<Tr> <Th> Parent organization </Th> <Td> Entertainment Software Association </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Website </Th> <Td> www.esrb.org </Td> </Tr> <P> The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is an American self - regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings to consumer video games . The ESRB was established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Association (formerly the Interactive Digital Software Association), in response to criticism of controversial video games with excessively violent or sexual content . </P> <P> The board assigns ratings to games based on their content, using judgment similar to the motion picture rating systems used in many countries, using a combination of six age - based levels intended to aid consumers in determining a game's content and suitability, along with a system of "content descriptors" which detail specific types of content present in a particular game . The ESRB maintains a code of ethics for the advertising and promotion of video games--ensuring that marketing materials for games are targeted to appropriate audiences . In 2011, the ESRB began offering a system to automatically assign ratings for digitally - distributed games and mobile apps, which utilizes a survey answered by the product's publisher as opposed to a manual assessment by ESRB staff . Through the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC), this method can generate equivalent ratings for other territories . Alongside its game rating operation, the ESRB also provides certification services for online privacy on websites and mobile apps . </P>

When did the video game rating system start