As most people here know, the Entertainment Software Rating Board is the organization responsible for rating videogames in the United States. Unlike other countries, the ESRB is not run by the government, but by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA).

Games currently feature the rating on the front of the packaging, with a list of the content on the back such as “blood,” “strong language,” and others.

Starting today, all games rated since July 1st, 2008, will now feature far more detailed content summaries on ESRB.org. More than the content listings on the back of the box, it’ll give a much better idea of what you can expect in a game.

Check out an example after the jump.

For Fallout 3, the rating is Mature, and the list on the back of the box is as follows:

• Blood and Gore
• Intense Violence
• Sexual Themes
• Strong Language
• Use of Drugs

Now, at the ESRB site, is the following rating summary:

Fallout 3 is a action role-playing game set in the barren wasteland of a post-apocalyptic society. Players assume the role of a resident of an underground complex who emerges from a vault to explore a wastleland universe through a series of quests/missions. Mission objectives sometimes involve exploring various caves, sewers, and subway tunnels, while other quests involve combat with human and mutant survivors. Fighting can be frenetic and intense, highlighted by various camera effects (e.g., slow motion, blurring, screen shakes) and depictions of realistic dismemberment with trails of red blood. In one scene, players enter a black-and-white virtual reality simulation in which they use a kitchen knife to kill household members and pets. Characters are sometimes seen consuming fictional drugs (e.g., “Buffout,” “Jet,” and “Mentats”), while the player can also use – with no visual depiction of consuming/administering – a narcotic called “psycho,” which with repeated uses leads to addiction. A screen-blurring effect indicates the state of characters’ intoxication and the need to use the narcotic to fend off various side effects. Several of the characters are prostitutes and the details of their sexual activities are mildly insinuated (e.g., “You got the cash I got the time…I take care of men around here.”). Strong profanity can also be heard throughout the game (e.g., “f*ck,” “a*shole,” and “sh*t”).