ABSTRACT
While the first home video game console, the Magnavox Odyssey, was released in 1972, the first video game ratings association was not established until 1994. Why the sudden need to rate video games 20+ years after their introduction? Answer: Mortal Kombat. In 1992, parents could watch their children make Mario break bricks and jump on mushrooms, but in 1993 parents could watch the same children make Sub-Zero freeze a man solid and then rip out his spine. This chapter will discuss the development and current state of video game rating systems, both in the United States and abroad, as well as the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that referenced rating systems as a reason that government regulation of the video game industry is unnecessary.
