The Byron update in the UK has recommended that the PEGI and the BBFC both work together in rating games, with the BBFC rating on the front and the PEGI rating on the back.

UK Gamers are not going to be happy about this, because it adds another layer of administration into the already much-too-long process of releasing a game in the EU. This means even longer delays between the US and EU releases of games, which gamers are already pretty pissed about.

Extending the wait that UK gamers have to sit through is a BAD thing, especially for something so pointless as an extra rating on the box of said games. It has nothing to do with the ratings on the boxes, it's the parenting that is the problem.

It can't possibly only strike us as hypocritical that a parent can buy a 10 year old Grand Theft Auto 4, then complain that it's too violent for the children. That is why there is a rating of 18 on the box - because it's not suitable for people under 18. It doesn't take Newton's deductive reasoning to figure that out, especially since it works in exactly the same way as film ratings and nobody's complaining about those.

When it all comes down to it, it is the parent's fault for children being 'violent'. We're not saying it is because of violent video games, because it sure as hell isn't, it's parenting, but if it was, it'd be the parent's fault anyway because they're buying them the damn games.

Tags : BBFC : Byron Report : Delays : Grand Theft Auto : gta : PEGI : Violent VIdeo Games

Comments

By: Magus On: 10:32 Jun 26th, 2008 Offline	Will this have any sort of effect on the rest of Europe? Because the BBFC only applies to the UK, as far as I know, and the rest of Europe usually only follows PEGI. Over here in Norway we have no other rating system, and it's up to the stores to know which games are bad for the young'uns.

By: Gamoc On: 04:29 Jun 27th, 2008 Offline	I would presume not, if one doesn't apply to everywhere else in the EU this probably won't affect those places.

By: Dragonfly On: 09:16 Jun 27th, 2008 Offline	I think people need to chill out about stuff like this a little more. Most gamers are far too hot blooded for their own good. It's only an idea that's been put on the table; there's zero chance that this will go ahead, simply because it's a really stupid idea. Saying that it's purely a parent's fault if a child turns out violent is not entirely true and there's a big long rant I could make about that, but yes, I'm sure we all agree that its stupid for a parent to expose their kids to stuff like that willingly, and at such a young age. But what would putting two ranking do other than confuse people? They know what the damn ratings are for. The rest of the work is up to the stores and the parents.

By: Gamoc On: 11:39 Jun 27th, 2008 Offline	I'm almost certain that I read they ARE going to happen, but I could be wrong. And it's parenting, not gaming, that makes children violent. Not necessarily the parent's of a single particular child, but if his friends are violent, he will be too. Social learning is a powerful thing.

By: Dragonsoul On: 02:56 Jun 27th, 2008 Offline	If this is true and does go ahead I'd laugh at the stupidity of it. For one, it will confuse folks, and they're already not inclined to think about what they're buying or whether it's suitable or not--it's not gonna help that they might end up with two ratings. Of course, I doubt parents would even bother to follow the ratings, not matter what you did with them. While some parents are senisble and conscentious about what they expose a child to, most just want something to get the kid out of their hair. Of course those are the type of people who, IMO, shouldn't even be parents, that that's a whole 'nother issue.