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News UK Gov favours PEGI over BBFC for game ratings

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Sifter3000, 17 Jun 2009.

  1. Sifter3000

    Sifter3000 I used to be somebody

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  2. Darkedge

    Darkedge Minimodder

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    thank god they made that decision. If we'd had the BBFC it would mean a different UK system to the rest of Europe and the DEATH of the UK games industry.
    PEGI is perfectly suitable and the correct age logos they now have colour coded are fine - Now lets educate parents and make sure shops enforce it.
     
  3. smc8788

    smc8788 Multimodder

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    What do you mean? We've had BBFC ratings on games for over a decade and I would hardly say the UK games industry is dead, more like growing faster than ever.

    It's not like anyone paid any attention to what rating logos were on the box anyway, so I'm not exactly sure how it would influence sales.
     
  4. ChaosDefinesOrder

    ChaosDefinesOrder Vapourmodder

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    hmm yeah good one BBFC, because a single number on a box really shows the same information as a drugs symbol, a violence symbol and a foul language symbol.

    Age ratings are not a single catch all for content, a description of the content is much more informative. "18" can mean anything from sex scenes only, to a Tarantino film.
     
  5. Skiddywinks

    Skiddywinks Minimodder

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    Great. More control over our country given to Europe.

    Not that it really matters in the long run, but I don't see the point in changing something that has worked for us for over a decade. Besides, they have a point; Europe has a very different culture to Britain. The BBFC was in the better position to judge our games.

    Ah well.
     
  6. joe-amnesiac

    joe-amnesiac CPC emigrant

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    But gory games rely on having the big red 18 stamped on the front. I don't see why someone would bother if it only gained a 12 rating, only one of my games has it. Lots have the 18 and 15 age ratings, I thin they are better because people already recognise them, much easier having 3 red ratings rather than the dull grey 5 of PEGI.

    BBFC Cheesecake.
     
  7. Veles

    Veles DUR HUR

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    PEGI rate all our games anyway, the BBFC only look at it if it's been rated over 15 by PEGI I think it is. So no, there is no more control given to big bad Europe. PEGI has always been there, now we're just removing the redundant extra BBFC classification from our games that are 15 or 18.

    Reminds me of US teenages who "only play M-rated games because anything else is for children". There are plenty of amazing games that are below a 15 rating out there.
     
  8. Goty

    Goty Minimodder

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    That's the kicker, though; educating the parents. Even if parents are educated, however, there will still be some that go in a throw a tantrum when a store won't sell a sex, drug, and violence filled game to their 12 year old kid.
     
  9. _DTM2000_

    _DTM2000_ Minimodder

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    Hmm, this is a bit odd really. If games are no longer going to have an age rating then how are you supposed to dictate who can buy what type of games and who's going to make the decision? Have I missed something?

    It's not like the old days where mummy takes little Billy to the shop with his pocket money to buy a fun new game that mummy checks is suitable. Kids go and buy games on their own with their own money unless they're really young. So how is the sales assistant supposed to judge if someone is old enough or mentally mature/stable enough to play a game that involves violence or drug use for instance? I don't understand how this can be managed.
     
  10. Blademrk

    Blademrk Why so serious?

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    Never really paid much attention to the PEGI logos before, it's obvious that the World with 3 computers means the game has an online componant and the fist is for violence, syringe for drugs and dice for gambling, etc...- but what's the spider logo for?

    Venomous edges to the disc?
    Game may contain bugs?
    Don't play if you suffer from arachnophobia (game may contain spiders)?
    Game only suitable for Spiderman?
     
  11. smc8788

    smc8788 Multimodder

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    Yes, this:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegi#Age_ratings
     
  12. sear

    sear Guest

    Is it just me or are those rating icons rather offensive?

    First of all, you have "bad language", as if PEGI is there to make a judgment call on what constitutes "bad". Is "bad" language simply language inappropriate for young children, or is it negative language? A better term might be "offensive language" or "cursing" but even those are somewhat nebulous.

    Second, you have the sex icon there, a link male and female symbols. While I thought it was a little clever at first, it's discriminatory because it reinforces heteronormative relationships. They could have come up with something a bit more socially aware and gender-neutral.

    Third, there is the discrimination icon. Okay, seriously guys, what the ****? You've got two white guys who look like they're about to beat the crap out of a black guy. While I have nothing much against the "discrimination" qualifier (the ESRB doesn't do the same, and frankly about 95% of games should get it - try finding a minority character that isn't a stereotype, it's almost impossible save for one or two exceptions), the imagery there is just laughable because it implies that discrimination a) is only racial b) is only experienced by minorities (not to say it isn't in the vast majority of cases) and c) only applies to particular minority groups, i.e. whites and blacks. It's as binary as the superficial racial signifiers that we inappropriately utilise on a daily basis.

    A lot of people might say that I'm worrying too much or that they're "just little pictures", but they are evidence of the ideologies that permeate the mass media, and they are continually being recreated and transmitted to others. We need to change that.
     
  13. liratheal

    liratheal Sharing is Caring

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    You are worrying too much.

    Language generally considered inappropriate for younger audiences tends to be the typical 'taboo' words. It is 'bad' language.

    The other two are not about enforcing any particular stereotypes - It's about the most obvious and easily understood symbols, an effort to make this simple.

    Complicating it to be nice and flowery for heterosexual and homosexual couples and every type of discrimination would take most of the back of a box. It'd be over the top, misunderstood, and totally useless.

    These are about easily recognisable, easily understood warnings.

    That's exactly what they are.
     
  14. sear

    sear Guest

    Why you can't create easy-to-understand symbols that don't enforce negative ideologies is beyond me.

    In the early 1900s, blackface was also an "easily recognisable" symbol.
     
  15. Cobalt

    Cobalt What's a Dremel?

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    Well maybe its because you're being pedantic and looking for something to be wrong with it. Think of an example of better symbols that are just as easily recognisable. I will probably be able to find similar complaints about them.
     
  16. liratheal

    liratheal Sharing is Caring

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    If you get an offensive message from any of those, you're jumping at shadows.

    There is nothing 'bad' about these logos, and to say they're unacceptable because they could be misinterpreted is ridiculous.

    To be 'perfect' in your eyes they'd have to plaster the box with several different versions of most of those just to cover some very simple messages.

    How would you depict discrimination without one group excluding an another?

    How would you depict sexual relationships without using the male/female symbols?

    If you go with two of the same sex symbol, then you get the implication that the game is about gay/lesbian relations - that'd kill sales in certain areas faster than taking it off the shelves, you'd get a similar situation to the Fox/Mass Effect situation because of a little logo trying to tell purchasers that there is sexual references in the game.

    Out of curiosity, have you looked at the descriptions of each of these symbols?
     
  17. Fod

    Fod what is the cheesecake?

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    re: the racial discrimintation logo, you are also assuming that the logo is meant to have a literal interpretation. White and black can mean things other than skin colour, y'know. And, honestly speaking, I understood it to have that metaphorical meaning.
     
  18. SMIFFYDUDE

    SMIFFYDUDE Supermodders on my D

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    sear, it is just you. The symbols have to be instantly understandable, and I think they have come up with a pretty good set of them. The discrimination symbol has 2 white guys and a black one cos all the symbols are black and white, and about the contains sex symbol, what do you want? A pair of tits, a spirting cock, a three in a bed scene, what? I suppose we could go back to BBFC way of doing things, that can't possibly offend anyone. Oh except Arithmophobics.

    How do ever leave the house if your offended by things like cautionary symbols on game cases.
     
    liratheal likes this.
  19. Bauul

    Bauul Sir Bongaminge

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    I agree. I always just presumed the colours to mean "different", not literally black and white. They're not even real skin colours, no-one is that black or that white. Stop seeing prejudice where there isn't any.

    Edit: Just having another look at the symbol: no black guy has hair like the silhouetted man in the symbol. Er-go: it's not a black man, just a silhouetted white/asian/anyone else with hair like that guy.
     
  20. liratheal

    liratheal Sharing is Caring

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    I'm sure there's at least one black dude with no hairstyle taste :p
     
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