One of the first questions that might come to anybody's mind is, why would anyone want to edit a video game at all?  There are several reasons as to why companies edit and while some of the reasons listed aren't enforced as much as they have been in the past, edits still happen and they are still worth noticing.  The thing to remember is that there are many reasons why games are edited, the following are just what I consider the three reasons that need special attention.

Objectionable Content

Many video games go through editing because some American production companies are nervous about any critical backlash that may result because of content that some might find offensive.  With the help of the ESRP and a slightly larger understanding that video games (like any form of entertainment) have evolved with its audience and are enjoyed by adults as well as children, content edits are fewer these days; although an edit of this kind still happens once in a rare while.  These types of edits include but are not limited to, use of alcohol, use of tobacco, blood, excessive violence, swearing, sexual content and religious references.

Culture Differences

The video game industry is, of course, a business.  Naturally, all any company in the business wants to do it sell its products, and any company will do what it feels is necessary to sell its product.  Some games that come from Japan will contain things related to Japanese culture: how people dress, what food they eat, mythology and anything concerning Japanese history.  Any American gamer who isn't familiar with the Japanese culture usually becomes confused about the culture references and may not want to invest in a game filled with these references, at least that's how several American video game publishers feel.  In order to prevent this confusion (and to guarantee sales for the games that are published), most publishers will change these culture references in one way or another.

Gender Issues

This one is probably the most pointless kind of edit.  As I've said above, companies want to sell their products.  Realistically, the majority of people who play video games are male.  This doesn't mean that girls don't play video games, and it certainly doesn't mean that they shouldn't either.  But the video game industry is a male dominated market and most companies definitely want to cater to the market.  Male gamers who are much younger will, theoretically, be uncomfortable about playing games that feature a woman as the main character, due to the gender stigma one might personally feel.  To counter this, and of course to generate sales, American video game publishers will change any female lead into a male lead.