Understanding the ratings is a good start, but the ratings themselves have their detractors. Unlike a movie that's the same every time you view it, the interactive nature of games makes it difficult to shoehorn games into nice, neat categories. So ratings aren't a magic bullet. And teenagers have always been skilled at getting their hands on things they shouldn't. The best solution, then, is encouraging parents to take a more active role in their children's game-playing.
Ratings are important, but what's really needed are healthy doses of intelligence and perspective.
Part of the reason ESRB ratings are seen as necessary is that families often don't play together. When parents are involved with their children's game-playing, there's no need to look at a rating label to determine what they're playing and whether it's appropriate. Surfas kicks back at a gaming LAN party Games have changed. Forget Pong or PacMan. PC and console games today are often elegant creations, designed by some of the most creative and talented people working in the entertainment field.