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New UK age ratings legal by October

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New UK age ratings legal by October

Trade body ELSPA expects long journey to conclude before busy Q4 season

ELSPA is hopeful that the PEGI system of age ratings for video games will be ratified in law this October – just in time for complete clarity through the busiest selling season.

It will be the final stage in ousting the BBFC as the body responsible for classifying games.

The Video Standards Council will judge the suitability of content in regard to age, with the PEGI system used to communicate the ratings.

From here, the VSC needs to be designated as the body responsible for the classification and get approval for the PEGI logos and descriptors to be used under the packaging regulations. These details need to be accepted by parliament and the new regime will then be 100 per cent official as law.

ELSPA’s director general Michael Rawlinson told MCV: “It’s the end of a long journey, but we’ve ended up with the right solution for the industry and consumers. The sooner the final statutory instruments are passed and the new system becomes official, the better for gamers and games buyers.

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Koch

“The fact that we hope it to be done in October, just ahead of the Christmas sales period, is particularly pleasing.”

Back Dated?

posted by Bob Jun 11, 2010 at 11:04 am
1
Bob

How is this going to work?

Are PEGI going to introduce new design for the age ratings, or will the legal nature of the ratings apply to all existing titles?

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Simple

posted by Luke Jun 12, 2010 at 9:46 pm
2
Luke

It's pretty simple. It fundamentally works the same way as the BBFC system. PEGI isn't changing, it's just that PEGI ratings will now be ratified in law - so selling a PEGI rated 15 or 18 rated game to a person under that age would be an offence.

All PEGI rated products would have this applied.

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