Enter the esrb: 1994
As technology continued to advance, so did video games. The gameplay became more complicated and engaging, and the graphics became more realistic. However, with more realistic games came more realistic violence. This all started with the release of the arcade game Mortal Kombat. Famous for its gruesome gameplay, several gamers, most of them under 18, flocked around the arcade box to give the game a spin. Due to the graphic violence, however, it gave parents immense concern. They were worried that their children would think that performing gruesome acts was okay. Fun, even. So, they decided to take action.
An overwhelming amount of complaints came flying at the game's creators as well as any arcade that featured the game. They wanted to owners to keep their children from playing any violent games, but none of the arcade owners restricted their gamers, no matter the age, because that would hurt profit. After an official investigation to actually ban video games entirely, the industry finally decided to comply with the parents' requests.
In 1994, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) was created. The ESRB's responsibility was to look over and rate games based on their content. The ratings ranged from Early Childhood (EC) to Adults Only (AO), with other ratings, including Everyone, Teen, and Mature, in between. These ratings served as a warning to parents that a certain game may not be appropriate for their younger children.
An overwhelming amount of complaints came flying at the game's creators as well as any arcade that featured the game. They wanted to owners to keep their children from playing any violent games, but none of the arcade owners restricted their gamers, no matter the age, because that would hurt profit. After an official investigation to actually ban video games entirely, the industry finally decided to comply with the parents' requests.
In 1994, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) was created. The ESRB's responsibility was to look over and rate games based on their content. The ratings ranged from Early Childhood (EC) to Adults Only (AO), with other ratings, including Everyone, Teen, and Mature, in between. These ratings served as a warning to parents that a certain game may not be appropriate for their younger children.