EU Commission looks to harmonize game age restrictions
by Ross Miller 
{ Jan 11th 2007 at 7:33PM }
Are you thinking about selling little Francois Quatorze (that's "fourteen" in French) that copy of Dead Rising he keeps eyeballing? Think again. European Union Justice and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini is seeking to harmonize the rules concerning the sale of video games to minors. The Reuters article specifically cites 16 as the age in question, as Europe ratings board PEGI uses a 16+ rating for games typically rated "T" for Teen by the ESRB. Frattini opines that under current EU-wide rules, retailers still do not consistently check the consumer's age when selling 16-rated video games.
Said Frattini, "I do want to harmonise rules ... punishing people illegally selling products, people not controlling and checking identity."
The key element here is that Frattini does not want to universal agreement as to which games receive what age restrictions, as the tolerance of certain content factors differ amongst the EU's 27 nations. Germany, for example, recently banned (by means of ratings refusal) a handful of high-profile titles such as Gears of War, Dead Rising, and Crackdown.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rapheal @ Jan 11th 2007 8:01PM
Cool, maybe this can lower the crime rates over here.
Read my blog for info on that sorta stuff.
Jigzat @ Jan 11th 2007 8:25PM
Cool, maybe this can lower online ruined games because kids playing it.
Damian @ Jan 11th 2007 8:36PM
As long as this doesn't affect censoring in specific countries that's fine. I like in the U.K and we have one of the most liberal games censoring boards in Europe, very little is cut from games compared to countries like German.
Manos @ Jan 11th 2007 9:33PM
Just a little clarification. Most of the time the equivalent of a T rating in Europe is 12+. 16+ is reserved for those in between cases that would not fit in the 12+ or 18+ categories.
Sameth @ Jan 11th 2007 9:51PM
Not sure wether this helps the argument or not, but i thought I'd put in here that having worked in videogames stores, we have always been told that pegi ratings are guidelines, and only official bbfc ratings (pg, 15, 18 etc) are enforcable by law. Of course, that doesnt stop us recommending to Mr/Mrs Public that GTA San Andreas probably isnt an appropriate game for thier 8 year old son..
EdZ @ Jan 12th 2007 7:26AM
In the UK, games conform to the movie rating system (i.e. you have U/P.G for anyone under 12/12+, 15 for anyone over 15 (tits and occasional swearing), and 18 for gratuitous nudity/swearing/ridiculous violence).
The ratings are also enforced in the same way as movies: If a clerk sells a game to someone under the age rating, the clerk is liable. QED. No 'I didn't know' defense if they didn't ask for ID.
Hilario @ Jan 12th 2007 7:57AM
Correction: the EU wants the member countries to use the PEGI system. Germany does not currently use PEGI, they have their own system (USK, Unabhängige Software Kontrolle = Independent Software Control or something like that).
The USK is a council that rates games AFTER they are finished, which can be difficult for developers. PEGI on the other hand is much more transparent: the developer has to answer standardized queries, and usually knows BEFOREHAND, what rating their game will get. I think it is safe to say, the PEGI is the better system, nobody wants a european USK.
On the other hand, isn't Frattini the guy who was involved in the Rule of Rose controversy in Italy? Not someone who understands a lot about games, I would assume.
Hilario @ Jan 12th 2007 8:05AM
In addition to commenter #6: here in Switzerland (not even in the EU), the PEGI system is enforced as well: retail has to make sure they enforce PEGI. If they sell games to underage children, the store gets fined. Stores that do not want to check IDs can't sell games with 16+/18+ ratings at all - the distributors do not ship the games to them.
This essentially moves the responsibilty to the parents. This has to be the goal for the industry: make sure the parents are in the loop and cannot be bypassed. The rest is their problem.
Nicolas Redfern @ Jan 12th 2007 12:56PM
#6 Most games in the UK use PEGI, its just not legally enforceable. Only games with lots of violence etc or volunteer have BBFC (film) ratings. These are legally enforced. Also games hardly ever get cut here, unless the maker wants to get a lower rating.
Sidepocket @ Jan 15th 2007 12:11PM
To the "our games do not get cut here".
I dunno about you guys but I import games from the UK for awhile and I realise that they offten cut out characters who have knifes because of that wonderfull prohibition were you country thought that banning guns was a good idea.
On that note, rating system boards, STOP WITH THE DAMN PLUSSES! E10+, 16+, NO BODY CARES OR UNDERSTANDS THIS!?! -,-;