ELSPA has revealed details on the findings between the videogames industry and UK government from the consultancy over the Byron Review.
They say the BBFC re-graded ”almost 50 per cent” of PEGI’s 18 rated certifications. BBFC director David Cooke says they take cultural factors into consideration, which PEGI can’t.
”We’re British, and I do think it’s important even in an online game world to be able to take account of British sensibilities and we consult the public very widely when we revise out guidelines,” said BBFC director David Cooke.
”We attached great weight to tone and context, which is virtually impossible to do with a pan-national system,” he explained.
The ELSPA claim this division between the ratings rivals is bad for the UK’s gaming populace and the younger generations in particular.
”The BBFCs downgrading of games opens up the potential of unnecessary risk for UK children and teenagers when playing games against other non-UK players online,” claims ELSPA.
”Last year, of the 50 games that PEGI rated 18+ and passed to the BBFC for classification, the film rating board downgraded 22 of them – almost 50 per cent.”
”If the UK were to ‘go it alone’ on age ratings, children would not be properly protected in the online space which is by far the most rapidly growing segment of the video games market,” concluded their report.
While the BBFC and ELSPA play ‘whose is bigger’, I’m sure the British Government will make a sound decision on who holds the fate of little stickers in their bureaucratic hands.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz
