News - PEGI games ratings legally enforceable from today

[HEXUS]

Retailers can be prosecuted for selling age inappropriate games.

Read more.

[BobF64]

Now they just need to interrogate each purchaser to make sure theyre not some clueless relative buying for someone under age.

[AGTDenton]

Thankfully I'm beyond any age rating, but if I had kids, I'm not so sure I agree that 7 year olds should be enlightened by drug references.

[Roobubba]

I definitely welcome this news. It basically changes nothing for us gamers but does show those clueless parents who have bought GTA for their kids and then been astonished to find that it is really, really not suitable, that the guidance is there for a reason and that they should treat games the same way they would films. There's absolutely no reason to crack down on the use of violence, drugs, sex and swearing within games - just as there isn't in films - it is the job of the director to set the tone of the game, decide on the feel and the target audience, and then accept whatever rating the end product is given upon inspection. A uniform, accepted and in principle enforceable system of age restriction can only be a good thing in the long run.

Who knows, perhaps we'll start to see a lessening of the cretinous argument that violent computer games make people commit acts of mass murder... Hopefully this won't have the opposite effect...

[howdee]

Just curious, what ratings do games with settings for blood/violence/gore/nudity/... get? This could get confusing for parents if they're required to setup the game properly depending on what they allow their children to "experience" and what they don't. A game selling as PEGI 18+ could just as well be set to be acceptable to 12 years old or younger. Would that information then be included with PEGI ratings?

[Whiternoise]

More details here: http://www.pegi.info/en/index/id/33/

For the most part they're pretty sane. The categories are flexible, so a 7+ game might still have violence in it but it would be non-graphic fantasty stuff (e.g. Zelda) rather than Postal style cat-shotguns. If you notice they even allow violence in a 3+ game provided it is clearly comical and slapstick, giving the example of Bugs Bunny.

Thankfully I'm beyond any age rating, but if I had kids, I'm not so sure I agree that 7 year olds should be enlightened by drug references.

It may be a really loose reference, like a character saying "Are you high?". Games with obvious drug use are going to be rated older anyway.

Maybe it's really OTT and even Mario and his 'shrooms are out.

[Blademrk]

Maybe it's really OTT and even Mario and his 'shrooms are out.

That made me laugh, Mario classified as 16+ due to drug use

[howdee]

Maybe it's really OTT and even Mario and his 'shrooms are out.

)) or Bioshock EVE Hypo, Deus Ex Neuropozyne, ... it would be helpful if PEGI includes clear definitions of what they mean with different ratings (I've read through their page, not much there). Google is of no help there with define:drug "A substance that has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body, in particular." and definehysiological "of or relating to the biological study of physiology; physiological psychology; Pavlov's physiological theories." (or definehysiology "The branch of biology that deals with the normal functions of living organisms and their parts."). PEGI does not even distinguish between drugs in general, many of them used for perfectly legit reasons, and illegal drugs. At least with their descriptions they don't.

[OilSheikh]

Just curious, what ratings do games with settings for blood/violence/gore/nudity/... get? This could get confusing for parents if they're required to setup the game properly depending on what they allow their children to "experience" and what they don't. A game selling as PEGI 18+ could just as well be set to be acceptable to 12 years old or younger. Would that information then be included with PEGI ratings?

It will be classed as 18. If the parent thinks there 12 year is old enough to play an 18 year old game, they deserve to be jailed.

[howdee]

It will be classed as 18. If the parent thinks there 12 year is old enough to play an 18 year old game, they deserve to be jailed.

Most 12 years old don't care much for 18 year old games no matter how much their parents insist on it anyway LOL

[aidanjt]

It will be classed as 18. If the parent thinks there 12 year is old enough to play an 18 year old game, they deserve to be jailed.

I was watching 18-rated movies when I was 12, never did me any harm.

[snootyjim]

I was watching 18-rated movies when I was 12, never did me any harm.

No, but that doesn't necessarily go for everyone.

[Behemoth]

I was playing Doom 2 when I was 13 which I think was a 15 on release.

Not everyone though reacts the same way to different types of content at certain age groups. I for one am for this, used to get it all the time, parents coming in buying games which were far too old for their kids to have. I always ued to make a point when I wroked for Curry's of decliing the sale of games with 18 or 15 on them when purchased by an adult with the child they intended to buy the game for. I used to get cursed for it on several occassions but pointed out that I was not allowed to sell it to the child, and if I felt an adult was buying it for the child I had the right to refuse to sell it to them.

That usually meant people would get shirty and shout at me and then take their business elsewhere, but well didn't worry me, at least I knew I was doing the right thing.

[aidanjt]

No, but that doesn't necessarily go for everyone.

Has there ever been a single paper which shows adult-rated content harms teenagers?

[MrBozack]

I think the rating system is terrible. Look at the game Super Smash Bros: Brawl for example. It's about Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog and other cartoon characters. Yet it's rated as a 12+ because of fantasy violence. Strangely enough, the game appeals to children around 5 years of age.

I agree with the bad language and drug references - but can gaming really be called violence? Does killing zombies with AK47 make you stab your neighbours? Statistics say "No".

In the 1980's kids could buy games like NARC. It involved collecting marijuana plants and bosses who shot syringes. It was a great little shooter. There were plenty of violent games too. Yie Ar Kung-Fu, Rambo - you name it. We didn't have any of this fun-spoiling.

I think Ned Flanders chooses the ratings.

[Jingee]

Maybe it's really OTT and even Mario and his 'shrooms are out.

Mario is now 18, as it CLEARLY depicts an acid/mushroom trip... I like it.