European Ratings Initiative Expands to Online Gaming

2
The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association announced the introduction of PEGI Online today. The online addition to the Pan European Game Information ratings system expands the ratings to "include games playable online via consoles, PCs and mobiles."

The official PEGI Online website lists browser-based games, advergames, network games, and massively multiplayer games as the four main categories of "online" games to be covered by the initiative.

A PEGI Online logo will appear on participating gaming Web sites or on retail boxes of online games. The logo details the online capabilities of the game and specifies whether "the particular game or site is under the control of an operator that cares about protecting young people," according to the PEGI Online site.

To be a part of PEGI Online, participating companies must meet the requirements laid out in the PEGI Online Safety Code. Requirements include games being age-rated under the standard PEGI system, the existence of reporting mechanisms for harmful content, and methods to remove offensive materials.

Participants must also obey certain advertising principles, such as not advertising for their products in a way "that is likely to cause serious or widespread offence."

Some of the initiative's motivations address issues the Entertainment Software Ratings Board has had with publishers in the United States. The PEGI Online Web site says the initiative aims to protect children from "content being created as a result of the game which could be unsuitable for young people and a mismatch with the rating given for the game."

Both Rockstar North's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Bethesda Game Studios' The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion brought the ESRB under fire due to user-created mods made available for the games after their retail release. Notably, the PEGI Online initiative places the regulatory responsibility for such content with the participating publishers.

Filed Under
From The Chatty
  • reply
    July 5, 2007 3:25 PM

    Uhhh so does this mean all modable games are going to be AO? I mean if you can load a custom model guaranteed there is going to be two dozen that are naked within the first hour of release.

    • reply
      July 6, 2007 9:37 AM

      Sounds like it won't be AO if the mods for the game are moderated/policed.

      There are still a shitload of cars being sold in Forza 2 with full nudity drawn on them. I see them and think "that guy's not gonna have an Xbox Live account much longer..." since they've said they'll ban people who do that (and racist car designs, etc.). I think they should have some people monitoring the auction house with the ability to pull cars that break the rules, or a "report offensive" button or something but it doesn't look like they do judging by how much slips through.

      (I also wonder why nobody is worried about copyright infringement with some of the car designs but I guess it's under the radar of the types of people who would sue about that.)

Hello, Meet Lola