What's the differnce between PEGI and BBFC?
Is PEGI just advisory or can stores refuse to make sales to people under the age limit? Who decides which games are done by who?
What's the differnce between PEGI and BBFC?
Is PEGI just advisory or can stores refuse to make sales to people under the age limit? Who decides which games are done by who?
PEGI ratings are voluntary, it's up to the game developer if they want their game PEGI rated the BBFC will give it a rating either way and if I remember rightly it's only BBFC age restrictions that are enforcable in retail outlets.
Strictly speaking, the BBFC is just another company like PEGI that does ratings.
BBFC ratings are also not enforced by the government country wide - it's up to local councils to decide what age monitoring (if any) they follow.
This can lead to the crazy situation where a shop on one side of the road can sell a game, yet the one on the other side can't, even with the same BBFC rating (although this very rarely happens for obvious reasons). Councils have the power here!
I can't remember what film it was, but something happened a few years ago where one council let a film show which no other council would, I think it was in London, but Google isn't being helpful
It also means that when the council doesn't have all the correct papers / licensing in place that retail outlets can sell BBFC 18 games with little that can be done about it.
Interesting, I was under the impression that the same age monitoring guidelines were enforced nationwide rather than locally it seems strange to fragment the system like that.
Fair play, learn something new every day![]()
As far as i'm aware, BBFC slap on the stuff that is serious - and they also cover films. In most places, if you sell a BBFC rated product to an underage customer then you're liable for prosecution. PEGI is solely designed to tell parents about what a game contains, as such it gives an age guideline (ie 3+ to 18+) and a list of things telling you whether the game contains sex, drugs usage, etc. It is at the game developer's discretion whether to put a PEGI rating on a game (for instance my copy of Fallout 3 doesn't have anything on it, but Battlefield 2 does, EA uses it on all their games i believe).
Agent is correct (although as i'll continue, not entirely), it's down to local authorities to decide whether things can be shown/sold to underage people, but to quote wikipedia - "they almost always follow the BBFC's recommendations". However the L.A. clause ONLY applies to cinemas - ie films.
General video releases, such as those in games MUST be approved by some government appointed body and those ratings are legally binding (the BBFC is the government's designated rating body). This gives rise to the rather annoying clause that you can't buy/sell foreign games legally in shops unless they've been given a rating by the BBFC (so no trade-ins on US games!).
http://www.sbbfc.co.uk/student_guide_legislation3.asp
Here's where it gets interesting. Why are some games rated and some not? Well, the key is in what they contain. You'll find that games which have violence in are all rated and those like sports just have a PEGI rating (ie suitable for all). So, NFL 2008 will remain unclassified as it's a sports title, but GTA is rated 18 as it covers pretty much the entire BBFC exception list!Exempt videos
The VRA did, however, state that certain types of video works do not require classification by the BBFC. These are:
* video works that, taken as a whole, are designed to inform, educate or instruct
* video works that are predominantly concerned with sport, religion or music
* video games
This exemption is, however, lost if the work depicts, to any significant extent, any one of the following:
* human sexual activity or acts of force or restraint associated with such activity
* mutilation or torture of, or other gross violence towards, humans or animals
* human genital organs or urinary or excretory functions
* techniques likely to be useful in the commission of offences
Exemption is also forfeit if a work is likely to encourage sexual activity or acts of force associated with it, violence, or the commission of criminal offences. In such cases the work must be classified by the BBFC before it can be legally distributed.
The selling bit is also partially down to the store. For instance, in GAME we were told by our managers when GTA:IV was release that we were allowed to refuse sale if we suspected an adult was buying the game for a minor. Whilst the store has a duty to remain true to the BBFC ratings, and they'll be screwed if they flout them, they also have the power to refuse sales to people over-age.The 1994 legislation also redefined the nature of a 'video work' so as to more clearly include video games. Although the majority of games remained exempt from classification, the BBFC would now consider those games that included, amongst other things, gross violence, sexual activity, nudity and criminal acts.
Computer games have now been around for over twenty years. In the early days, the comparatively pitiful processing power available to programmers meant that games were simple and uncontentious affairs. Games like 3D Monster Maze on the ZX81 were blocky and jerky and would pose no classification issues if they were to come before the BBFC today. However, two major changes have taken place since then that have led to the BBFC having a much more significant influence over the classification of games. First of all, processing power has increased almost exponentially, to the degree that games like Half Life II mimic real life in a way that was inconceivable back in the early days. Secondly, the gaming public has grown up with the medium; the average games-player is now in his or her late 20s and is demanding more adult content. Games like GTA: San Andreas cater for this demand.
Last edited by Whiternoise; 22-03-2009 at 02:41 AM.
Good post Whiternoise, very informative.
It was David Cronenberg's Crash. It was released country wide but then Westminster City Council stepped in and banned it from their local area.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/cr...r-1253905.htmlThe controversial film Crash will open in the West End of London despite being banned by Westminster City Council.
Going back to the OP, it's up to the store to decide whether they'll follow the PEGI rating or not. If they want to refuse to sell you a game based on it's PEGI rating then it's their choice, there's no legal requirement for them to sell it just because it's an advisory rating.
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