As the findings of the Byron Report are due to be made known in the UK, it is now highly expected that Gordon Brown will introduce a cinema-style rating for all videogames. This would give sole responsibility of videogame rating to the British Board of Film Classification -- Britain's independent ratings body -- and effectively snub Europe's PEGI ratings system.
The BBFC appears to relish the idea of the (not yet confirmed) power to rate all videogames. "BBFC is a rating people understand from film and DVD, so it might give parents a bit more peace of mind," stated BBFC spokesperson Sue Clark. "It would mean a bigger workload – but that’s our problem, not the industry’s – and we know we could handle it."
The BBFC even criticized PEGI ratings, saying that they confused parents. The BBFC already rates a good deal of games anyway, and was quick to point out that this move would merely "widen" the board's responsibilities. PEGI, meanwhile, has claimed otherwise, arguing that rating games in the same manner as films would represent a "step back" for Britain and resents the idea.
"If we are to see a move to movie-like classification, I would see it as a mistake. But I cannot speak for the UK public – or the UK Government," claimed Interactive Software Federation of Europe director general Patrice Chazerand. The ISFE is responsible for the current PEGI rating system and shares game ratings with the BBFC.
Provided both systems would ensure my liberty as a grown adult to pick the games I want to play, then I would be fine with either one. However, all I know is that the BBFC, liberal as it may be, still won't give me the choice to purchase Manhunt 2 legally. Any encroachment on that sort of simple freedom is a worrying mark in my book.
Contest:
1:23 PM on 02.18.2008
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I am in awe
now if you'll excuse me I'll go back to staring at it
That is all.
The black boxes are quite easy to miss/ignore and if working in retail has taught me anything is that people are stupid, lazy and have no common sense. A lot of people also don't even know the PEGI rating's there....it must be the fake Burberry caps that block their vision...
Since the BBFC regulate a lot of games already I don't think this will actually affect us that much... they will still ban the same games whether they had this new classification system or not. Also it gives us a bit more of an argument against all them would be J.Thompsons out there if the BBFC puts some legal muscle against the sale of "murder simulators" to minors
If anything, it'll shut the Daily Fucking Mail up...
haha lol I don't think anything will ever shut up the Daily Fail or the Torygraph for that matter
and Mr Sterling I do believe that this would make a most excellent topic on the next podcatle
As far as the UK goes I really have no clue as I'm unfamiliar with both sets of ratings systems.
I've purchased U.S games before and I do think it needs a dash of eyecatching red to it like ours in the U.K.
As for giving the BBFC all of our games to rate, without PEGIs help, it might just turn into a shit storm. After bullshit biased Manhunt 2 debacle, can you honestly say, that you trust them to judge our games fairly and properly? I doubt it and we'd probably see more games banned for no reason.
The other thing that's dangerous is that total BBFC control could well slow the release of uk games down to a drip, with more edits too. Surely we don't want to go there.