UK Government Plans Bigger Warnings For Games

Mirroring similar concerns in the U.S., the British government has announced that, after consultation with industry representatives, video games are to carry larger age symbols and descriptions of their content in "a bid to help parents understand what their children are playing". All games sold in the UK already display a large PEGI age rating on the front cover (and usually several other country specific ratings on multi-lingual packaging), and in some cases a BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) rating, for certain 15 or 18 rated games. This is in addition to PEGI logos on the back cover indicating specific content such as foul language or violence. Despite all this, all games which are classified as only for those over 15 or 18 years of age will now carry an additional description of content on the back of the packaging, while the age symbols will double in size. The government alleges this is similar to the precautions already found on DVDs and videos in the UK, although some commentators claim that examining UK DVD packaging reveals nothing like as many warnings or descriptions. According to Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell: "Parents need to know what games their children are playing. This is why new games will carry clearer labels which will spell out the content of a game. Not all parents have grown up playing computer games - it can be difficult to understand that you might be allowing your child to play the interactive equivalent of Kill Bill. Now there is no excuse."