Features & News
PEGI age ratings legally enforceable in the UK
July 30, 2012, Author: Phil Ubee, 3 Comments
Finally, we have some good news that our industry has been crying out for with the announcement that the PEGI (Pan European Game Information) age ratings are legally enforceable in the UK.
This is something that many of us at TIMJ have been calling on for sometime and is hopefully the first big step forward in dispelling the myth that video games are the biggest cause for anti-social and violent behaviour in young people.
“Retailers that sell titles with ratings of 12, 16 or 18 years to children below the age limits will be subject to prosecution.”
To prepare for the move, the government decided to drop a parallel ratings system run by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification).
Organisers say it will help families “make informed decisions”.
In addition to the age ratings, packaging will also feature diagrams warning if the title includes bad language, drugs, discrimination, fear, gambling, sex, violence or online gameplay with other people.”
This move follows on from a simplification of the rating system in this country which has previously had a BBFC classification sitting alongside the PEGI rating which often contradicted the latter’s guidelines.
Under the new system, the Games Ratings Authority (GRA) – a division of the Hertfordshire-based Video Standards Council – will be responsible for rating titles using Pegi’s criteria:
- Games are rated for 12-years and over if they include non-graphic violence to human or animal characters, a slightly higher threshold of violence to fantasy characters or significant nudity or bad language.
- Games are rated 16-years and over if the depiction of violence or sexual activity looks the same as it would do in normal life. Drug and tobacco references also trigger the age limit.
- Games are rated 18-years and over if there is a “gross” level of violence likely to make the viewer feel a sense of revulsion.”
Of course this does nothing to stop parents from buying in-appropriate games for their children, but my hope is that in making it illegal to sell adult games to minors, parents will finally realise the rating is there for a reason and act appropriately.
(Source: BBC News Technology)
Feature Type: News | Tagged bbfc, news, pegi, uk age ratings
Trent said:
It's good to see that a standardised system is being implemented but I hope it doesn't end up being judged on the European market. We're different over here and have differing preferences and levels of tolerance and the last thing we need is a games age rating getting bumped up because some ultra-conservatives in Europe cause a fuss. Still, it's good that parents will be able to see what actual questionable content a game has, so they don't just see '18' and refuse to buy it. Then again, if the PEGI system is heavy handed it may lead to people getting the wrong idea. I mean how can you explain that one time in this one mission one character is snorting some unidentified powder without putting 'Drug Use' on the back of the box, which would immediately make some parents drop the game immediately. Ach I dunno I'm 23 anyway so it doesn't even affect me lol!
Posted on: July 30 10:27 PM || Report || Reply
Phil said:
I understand your point Trent but I think that may be a different argument for a different day. This is about making it harder for adult games to get into children's hands which has to be a positive. It also shows the world that the gaming industry is a serious, grown up past time and brings it more credibility in my opinion.
Posted on: July 30 11:27 PM || Report || Reply
Trent said:
Well I agree that a standardised, recognised, game-focussed classification system is great for giving the games industry the same level of public responsibility and maturity as the film and television industries but I can't see how it's going to make it more difficult for kids to get 18 games. These days they get their parents, older siblings or older friends to buy them for them. Even after PEGI comes in that's what they'll do. To me it's more about giving parents more information to allow them to make a clear choice about whether the game is suitable for their child personally, which is great, but they might see 'Extreme violence, sex and drug use' and think 'Yeh that'll be fine for my 13 year old boy who already gets into trouble at school and has been arrested quite a few times', buy it him and then when he gets nicked for stabbing an old lady and they find it in his room once again the headline will be 'Violent Videogame Made Teen Stab Granny' and we're back to square one.
That kind of got away from me but yeh.
Posted on: July 31 2:09 AM || Report || Reply