Entertainment Software Rating Board

The Entertainment Software Rating Board, or ESRB, is an organization that applies ratings for video games in the Americas. It started in 1994. The ESRB rates games based on the graphic material, language, references to alcohol, violence, and so on. Some content descriptors are listed below, along with games that have gotten them. Few games get the rating Early Childhood and Adults Only, unless they were specifically made for that target audience (other than instances like the infamous Hot Coffee incident with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Windows.).

Ratings
The symbols ESRB uses are stylized alphabetical letters meant to indicate the game's suitability.

Trivia

 * The first game ever to be rated E-10 was Nintendo's Donkey Kong Jungle Beat for the GameCube.
 * The graphic moves and fatalities in the game Mortal Kombat (1993) is the main game known for the creation of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).