20 years ago today the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (better known as the ESRB) was founded at the behest of a Congressional sub-committee that knew very little about video games – other than that games like Mortal Kombat and Night Trap supposedly threatened the moral fabric of America's youth. The nascent video game industry was essentially told to police themselves, or the government would step in and do it for them...thus the ERSB was born.
The ESRB created a set of ratings and descriptors (E for Everyone to AO for Adults Only) to help consumers and parents make well-informed purchases regarding video games. Retail outlets used the ESRB ratings system to give parents more knowledge about the games they were purchasing for their children, and more importantly, to keep children from buying mature-rated content. While the ESRB is a fantastic resource, the entire initiative would have fallen flat on its face if the retailers did not enforce the ESRB ratings at the point-of-purchase.
The various, ESRB rating logos at the bottom, right-hand corner of every video game box have become iconic to gamers and their parents over the last twenty years. Beyond the video embedded above, there is a noteworthy infographic about the history of the ESRB here.
For more information about the ESRB in general, visit their web site at: www.esrb.org.
