Legal blunder leaves UK game ratings unenforceable
by JC Fletcher 
on Aug 25th 2009 11:00AM
A recently discovered error means that the 1984 Video Recordings Act, which regulates the classification and sale of videos, never actually passed into law in the UK.
The Times, which shrilly claims in its headline that children are now "unprotected," reports that "Officials in the Home Office had failed to notify the European Commission of the existence of the Act as they were required to do so under an EU directive." Of specific interest to gamers: the law regulates the classification and sale of video games as well. It is this law that
would give the
PEGI rating system its legal backing.
That means that, right now, the UK ratings system has as much legal force as the ESRB ratings system --
no legal force.
ELSPA says that publishers should continue rating games as normal for now. If we see a spike in
GTA sales next week, we're going to call your parents.
