ELSPA And BBFC Goes At Each Other Over ‘BBFC Byron Implementation'

ELSPA, The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association has instructed its members to ignore any request from the BBFC, British Board of Film Classification to change the current age ratings process MCV reports.

The UK industry representative has requested that leading publishers hold fire on implementing any changes to classification of their games until the Government has officially executed proposals influenced by the Byron Review.

The industry is now in an 18-month period of consultation with Government following Dr Tanya Byron’s recommendations – which included BBFC ratings on all video games boxes and a statutory ‘12’ classification. Safer Children in a Digital World: Full Report (PDF, 2756kb)
ELSPA told MCV: “You may have heard that the BBFC has appointed a ‘BBFC Byron Implementation Officer’. Apparently his brief is to contact PEGI and interested trade bodies as well as the country’s games companies ‘with a view to implementing the Byron recommendations’.”

Tags: Game rating, ELSPA, BBFC, PEGI, BBFC Byron Implementation Officer, Safer Children in a Digital World

British Are Having Fun With Games, At Least With Rating Them

Game industry seem to be up against black Adder this time over in England. The British Government has been going along with TV style rating and giving the BBFC to lead in classifying games. It is fun almost comical to read but something that we cannot avoid or set aside. Guardian.co.uk has a nice account of it and follow the link below to read the complete article.

The government yesterday backed an ambitious blueprint by the TV psychologist Dr Tanya Byron to improve child safety online, but immediately faced a backlash over plans to introduce cinema-style ratings for video games.

The games industry criticised the plan to give the British Board of Film Classification a leading role in the licensing of games, amid concern that the censors would not be able to adapt as games were increasingly played and distributed on the web. Games publishers expect a large proportion of the games they produce to be downloaded over the internet in future, rather than sold in shops, and they believe the BBFC will not be able to handle the volume and complexity.

Opposition MPs also hit out at the confusion they said would be created by a twin-track approach that will retain the pan-European game information system (PEGI), the industry's self-regulatory body, alongside the BBFC.

The video games industry, which will face a big test of its claims not to market and sell adult games to children when Grand Theft Auto IV is released at the end of next month, urged caution over Byron's plans to hand the lead role to the BBFC.

Continued at guardian.co.uk

tag: Game rating, British Board of Film Classification, pan-European game information system, PEGI, BBFC