BBFC To Extend Control Over Game Ratings??? News
Jon Wilcox
11/02/2008
Reports in one UK newspaper suggest stricter mandatory age ratings could be recommended in the Byron Review...
Despite being a few weeks away from publication, it's been suggested by one UK newspaper that the Byron Review - which aims to evaluate the exposure to videogames and the internet by children - may recommend the introduction of a strict mandatory age rating system for all games.
Currently, videogames classified for mature audiences by the Pan European Game Information (PEGI) board are also rated by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), which can then decide on whether to give mandatory minimum age limits to 15 and 18 certified titles. All videogames in the UK - and thirty other countries - are already submitted to PEGI, though its age rating system act as a guideline, and do not have to be enforced. The review may see the BBFC take on the added responsibility or rating all games set for release in the UK.
In addition, The Guardian also reports that the Government will advise parents to restrict videogame consoles to rooms where the content can then observed. Of course, if retailers and parents have already acted responsibly then there'd be very little cause for concern over the content in the first place.
Further details are due in March, when the Byron Review is published jointly by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Culture Media and Sport.