Row Over U.K. Games Ratings

By DT Staff Published October 25, 2009

A dispute has broken out about the classification of video games in the UK. Currently, that job falls to the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), but the games industry, Elspa, is calling on the government to change that jurisdiction to its own voluntary system, Pegi, according to the BBC.

The BBFC ratings are backed by law.

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Elspa backs the Pegi system because it’s the “gold standard” and "designed specifically for interactive software."

Several months ago a study concluded that both ratings should be used packages, the BBFC classification on the front, the Pegi rating on the back. The government has urged the two bodies to work together prior to any official consultation, but Peter Johnson, head of policy and business development for the BBFC, said:

"Unfortunately, Elspa have said they don’t want to talk to us about that until after consultation. They have also encouraged some of their members not to talk to us."

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