Games industry backs PEGI ratings over BBFC
Government set to decide over coming months who rates your games
Leading publishers Nintendo, Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft and Sony have all come to the defence of PEGI following the latest in the who-should-be-rating-our-games debacle.
They have shown their support following a new report published by MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee which has recommended the BBFC as the sole classifier of videogames.
Several months back, Dr Tanya Byron put forward her opinion that games should be subject to a hybrid scheme which put BBFC ratings on the front of game boxes and PEGI ones on the rear. However critics say this would only confuse buyers of games further.
Instead, game publishers have today shown near universal support for the voluntary PEGI system, calling it future-proof and saying having a single BBFC rating could increase confusion between films and games and offers no additional protection to children.
Keith Ramsdale, Vice President of EA UK, said: "PEGI is the only system that can keep pace with our fast moving industry to ensure that children are protected from unsuitable content."
Managing Director of ELPSA Michael Rawlinson has also chipped in with the opinion: "PEGI is the only rating system that has the power to prevent games publishers distributing unsuitable content to children if it abuses or misuses the system."
Over the next few months the government will be investigating the various opinions available and giving legal backing to whichever is deemed most effective. So we could be getting U and 15 ratings splashed all over our video game boxes in the near future.
Do you think it will make a blind bit of difference to who buys which games though? Let us know.
