Originally posted by Colin

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Even then... E10+ is still E. And yet Super Smash Bros. Melee ended up getting a T and it didn't have a ton of guns or anything.

The ESRB confuses me at times.

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Originally posted by Wikipedia

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To obtain a rating for a game, a publisher sends the ESRB videotaped footage of the game's most graphic and extreme content. The publisher also fills out a questionnaire describing the game's content.

The ESRB states on its website that three trained raters, working independently, then watch the footage and recommend a rating. If all raters agree on the rating, content descriptors are added and the ESRB notifies the publisher of its decision.

When the game is ready for release, the publisher sends copies of the final version of the game to the ESRB. The game packaging is reviewed, and the ESRB says that its in-house personnel may play the game to ensure that all the information provided during the rating process was complete and accurate. Penalties may apply to the publisher if it is eventually found that the game's content is more extreme than the publisher stated in its application.

The identities of the ESRB raters are kept confidential. Raters cannot have any ties to the computer or video game industry.

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