Elspa announces colored age division games

The British industry association Elspa proposes an age designation for games that uses the colors of a traffic light. With this, the association anticipates a decision that the British government will take on November 20.

The Elspa proposes a system in which the age designation on the game is displayed in a colored circle. Games suitable for 16+ or 18+ will have a red circle, games for 12 and older will have an orange circle and games for 7+ or even 3+ will have a green background. It system should replace the system of the European Pegi, which is now used in the United Kingdom. The Pegi uses the same age division, but the ages are depicted in white on a black square, which according to the Elspa would not be noticeable enough.

With the proposal, De Elspa mainly tries to take the wind out of the sails of the British Board of Film Classification. The two organizations have been at odds since the publication of the Byron Report in February 2008. The research report, led by psychologist Tanya Byron, argues that the assessment of games is too unclear for both parents and children. According to Byron, too few games get a rating from the Bbfc. Currently, only games involving sex or extreme violence are sent to the Bbfc. Byron advised that all games deemed suitable by the Pegi for ages 12 and older should also be reviewed by the Bbfc. The Bbfc then proposed to abandon the Pegi rating and introduce its own system. However, the Elspa wants to stick to European standards and states that the Bbfc has no understanding of games and lacks the capacity to inspect so much material. The British government will make a decision on the subject on November 20.

The Elspa’s new proposal appears to be primarily a strategic move, as it follows the Pegi’s testing method. With the new designation, the Elspa is only trying to make the symbols more eye-catching, with which the interest group wants to meet one of Byron’s main objections. However, the Byron report made another important point: the Pegi was set up by the industry, and according to the psychologist, the assessment is in better hands with a government agency such as the BBFC.

The decision of the British government may also affect the situation in the Benelux. If the British government chooses to have more games approved by the Bbfc, it could lead to delays in the release of games across Europe. For example, at the beginning of this year, the European release of Manhunt was postponed because approval had not yet been granted in the United Kingdom.