Culture minister says PEGI vs BBFC discussions must not be a battle between regulators
Margaret Hodge, the UK minister for culture, creative industries and tourism, has called on the BBFC and the games industry to sensibly address the issue over the future classification of video games in a ‘grown up way’.
Senior industry executives and the Government are currently discussing how games should best be given age ratings in the wake of the Byron Review.
But Hodge said that the BBFC and the games industry must not get caught up in the politics of the discussion and lose sight of the issue at hand.
“Please avoid this become a battle between two regulatory bodies,” she said. “Let’s have a shared solution that everyone can buy into.”
She added: “Child safety is very, very important – I get more letters as a minister about this issue than I do about anything else. So your customers – my voters – are demanding we act.”
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Successfully communicating and managing which people play content that is right for them is “not a job for the industry alone,” she added, saying teachers and parents had a part to play as well. “But the industry must do what it can to aid the issue.”
Hodge said that there were good arguments for and against both BBFC and PEGI.
“Both BBFC and PEGI have their merit, and I’m not going to come down on one side or the other. We do need a system that can reassure parents and teachers that the content is safe,” she said.
“You must accept that most people in the UK know and trust the BBFC ratings. But I do understand that PEGI is much newer and was designed specifically for video games.”
Ultimately, the BBFC and the games industry need to address the issue with sense and clarity, she said.
Hodge added: “What we’ve got to make sure, at the end of the day, is that we meet the essential criteria that Tanya Byron set out in her comprehensive review.
“My challenge to you, the industry, is to respond to that consultation appropriately, but approach it not in a way that it is a battle to be won against government, but a problem we ought to be able to resolve in a grown up way to meet the requirements of all our stakeholders.”
Comments
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thats a politician for you.
Re: .
It would appear that the old adage of "you're either part of the problem or part of the solution" has left out the third option ... "or you're just making a lot of noise and not contributing in any way"
:(
Well said
Wow! Well said, Ms Hodge. A politician speaking common sense. Whatever next!
Re: Well said
Just kill the BBFC.
Re: Re: Well said
“Both BBFC and PEGI have their merit, and I’m not going to come down on one side or the other."
...erm, isn't that the point of the whole exercise?
Re: Re: Re: Well said
Apologies on the confusion there - she meant she wasn't going to make the decision today, after both the BBFC and ELSPA had put forward their cases. The government's public consultation isn't over yet, see.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Well said
'Just kill the BBFC' - yes, thanks for the contribution to the debate there Sam... well thought out...
Videogame ratings issue
Mrs UK minister,
Have you even READ the Byron report?
the part where Mrs Byron said that "THERE IS NO SUCH PROFF OF VIOLENT VIDEOGAMES CAUSING CRIME"
and
"The Videogame Industry should NOT be responsible for the actions that they can't control"
Such as the failure of parents understand the PEGI and BBFC rating system and that the BBFC tried to BAN MANHUNT 2 based on fear and not on evidence that it causes any harm on an 18+ year old, the type of age rating that it was meant to be rated for?
If you are going to get involved, at least have the knowlage of what the Byron Report said both the good and the bad things...
Also understand that there is no scientific proff of Videogames even being linked to real violence.
Understand the situation from both sides before you make such assumptions of how they should work out between themselves.
Because as you see, the BBFC and PEGI are like Isrealis and Palastinians, so matter how much you try and sort things out, no words will even help in the argument,
Just let them go and talk to us gamers and understand that we as gamers have known the PEGI long enough to fully know what it all means.
Like we even read the PEGI ratings on the boxes well enough to know what they mean, they are simple
If parent's don't know that Videogame ratings have been there since, oh 1995, then it is THEIR FAULT!!!
NOT the Industry.
And also like I said, stop talking about child safety, because you sound like you are only in there for political reasons yourself without knowing what you are talking about.
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