Games Ratings Ignored By Parents News
Jon Wilcox
22/06/2005
New research reveals that parents ignore age ratings on videogames...
New research has been revealed at the ELPSA International Games Summit in London that shows parents are ignoring the age ratings system on videogames. Speaking at the summit Jurgen Freund, a Researcher for Swiss study group Modulum said that, âMost parents think their child is mature enough so that these games will not influence them."
The UK utilises both the PEGI (Pan European Games Information) and the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) rating systems on videogame releases, and recently the BBFC symbol has even been made larger and more prominent on game packaging.
The news comes just days after a New York Senator demanded that Microsoft and Sony remove UK publisher Eidosâ license because of Cops and Robbers title â25 To Life,â and on-going developments in Japan where three provincial governments are looking into adding age restrictions to games.
The fact is that there is a real need for parents to realise that there are videogames that have an adult target audience. A more active sense of responsibility needs to be mustered if the sensationalist conservative headlines that seem to appear on an annual basis, calling for certain games to be banned are to stop.
Weâll have more news shortly...