2024

A Parents’ Guide to Fortnite

By Patricia E. Vance, President, ESRB

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Sep 6, 2024

A Parent’s Guide to Astro Bot

By Max Jay, Assistant Director, Communications

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Sep 3, 2024

A Parent’s Guide to Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions

By Colin Campbell, Contributor

ESRB 30 Anniversary

Aug 29, 2024

All Aboard the ESRB 30th Anniversary Express!

By Patricia E. Vance, President, ESRB

What Parents Need to Know About Among Us. ESRB blog post.

Aug 14, 2024

What Parents Need to Know About Among Us

By Max Jay, Assistant Director, Communications

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Did You Know?

67% of the ESRB ratings assigned to physical and console downloadable video games in 2022 were either E (Everyone) or E10+ (Everyone 10+).

Did You Know?

84% of parents who purchase physical video games for their children are aware of ESRB ratings and 74% regularly check them before buying a game. (Source: Hart Research Associates, 2022)

Did You Know?

Most parents consider each part (Rating Category, Content Descriptors, Interactive Elements) of the ESRB rating system to be either “very” or “extremely” important when deciding if a game or app is appropriate for their kids. (Source: Hart Research Associates, 2022)

Did You Know?

Industry guidelines, which are enforced by the ESRB, prohibit the inappropriate target marketing of Mature-rated games.

Did You Know?

ESRB has an enforcement system which allows for the imposition of sanctions, fines (including fines up to $1 million), and corrective actions on publishers for non-compliance with its guidelines.

Did You Know?

According to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission 87% of kids under the age of 17 are turned away when trying to buy an M-rated game at retail.

Did You Know?

The late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia wrote: “This [ESRB rating] system does much to ensure that minors cannot purchase seriously violent games on their own, and that parents who care about the matter can readily evaluate the games their children bring home.”

Did You Know?

The E (Everyone) rating was originally called K-A (Kids to Adults) but was changed in 1998.

Did You Know?

The ESRB rating system has three parts – Rating Categories, Content Descriptors and Interactive Elements, the latter of which were introduced in 2013.

Did You Know?

Introduced in 2008, Rating Summaries provide greater detail about the content in physical games rated by the ESRB, and are exclusively available on this website or the ESRB mobile app by conducting a title search.

Did You Know?

ESRB uses more than 30 different Content Descriptors to help communicate what’s in a game.

Did You Know?

The FTC considers the ESRB to have “the strongest self-regulatory code” among media rating systems in the U.S. and has confirmed that retailers maintain a high store policy compliance rate.

Did You Know?

Founded in 2013 by many of the world’s leading video game rating authorities, the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) administers the first globally streamlined age classification process for digital games and mobile apps that respects the unique cultural norms of each region.

Did You Know?

In 1999 ESRB Privacy Online (now called ESRB Privacy Certified) launched its certification program and was sanctioned by the FTC as a “Safe Harbor” under Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

Did You Know?

More than 70% of parents would be more comfortable allowing their children to download and play a game certified by ESRB Privacy Certified (Source: Hart Research Associates, 2018).

Did You Know?

It’s never too late to have “the conversation” with your kids about what, when, and how they can play!

Did You Know?

Activating parental controls on your children’s video game devices helps you enforce house rules, such as limiting play time, blocking games with certain ESRB ratings, and managing in-game spending.

Did You Know?

The average gamer is 33 years old.