![]() ![]() The other nice benefit of this system is that more graphic games end up having their age restrictions be legally enforceable. Also, the European view on comic violence often puts it considerably lower on the chain of age requirements - nobody who played Mario ever went out and jumped on another kid's head that I've ever heard of. That narrow focus on the largest audience means that it can be easy to match up a gamer with a game suitable for his age, without forcing a 16-year-old to play Crash Bandicoot unless he or she really wants to. ![]() Strengths and Weaknesses of the UK systemMuch like the ESRB, the double-whammy of PEGI/BBFC has some good points and bad.įirst of all, the age spread between PEGI and BBFC allows for four distinct age groups (12+, 15+, 16+ and 18+) in the teen years, the largest demographic of video game players. Games such as Grand Theft Auto have traditionally had an 18 rating, making it illegal for anyone under 18 to purchase (although this does not prevent an older person legally buying it and giving the game to someone younger). It later approved a modified version of the game, with some of the gore turned down. In history, the BBFC has only refused a rating to one game, Carmageddon. Unlike the other two ratings agencies, BBFC ratings are enforceable by law, meaning that someone caught selling to a person under the age of 15 or 18 (depending on rating) can be fined, jailed, or both. Once a rating is handed out, it is subject to the same appeals laws as are provided to films, but the game cannot just be barely edited and resubmitted in hopes for a more favourable draw like can be done with the ESRB. The BBFC now only hands out two ratings for video games, mostly because of the games it starts out with.īBFC 15+ and 18+ ratingsThese games often undergo some decent testing by a highly-trained panel of examiners who are hired in 5-year intervals (the position used to be permanent). Games that receive a 16+ or 18+ and include gross violence or sexual content end up on the BBFC's list for a second review. Of course, the agency has far too little time to rate every game that comes into the UK, and so it chooses those games based on ones that get filtered out of the PEGI system. The BBFC has extended the Parliamentary Video Recording act of 1984 to allow for computer games and other digital media. And because of that, it's got a little extra weight that it can swing around. Suffice it to say, the agency has been around the block a time or two. I'll skip the history, because it could fill volumes unto itself. PEGI is not a government agency and is not affiliated with either the EU or any of its member nations.īBFCThe BBFC, or British Board of Film Classification, is one of the oldest ratings agencies in the world. However, there are some games where that holds true - games rated for excessive violence or nudity get cherry-picked to fall into the BBFC's lap. This includes games sold in the UK, where many residents are under the impression that all of the age requirements are enforceable by law. ![]() The thing that is least known about the PEGI system is that, much like its ESRB cousin, the ratings are unenforceable. If the game rates higher than 16+, an actual copy of the game is then required and evaluated. There is no initial requirement for seeing the game's content - the questions are evaluated and a rating is provided. The questionnaire is based on the both the Netherlands Institute for the Classification of Audiovisual Media test and the Kijkwijzer system (Dutch). However, the tests are slightly different - the publisher must submit a rather long questionnaire outlining the game's content. Like the ESRB, PEGI ratings are voluntarily sought by publishers. Aside from the obvious ones like Drug Use and Violence, PEGI has descriptions for things like Discrimination and Fear (as in horror, like Resident Evil). Each of these is represented by a picture, making it easy to visually recognize the possibly offensive parts of the game. PEGI ratings and content descriptionsPartially in an effort to clearly label and partially in an effort to make something universally legible over 25 countries, PEGI uses a simpler set of seven content descriptors. ![]()
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