The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a fun, folksy, and educational music video inspired by Schoolhouse Rock.
True to form, the ESRB music video is catchy and informative. The video details the history of ESRB’s age and content ratings, the commitment to accurate advertising and marketing, and the importance of user privacy (especially children’s privacy).
Starting Aug. 30, the song in the video will be on streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.
The ESRB was established in 1994 by the video game industry, in response to growing pressure from consumers and lawmakers.
Fun fact: age ratings are technically still voluntary, but most retailers and mobile stores, and all console manufacturers, require an ESRB rating. ESRB ratings provide a quick short-hand to inform parents of the content of a game.
“It should go without saying that the whole ESRB team is passionate and proud of the work we do. We could not be more grateful for the game industry’s enduring support, without which we couldn’t have thrived for the past three decades,” said Patricia Vance, President, ESRB. “Most importantly, we’ve worked incredibly hard to earn the trust of parents and caregivers, and we pledge to continue to develop and refine the tools we offer to keep kids’ video game experiences age-appropriate well into the future. With the help of some of ESRB’s musically gifted staff, and composer Alex Engelberg, this celebratory song helps illustrate the important public service and self-regulatory role that ESRB has performed for the past three decades on behalf of the video game industry.”
ESRB age ratings are a big part of our Game Picker database. Happy 30th, ESRB!
