Check Mate…BBFC hand over games censorship to the VSC today

Read more VSC and PEGI Watch at MelonFarmers.co.uk

See  news from  bbfc.co.uk See also article from  bbc.com

From 30 July and with a few limited exceptions, the responsibility for classifying video games falls to the Video Standards Council, applying the PEGI system. The BBFC will continue to classify all games featuring strong pornographic (R18 level) content and ancillary games attached to a wider, primarily linear submission. The BBFC will also examine and offer a determination on certain linear content in video games. This determination will help the Video Standards Council in reaching an overall classification for the video game. The BBFC will offer a determination for linear content which does not contribute to the narrative drive of the game, whether this footage is live action or computer generated; embedded in the game or simply contained on the game disc. Examples of such linear content include the TV material created for the GTA series; video rewards for completing certain tasks or levels within the game; or other video content which does not contribute to the narrative drive of the video game. The BBFC will continue to classify all non-game linear content on a game disc, such as trailers and featurettes.

Game Over for the BBFC…Game censors of the GRA to take over from the BBFC on the 30th July 2012

Read more VSC and PEGI Watch at MelonFarmers.co.uk

See  article from  computerandvideogames.com

The much-delayed implementation of PEGI as the sole UK video game rating system is now expected to come into force on July 30. Games will be more or less self rated using PEGI age classifications of 7,12,16 and 18, along with comments about the type of content. The Games Rating Authority (GRA), a division of the Video Standards Council (VSC), will oversee the ratings process, with powers to ban and censor where necessary. Meanwhile Resident Evil 6 may be one of the last major games to obtain a BBFC certificate. (The cover is already sporting a PEGI rating on advance publicity pictures). See article from bbfc.co.uk Resident Evil 6 was passed 18 uncut for strong violence and gore. The game boasts 255:00s of video footage or cut scenes.

GRA Shares its Plans…More from Laurie Hall on games censorship under the GRA

Read more VSC and PEGI Watch at MelonFarmers.co.uk

See  article from  gamesindustry.biz

The Games Rating Authority, a part of the Video Standards Council, will take over video games censorship from the BBFC next month. The group will use PEGI ratings and symbols, as used across Europe, eg age restrictions will be set at 12, 16 and 18. The PEGI ratings have been used for sometime on games not featuring realistic video but now they will be used for all games. Laurie Hall is the director general of the Video Standards Council, the organisation that handles the PEGI rating process in the UK. For clarity sake the Video Standards Council will use the name Games Rating Authority for its new role. The new mantra for the GRA will be: Games aren’t just for kids. Be responsible . For Hall, the real problem is with parents not realising that games content can now be every bit as graphic as anything in a movie. A lot of parents wouldn’t allow their 12-year-old to watch an ’18′-rated film, Hall agrees: But play an ’18′-rated game? They’re more inclined to. We’ve got to get the message across. PEGI is stricter than the BBFC, insists Hall somewhat censorially: We’re not ashamed of that at all, because the methodology of rating films is not appropriate for rating games. Games and films are totally different And with the enthusiasm of a new censor, he stresses: We will have the power to ban a game in the UK. And he outlines the process for banning games, that he considers transparent, fair and legally tight, and which required the Government’s approval. An Appeals Panel has been set-up, chaired by Baroness Kennedy, a barrister. And beyond that, there’s an Expert Advisory Panel, comprising Tanya Byron, media violence specialist Dr Guy Cumberbatch, and Geoffrey Roberston QC. Hall explains: Why we set up the Expert Advisory Panel is the ability to ban a game under the law is very complex – it’s an expert matter. We can only ban something if it is likely to cause harm to the viewer or society in general. You interpret that! The Panel will not be making the decision – what they will do is advise the designated officers of the factors they must consider in reaching their decision. It was put in place to make sure if a banning decision ever was made it was as watertight as it possibly could be.

The Rating Waiting Game…Provisional date set for BBFC to hand over censorship duties for video games

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See article from mcvuk.com

An update from games trade body UKIE says than pan-European PEGI games ratings will become law on July 23rd. This is still a provisional date though. From that date retailers could face prosecution or a fine if selling video games with PEGI ratings 12, 16 and 18  to those under those ages. The PEGI rating system will be administered by the Games Rating Authority, the name for a group operating as part of the Video Standards Council.

End Game…VSC announces that it is finally set to take over video game censorship from the BBFC

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See article from gamepolitics.com

The Video Standards Council announced this morning that the Department for Culture Media & Sport (DCMS) has confirmed their intention to appoint the organization as the regulator for rating games in the United Kingdom using the PEGI system used for the rest of Europe. The DCMS has informed the UK Parliament of their intentions.Laurie Hall, Director-General of the VSC said: This news is very welcome and gives us the mandate to undertake the role of statutory video games regulator in the UK. It is role that we will relish and which will ensure that children and younger people are protected and kept safe from inappropriate video games. It has been a long and arduous task to arrive at this point and we thank all those involved in helping to establish PEGI as the legally recognised system. All the necessary administrative and technical systems are in place and we are simply awaiting confirmation of when we can officially start. The VSC has been rating video games since 1994. We will use our wealth of skill and experience to good effect in our new role as the national video games regulator. No official date has been set but July this year has been mentioned several times.

Rated Spider for Tangled Web of Rules…UK video games now reported to be exclusively using PEGI ratings from July 2012

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See article from thegamershub.net

Nearly three years ago, PEGI was selected to be the organisation to rate videogames, and passed into law in 2010 as part of the Digital Economy Bill, but due to issues behind-the-scenes its full implementation has been delayed. Now Dr. Jo Twist UKIE, the UK trade group representing the video game industry, said: Our next major campaign launches this summer to promote PEGI and to demystify video games to parents. This campaign will launch when PEGI is finally implemented. PEGI is indeed progressing and the latest estimated implementation date is this July.

Playing a Long Game…BBFC to VSC handover of video game ratings now set for early 2012

Read more VSC and PEGI Watch at MelonFarmers.co.uk

See article from mcvuk.com

The last report of the handover of video game censorship from the BBFC to the VSC suggested that this would occur by Christmas. Now the handover date is being talked about in terms of sometime early 2012. However the video game trade group UKIE has confirmed that plans are still on course for PEGI, which is currently awaiting final EU sign offs before UK Government grants the on-pack marks as the only ratings standard for video games.

Waiting Game…BBFC hand over of games to the VSC said to be delayed, possibly until Christmas

Read more VSC and PEGI Watch at MelonFarmers.co.uk

See article from gamesindustry.biz

The ghost of Christmas yet to come The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has admitted that complex technical points are behind the ongoing delay to legal implementation of PEGI age-ratings for video games in the UK. Negotiations between the Government, overseen personally by Culture Minister Ed Vaizey, the Video Standards Council, and the BBFC, are understood to be at a delicate stage. But sources familiar with the matter said there was optimism that the system could still be passed into law by Christmas. As revealed by GI.biz in January, a complicated debate over packaging regulations had thrown a spanner in the works, with the BBFC’s role in particular requiring definitive clarification. The main sticking point remains the issue of linear (i.e. trailer) content, which regulations require is rated by the BBFC.

All Agog…VSC suggests that online games censorship will tend to be advisory rather than mandatory

Read more VSC and PEGI Watch at MelonFarmers.co.uk

See article from mcvuk.comga

The Video Standards Council (VSC) is the UK games censor in waiting. They have commented on a move by the online games distributor to allow Australian’s to evade the state censorship of Witcher 2. The VSC said GOG.com’s recent decision to ditch location controls is symptomatic of global trends and speculated  that all entertainment media could eventually shift toward an advisory rather than a legally-based system. It seems inevitable that such systems will have an impact on the way national regulators control online content though the more authoritarian regimes won’t have any qualms about shutting down a site if they deem it necessary, the VSC told Edge. However, the more benign censorship/ratings organisations will probably move away from the mandatory model and replace it with an advisory systems which puts the onus on consumers to make informed buying decisions through the provision of detailed consumer information. THe VSC added, though, that it doesn’t believe regional ratings body are in danger of becoming irrelevant: We believe the public tends to trust the judgement and advice of the more independent, established and respected ratings organisations and will continue to do so.

We Dare is Actually Not Very Daring…Investigating the hype for the party game We Dare

Read more VSC and PEGI Watch at MelonFarmers.co.uk

Based on article from cubed3.com

Due to be released on Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3 later this year, We Dare features over 35 mini-games that take a distinctly adult approach, with marketing materials encouraging two players to kiss a Wii Remote simultaneously, spank each other to control on-screen avatars, and striptease to a variety of songs. With its highly suggestive trailer and product description, Cubed3 queried PEGI on the seemingly low 12+ age rating. PEGI stated that they do not look at the surrounding context of a game, only the in-game content. The suggestive naughtiness by the human actors in the YouTube trailer did not figure in the decision for the game rating: PEGI does not take into account the context of a game when rating it, we only look at the contents of the game. [We Dare] has been rated as a PEGI 12 because it contains mild swearing, minor assault on a human-like character and words/activities that amount to obvious sexual innuendo, explicit sexual descriptions or images and sexual posturing. However PEGI: Do demand that these types of artwork [are] on the same level as the game. In the case of We Dare, the cover and trailer are in correspondence with our guidelines. It was considered that We Dare might justify a higher rating due to a specific (sexual) atmosphere, but this proposal was rejected by the Video Standards Council, an independent organisation that verifies PEGI ratings for use in the UK: The game itself is in fact less sexual/offensive than the marketing campaign leads us to believe (for example, you cannot see real spanking in the game. There is a ‘stripping game’ but you don’t have to undress; throwing away keys or anything that reduces your weight is good enough).