UK Endorses PEGI Ratings for Games
The British Government, in its "Digital Britain" report, has determined that it will support the Pan European Game Information System (PEGI) for boxed video games rather than supporting the British Board of Film Classification's (BBFC) continues oversight over games.
As the Digital Britain report says, "We have selected the Enhanced PEGI system, as it combines the best of a pan-
European self regulatory system designed specifically for video games with a
strong UK based statutory regulator taking account of the views of the UK
public. It will give consumers a single set of clear logos for video games that will apply across most of Europe, providing an international solution for game content regulation. It has the flexibility required to adapt to the challenge of
rapidly-evolving technology in the games sector and will be highly effective in
the online world." The report emphasizes that "This system meets all the key criteria set out by Professor Tanya Byron in her
report 'Safer Children in a Digital World' and will offer improved protection for
children including, for the first time, making it illegal to sell games suitable for
12 and older to underage children."
The BBFC is, understandably, disappointed, but the report did mention BBFC.online as part of the available online safeguards to supplement the PEGI rating system. Fundamentally, this settles a long-term conflict between the BBFC and PEGI systems, and better integrates UK video games with the rest of Europe.
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