The Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) age rating system was established in 2003 to help European parents make informed decisions on buying interactive games. Designed to ensure that minors are not exposed to games that are unsuitable for their particular age group, the system is supported by the major console manufacturers, including PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo, as well as by publishers and developers of interactive games throughout Europe. The age rating system has been developed by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE) and has the enthusiastic support of the European Commission, who considers the new system to be a model of European harmonisation in the field of protection of children.

Started in the early Spring of 2003, PEGI replaces existing national age rating systems with a single system that is identical throughout most of Europe. The game rating appears on the front and back cover of interactive games, and retailers provide information on the new system.

The age rating system comprises two separate but complementary elements. The first is an age rating, similar to some existing rating systems. The PEGI age bands are 3+, 7+, 12+, 16+, 18+. The second element of the new system is a number of game descriptors. These are icons, displayed on the back of the game box that describe the type of content to be found in the game. Depending on the type of game, there may be up to six such descriptors. The intensity of the content is appropriate to the age rating of the game.



The combination of age rating and game descriptors allows parents and those purchasing games for children to ensure that the game they purchase is appropriate to the age of the intended player.

About rating
Ratings Explained
The PEGI system was developed and based on existing systems in Europe. In the drafting of the PEGI assessment form and the shaping of the system organisation, society representatives such as consumers, parents and religious groups have been largely involved.

PEGI has been designed to meet varying cultural standards and attitudes across the member states and is supported by the majority of relevant Member State Government Agencies and all interactive leisure software trade organizations in Europe.

The PEGI system is a voluntary system in which the ratings are carried out by members of the game industry itself. This takes place by means of a self assessment form. After examining a game, the in-house coder uses an intranet to answer a number of questions, after which the rating of the game will be given automatically. For each content category an age is established, based on the answers on the assessment form.

Ratings proposed by publishers are then checked by NICAM. All 16+ or 18+ ratings are checked before a rating is granted. All 12+ and samples of 3+ and 7+ ratings are checked after a rating has been granted. At the end of the process, products concerned are granted by NICAM, on behalf of ISFE, a license to use a specific logo and possibly descriptors as well.

The following is the complete assessment form used in the PEGI system. This form is used by coders to determine which rating a game should be given.

WEBSITE: http://www.pegi.info/en/


What is online gaming?

An online game is defined as a digital game that needs a live network connection in order to be played. This includes not only games played on the Internet, but also those played online through consoles, across mobile phones or via peer-to-peer networks.

The launch of Microsoft’s Xbox Live gave a push for console game providers to develop online elements. Xbox 360 enables players not only to play against each other but also to communicate by voice through a headset. PlayStation 2 and the latest handheld consoles (Nintendo’s DS and Sony’s PSP) allow multiplayer gaming via a WiFi connection and the new generation of consoles, such as Sony’s Playstation3 and Nintendo’s Wii, offer full online gameplay capabilities via the Internet.

A mobile game is a video game played on a mobile phone, smartphone, PDA (personal digital assistant) or handheld computer. Mobile games can be played using the communications technologies present in the device itself such as text messaging (SMS). However, games that are downloaded to mobile phones via the mobile operator’s radio network are more common and these are then played using a set of gaming technologies in the device itself. Peer-to-peer networks rely on bandwidth and computers instead of servers to enable multiplayer gaming.

Games that do not require an active network connection for gameplay but only use the Internet to post high scores, download game elements or exchange data, are excluded from this definition. © 2007 Interactive Software Federation of Europe. All rights reserved.