The studio in charge of Duke Nukem Forever asked that press not film a trailer featuring strippers,”the word f—-ing” in giant letters and an alien getting punched in the balls repeatedly, because it risks a harsh rating.
Switzerland recently passed two acts meant to clamp down on violent video games, but has yet to enact them while the government determines the standards under which a game considered too violent. Apparently, only 12 titles would fit the description.
The UK Government has adopted the PEGI (Pan European Game Information) standard as the sole game content rating system. PEGI has revealed its new ratings icons:
The war between the British Board of Film Classification and the Pan-European Game Information system over UK game ratings comes to an end today, with PEGI to act as the UK’s sole age rating system.
The consultation period for the UK’s Byron Review into age ratings and the effects of videogames on children has now concluded and the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) have presented their report to the UK Government.
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 ongoing debate between the British Board of Film Classification and the Pan-European Game Information system over who should be left to rate video games has recently been locked in at a feverish pitch. The argument, one which one day we may see come to U.S. shores, is steeped, I think, in some very interesting issues.
I’ve been so intrigued by the debate that I recently commissioned a freelancer to tackle the story, talking to both sides, and the ESRB, about the issues at hand and why both feel they should be the one left in charge.
After an interview with the British Board of Film Classification our writer reached out to PEGI for a similar interview, only to be asked to hand over the transcript of the BBFC interview and questioned on Kotaku’s support of PEGI.
It seems that the PR agency handling PEGI is willing to set up an interview, but only if we side with them. The full letter, minus the names, on the jump.
While it’s common knowledge that LucasArts has been working on a next-generation Indiana Jones game for quite some time now, we haven’t heard anything about an Indy game coming to the PSP and DS – until now. A rating has shown up on European game rating organisation PEGI for Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings, a title for the two major handheld systems. While it may be news to us, folks in the know seem to have known about the title for quite some time. While we have absolutely no information on the title other than the name, I think it is safe to assume it involves Indiana Jones, some sort of staff, and possibly some kings, either present or implied. Thanks Pan European Gaming Information! You’ve been informative as always.
Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings [PEGI via Siliconera]
After the Bryon Review suggested a new system requiring games that would normally receive a 12+ Pan European Game Information (PEGI) rating be subjected to review by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), publishers like EA started to worry about even longer UK game release delays. Both the BBFC and PEGI are trying to carve out control in a UK game ratings power scramble. Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association head Paul Jackson explains why PEGI is superior to the BBFC:
