The games were at the center of federal hearings held from December 9, 1993, to March 4, 1994 by United States senators Joseph Lieberman and Herb Kohl.
[2][note 1][3] As a result, the video game industry was given a year to create its own classification system or to otherwise have one imposed on them by the federal government.
[1] In May 1993, British censors banned Night Trap from being sold to children under 15 years old in the United Kingdom, which was an influence on Sega's decision to create an age rating system.
Sega responded by accusing Nintendo of hypocrisy for allowing fighting games such as Street Fighter II on its system.
"[9] Following the hearings, the games industry created the Interactive Digital Software Association in April 1994, which made a proposal for a rating system.
[10] The proposal was adopted by the United States Congress in July 1994 and the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) was founded in September to execute the plan.
[7] The three different ratings were as follows: While rival console manufacturer Nintendo enforced strict content guidelines for games released on its hardware in North America, Sega differentiated itself with a more liberal content policy, allowing for the depiction of blood and graphic violence in software released on its home consoles, provided that the publisher label the game's packaging with a generic "Parental Advisory" warning.
Similarly, when Sega localized Phantasy Star II for western consumers, it edited dialogue in the game to obscure a non-playable character's homosexuality.