Video Games consultation
This consultation has now ended. The consultation period was 31 July - 20 November 2008.
As part of the Government’s implementation of the Byron Review recommendations, on children and new media, the Department for Culture Media and Sport is seeking views from gamers, children, parents, the games industry, retailers and other stakeholders on the current classification system for video games.
The comments generated by this consultation will be used to develop the system in order to protect gamers from inappropriate content. The consultation will run until 20 November 2008.
Currently there are both statutory and voluntary classifications systems for video games in the UK. Console manufacturers will not allow games to be played on their machines if they have not been rated by one of the two classification authorities.
The statutory system gives age-related classification and short content advice and is run by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). The non-statutory or voluntary system was set up by the industry and awards age classifications but also advises about content through pictograms. This latter system is called the Pan European Games Information (PEGI) system. More details of how the PEGI system works are contained in the PEGI Handbook for Coders PDF (261kb).
The consultation sets out four options for consideration:
Option 1 - Hybrid Classification System – BBFC ratings for all games for players over 12 and PEGI ratings for under 12s
Option 2 - Enhanced BBFC system
Option 3 - Enhanced PEGI system
Option 4 - Voluntary code of practice
Consultees are also invited to propose an alternative option.
Consultation documents | Welsh language version
(documents are less than 150kb except where specified)
This consultation has now ended. The consultation period was 31 July - 20 Novemebr 2008.
If you have any queries about this consultation please contact:
Video Games Classification
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
2-4 Cockspur Street
London
SW1Y 5DH
or e-mail to gamesclassification@culture.gsi.gov.uk
If you have any questions or complaints about the process of consultation on these issues, please contact:
Mythily Manickavasagar
Consultation Co-ordinator
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
2-4 Cockspur Street
London
SW1Y 5DH
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Impact Assessments
As part of the consultation process we have developed an impact assessment | Welsh language versions
An impact assessment is both:
- A continuous process to help the policy-maker fully think through and understand the consequences of possible and actual Government interventions in the public, private and third sectors; and
- A tool to enable the Government to weigh and present the relevant evidence on the positive and negative effects of such interventions, including by reviewing the impact of policies after they have been implemented.
- It gives affected parties an opportunity to identify potential unintended consequences. As the Government aims to intervene only when necessary and since most policy objectives can be achieved through a range of options, the Government’s aim is to identify proposals that best achieve its objectives with proportionate costs and burdens.
- The impact assessment for this consultation is made up of 5 summary sheets (one for each of the options plus one for the status quo) and an evidence base. The evidence base underpins the impact assessment and applies equally to the four options and the status quo.
Impact Assessments (documents are less than 150kb)
Welsh language version of Consultation document and Impact Assessments
(documents are less than 150kb except where specified)
Confidentiality of information
Information provided in response to this consultation, including personal information, may be published or disclosed in accordance with the access to information regimes (these are primarily the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004).
If you want the information that you provide to be treated as confidential, please be aware that, under the FOIA, there is a statutory code of practice with which public authorities must comply and which deals, among other things, with obligations of confidence. In view of this, it would be helpful if you could explain to us why you regard the information you have provided as confidential. If we receive a request for disclosure of the information, we will take full account of your explanation, but we cannot give an assurance that confidentiality can be maintained in all circumstances. An automatic confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system will not, of itself, be regarded as binding on the Department.
The Department will process your personal data in accordance with the DPA and in most circumstances this will mean that your personal data will not be disclosed to third parties.
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These documents are available online in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format.
