Government Scraps BBFC Game Ratings News

As part of its Digital Britain report this afternoon, the government has decided to abolish BBFC ratings and reposition PEGI age ratings as the sole game classification system in the UK.

The new ruling will see the PEGI system being implemented by the Video Standards Council (VSC) for all games that are released in the region. Both the VSC and the Netherlands Institute for the Classification of Audiovisual Media (which administers the PEGI system) have been working together on game ratings for a number of years already.
 
"Protecting children and giving parents a clear and robust new system has always been our starting point," said Creative Industries Minister Siôn Simon (reports gi.biz). "The new system of classification follows the essential criteria set out by Professor Tanya Byron, who recommended a trustworthy, uniform and clear set of symbols that is flexible and future proof."

"We will now work with PEGI and the VSC to agree exactly what the new symbols will look like and how they will work in the UK market, to ensure they provide the clarity and safeguards that are needed," continued Simon.

The UK's Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), which has strongly backed the PEGI system since the Byron report's publication last year, has been quick to praise the government's decision.

"The Government has made absolutely the right decision for child safety," said ELSPA's Director General, Mike Rawlinson. "By choosing PEGI as the single classification system in the UK, British children will now get the best possible protection when playing videogames either on a console or on the internet. Parents can be assured that they will have access to clear, uniform ratings on games and an accurate understanding of game content."

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has also been quick to respond to the government's ruling, with the board's Director, David Cooke commenting:

"The BBFC has always supported PEGI and wished it well, but it continues to believe that it satisfies these requirements better than PEGI. However, it will cooperate fully in the detailed work needed to give effect to the Government's decision. And it must be independent in substance as well as appearance, reaching its decisions and providing information on the basis of its own detailed assessments."

For a more in-depth look at the issues behind the government's decision today, take a look at our 'ELSPA Comes Out Fighting For PEGI' feature.