With video games at the top of many holiday wish lists, parents can use the Entertainment Software Ratings Board’s (ESRB) free mobile app available for iPhone, Android and Windows to obtain additional information about computer and video game content.

Nearly all computer and video games sold in Canada are rated by the ESRB. The rating symbols are designed to provide parents with concise, impartial guidance about the age-appropriateness and content of computer and video games so they can make informed purchasing decisions about the games they deem suitable for their children and families. Content descriptors, which appear on the back next to the rating symbol, indicate elements in a game that may have triggered a particular rating and/or may be of interest or concern.

To supplement the information provided by the rating symbols and content descriptors, the ESRB provides ratings summaries as an additional resource parents to access detailed descriptions of game content that factored into a game’s rating, including examples. They can be accessed using a free mobile app or through the ESRB website at www.esrb.org.