Looking for the right video game?
Choosing the right video game can be very difficult, especially if you don't play them yourself. You want to find a game for that certain someone, without all that blood and voilence. While descriptions on ebay may not be full, and tell you everything about that particular game, one little piece of information will.

Many people have no idea what the ESRB is, and what they have to do with video games. The truth is, that 4 letter acronym could tell you everything about the game you are about to purchase. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is required to rate any video game released.

What are the ratings?
The ESRB has 6 different ratings to assign to video games. Starting with a rating of "EC" all the way up to "A" and each rating having its own meaning. Looking at this simple rating can help you decipher if it is what you want. The ratings are as follows:

• EC:      Early Childhood
• E:         Everyone
• E 10+: Everyone 10 years old +
• T:        Teen
• M:       Mature
• A:        Adult
• RP:      Rating Pending

A rating of EC means that the game will have NO content that could be objectionable for younger players, while a M rating means that the game is not suitable for anyone under 17, and it will contain some sort of blood/violence, bad language, or sexual/drug themes. For more info on exactly what these ratings mean, please see the ESRB's website.

How does this help me now?
Any video games listed on ebay will show a details box on the listing. This box will contain a lot of information, including the games rating. This information is automatically put in by ebay, so the seller can not change this information.

As you can see above, the rating for this Gamecube game, Resident Evil 4, is M. That means that this game is recomended for someone over the age of 17, because it will contain blood and violence.

What if I am not on Ebay?
Not to worry. If you are browsing in a store, the ESRB rating can be found right on the front of the game. By flipping the game over, you can also read the reasons why that game was given that particular rating.

I hope this guide helps you when you are purchsing video games. Thanks for taking the time to read this.