Fearing an adults only rating would hamper sales in one of the game’s biggest markets, Blizzard is censoring the South Korean version of StarCraft II, recolouring blood and removing vulgar language to secure a more family friendly rating. More »
Responding to Dr. Tanya Byron’s findings that parents in the United Kingdom don’t seem to be familiar with the PEGI rating symbols, the Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) are introducing a traffic light system, reasoning that parents know that green means go, yellow means caution, and red means stop. Obviously they’ve never driven in my Atlanta suburb before, where yellow means “Go faster” and red means “Oh screw it, I’m late for pilates!”
“The world of gaming is fast moving and it is vital that we have a clear ratings system that is up to date with consumers’ needs. It has already been proven that everyone understands traffic light labelling, making it the perfect scheme for the industry to adopt.”
I suppose if the bright colours fail they can always force publishers to shape the game boxes based on the ratings, forcing parents to push them through the correct hole in order to buy them. Hit the jump for a larger version of this new, possibly but not actually parent-proof system.
The last thing gamers in the UK need is additional delays to the games that can already take months to make the jump from Japan and North America, but that’s just what they’ll get under the new system under consideration by the British government. Suggested in the Byron review, the new system would require games that would normally receive a 12+ PEGI rating be subjected to review by the British Board of Film Classification. Speaking to Eurogamer, EA UK head honcho Keith Ramsdale worries that the new system wouldn’t be in the gamers’ best interest.
