New age controls on game

Video games are to be governed by a simpler and stronger age-rating system under new proposals, the government said.

The new system will stop inappropriate video games being sold to children under the age of 12 and give the industry simpler rules for rating games according to age, according to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

All games sold in the UK are regulated under the Europe-wide PEGI (Pan European Game Information) scheme with the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) providing 15 and 18 certificates that are legally enforceable here.

The new proposals will end the BBFC’s role in rating video games, unless they contain explicit sexual content that warrants an R18 rating, but make all PEGI ratings made by the UK-based Video Standards Council (VSC) legally enforceable.