PEGI becomes sole UK games rating system

The PEGI rating system has become the single rating system for videogames here in the UK from today. Games now come with a rating of  12, 16 or 18. The BBFC rating system has now been shelved which should make things a little less confusing for parents wanting to keep track of what their kids are buying.

To coincide with the new rating system, the www.askaboutgames.com website has been revamped and helps parents understand the rating system. Dr Jo Twist, CEO of Ukie, added:

“As we mark the start of PEGI as the single video game age rating system, we’re delighted to use the opportunity to help parents to make informed decisions about which video games to choose for their family. A key way we’re doing this is through the re-launch of www.askaboutgames.com. We’d urge parents to use this really helpful tool to ensure that playing video games has the biggest positive impact on their children and family as a whole.

“We very much believe that the sole adoption of PEGI will provide clear and consistent direction on age ratings for parents and will be a vital tool in helping them to understand the types of games that their children should be playing.”

It still remains the job of The Games Ratings Authority (The Video Standards Council) to rate the games in the UK based on PEGI specifications. Laurie Hall, Director-General of the VSC says:

“Although the VSC has been rating games using the PEGI system since 2003, our role as the UK statutory video games regulator provides a new and challenging dimension to our work which, as always, places child-protection and parental information at the forefront of what we do. We look forward to our new role with relish using a proven games ratings information system.”

Supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s that sell videogames have also been displaying notices around stores to let customers know they will now have to show ID when purchaising a videogame. With the new single rating system it should make it much easier to keep tighter control over who is buying what.