How are video games classified?
Updated: Oct 18
To answer this question we must specify a little. In Spain, PEGI (Pan-European Game Information) is used, an age classification system that 35 countries of the European Union have shared since 2003. It mainly serves as a guide for parents and consumers informing about the content of video games, however, it is not mandatory regulation. This classification is divided into age tags and content descriptors:
Despite being endorsed by public institutions such as the Ministry of Health and Consumption or the Ombudsman for Minors of the Community of Madrid, and there being an agreement in which aDeSe (Spanish Association of Entertainment Software Distributors and Publishers) undertook to report the code to parents, associations, childhood platforms... and promoting it, has not been enough.
Amnesty International over the years has denounced the lack of protection of minors in the face of video games and the absence of laws or regulations that regulate their consumption. Of course, PEGI was not enough for Amnesty: “the inclusion of an icon of «discrimination» as a descriptor is not compatible with our model of democratic rule of law that has assumed specific legal commitments at the international level in order to eradicate it”, as it appears in Video Games and Child Protection of the Children's Observatory by the Government of Spain. However, this was not the only drawback.
The closest we are in Spain to having a regulatory law in relation to video games is the Draft Law regulating random reward mechanisms associated with interactive leisure software products launched on July 1, 2022, by the Ministry of Consumption, in order to control and protect minors from the reward chests in video games. In other words, by verifying the DNI, all users who are minors will be prohibited from accessing these chests, although it may also affect other websites or exchange platforms.
In addition, it will force video games to offer information about the real possibilities of obtaining the prize and their advertising will be prohibited both physically, in person and in web environments (on radio and television it will only be allowed between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. A.M.).
In Europe
In other parts of Europe, such as the United Kingdom, a debate was formed as a result of the Draft Law that emerged in Spain, to which the British Minister of Culture, Nadine Dorries, declared that the United Kingdom will not follow her example. Despite the fact that the Government does not seem to be so concerned, the directors of several English schools sent letters to parents in which they explained that if they let their children play video games for people over 18 years of age, they would be denounced: "If your child has access to one of these games or similar for people over 18 years of age, we will notify the police and social services. In 2012, a law was passed regulating the sale to minors of video games with a PEGI +18 rating.
Germany, however, has incorporated the Youth Protection Law (Jugendschutzgesetz -JuSchG-) in which video games -and other audiovisual products- must be classified and approved in their category so that children and young people can have access to them.
In other countries
And what about America? If in a large part of Europe, we have PEGI, where they have the ESRB system which, as they define themselves, is: “the non-profit self-regulatory body for the video game industry. Established in 1994, our primary responsibility is to help consumers, especially parents, make informed decisions about the games their families play."
Thus, the main differences that we can find are visual, in ESRB the markers are the initials in capital letters of Everyone (E) for all audiences, Everyone +10 (E+10) for people over ten years of age, Teen (T) for adolescents over thirteen years old, Mature (M) for people over seventeen years of age, Adults Only (Ao) only suitable for people over eighteen years of age, Rating Pending (RP) to indicate that a game is pending assignment and finally, Rating Pending Likely Mature 17+ (RP Likely Mature 17+) for games that when assigned are likely to be 17+. In the following table, we can see the PEGI and ESRB ratings of the most played video games during 2022.
In other parts of the world, such as Japan, the CERO (Computer Entertainment Rating Organization) rating system is used. Although it was formed in 2002, it was not officially considered a non-profit organization until late 2003. The new system (changed in 2006) uses the letters of the Latin alphabet:
· A (no restrictions).
· B (over twelve years).
· C (over fifteen years).
· D (over seventeen years).
· Z (over eighteen years old), this classification is regulated by the Japanese government.
Conclusion
To a greater or lesser extent, these classification systems are intended to somehow control the accessibility of video games, especially for minors, but is it enough? And being an adult player, is the information provided to us about the video game we want to enjoy appropriate? Should there be systems that inspect, limit or delimit from production what we later consume? Or, would it be corseting the personality of a video game studio?
In my personal opinion, I am aware that in many cases video games can condition the personality, experiences and experiences that the user has, going beyond the screen. Accessibility to all kinds of games is surprisingly simple (with a smartphone connected to the internet you can access thousands and there are few in which there is no pay-to-win option) in addition, many of them tend to be hyper-realistic, creating a mirror of what the real world might look like. If the existence of violence or abuse occurs naturally (sometimes much more intense) the wrong message can be transmitted. Obviously, minors in this situation are unprotected, but even as adults, there are times when a game can be enjoyed even more without so much "dramatization". In other cases, such as in historical games -for example- it is necessary to present a certain reality to make sense of its plot, but it is not inconvenient to be coherent and report transparently what a user can find in their experience and even if it were necessary. , warn. It is true that video games are mere entertainment, but we should not be foolish and ignore that they can permeate in different ways depending on the experiences we have or how we empathize with them. After all, creating a healthy and respectful society is everyone's responsibility, since we all participate in it.
This debate is as broad as the opinion that each player has... What is yours?
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