We will break down age ratings in video games for parents to help you understand what they mean. How do they differ based on location? And how can you determine if a game is suitable for your child?
ESRB nor North America
If you happen to live in the US, Mexico or Canada, your video games are typically rated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board or ESRB. They will rate games based on the age appropriateness of the content with both a letter rating and a small descriptor of what parents may find questionable or some more information as to why the game was rated that way.
EC (Early Childhood)
If you have really little ones, an ESRB rating of EC (Early Childhood) means suitable for children ages 3 and older. There should be zero inappropriate content here. These games are designed with the littlest children in mind.
E for Everyone
Next up, and more common, you’ll see the “E” for everyone rating. Again, here there should be no images or sounds likely to scare young children but these games are designed for all ages. Games like Just Dance or FIFA fall into this category. The next category is “E10+” and is used for games suggested for ages 10 and up only. These games may contain mild violence, mildly suggestive content, and/or there may be scenes that some children find frightening. Think Minecraft Dungeons or Plant vs Zombies.
T for Teen
As gamers get a bit older, you may find yourself looking at games rated “T” for teen, which the ESRB classifies as ages 13 or above. These games may have crude humor, suggestive themes, infrequent adult language and/or more realistic and graphic scenes of violence like Fortnite or Sims 4, albeit still not ultra-realistic.
M for Mature
The ultra-realistic violence is saved for an “M” rating for Mature audiences ages 17 and above. In addition to life-like depictions of violence with blood and gore, an M-rated game could have adult language, tobacco or alcohol or drug use, and sexual content. But again, still with a focus on realistic portrayal - think GTA V or Fallout 4.
AO - Adults Only
The most adult rating for the ESRB is AO for Adults only and this is depicted as suitable for adults, ages 18 and above. This classification is reserved for games that have extreme or prolonged scenes of intense violence, often with motiveless killing, games that glamorize the use of drugs or gambling, and these games may involve graphic sexual content as well. There are not many AO rated games out there - but games like Manhunt 2, certain Leisure Suit Larry installments and GTA: San Andreas have received this rating.
RP - Ratings Pending
The final rating, yes there is one more, is RP and this just means Rating Pending. You’ll sometimes see it in marketing material for up and coming titles, but this should be replaced with the full rating once it’s been determined.
PEGI for Europe and UK
Now if you live in the UK or most of Europe, your games are rated by the Pan European Games Information system or PEGI. PEGI’s rating system is numeric and will be written as PEGI followed by the number of the rating, aka the minimum age of the intended audience.
PEGI 3, 7 and 12
PEGI 3 is the lowest rating, for games that are suitable for everyone with no use of sounds or imagery that would scare young children. After that, you’ll see PEGI 7, suitable for ages 7 and above. PEGI 7 games may contain mild forms of non-realistic or cartoon violence or some scenes that small children may find frightening - IE Plants vs Zombies. The next rating is PEGI 12 - for ages 12 and over - potentially containing more realistic forms of violence or mild sexual situations - like the Sims or Fortnite.
PEGI 16, 18
Now when you get into the teenage year ratings, you’ve got PEGI 16 for games with realistic depictions of violence, adult language, drug/alcohol/tobacco use, and sexual content. And then you’ve got PEGI 18 for games deemed to have extreme levels of violence, motiveless killing, glamorization of drugs, gambling, sexual activity, etc. In fact, if a game teaches you how to gamble in a realistic way, that alone is enough for a PEGI 18 rating. Games like WWE 2K22 are rated PEGI 16 while GTA: The Trilogy and Elder Scrolls V are both rated PEGI 18. PEGI ratings will also normally show some descriptor as to the adult content contained within the game which led to the rating.
Please note that these age ratings only deal with the age appropriateness of the content and not the skill level required of the game. For example, difficult games might be rated E for everyone. Maybe it's best for determining whether a game is appropriate to watch while older siblings or parents play. Ultimately, it’s a personal decision what is right for a child and every kid is different but having a rating system in place to help inform those decisions is most welcome to many who choose to use it.
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