EA, Microsoft protest proposed UK game rating system as too expensive

A report from a well-known TV psychologist in the UK is having an impact on the way that country's regulators rate video games there, and Microsoft and EA are now leading a counter-offensive.

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has been the target of heavy criticism lately from game publishers, about proposed changes to one of two game ratings classification systems for the United Kingdom. That proposal is being backed by popular support due to the popularity of its author, a well-known presenter there.

But a report written by TV psychologist Dr. Tanya Byron for the UK government has caused a mini-uproar among game developers and gamers there. The Byron Report released in March, entitled "Safer Children in a Digital World," recommends the BBFC handle game classifications for all titles designed for gamers 12 years old and above; it currently only handles games that have an 18+ classification.

The UK currently has two different classification systems in use to help rate video games: a mandatory one for gamers 18 and over, in which the BBFC determines if a game has "human sexual activity" or "gross violence;" and a voluntary rating system for gamers under 18, managed by the Pan European Games Information (PEGI) group.

The PEGI rating system simply provides an outline for parents who are worried about the content their children may be exposed to in a video game. For example, bad language, discrimination, drugs, fear, gambling, sex, and violence each have their own unique label for the outside of a box, depending on what is in the game. Different sets of ratings are given for the 3+, 7+, 12+, 16+ and 18+ age categories.

In her report, Dr. Byron takes a moment to praise the game industry's current compliance with ratings systems, as evidence that this is an industry that "wants to be responsible." However, she added, "A vocal minority feel the classifications should be stricter and usefully seek to keep the discussion open about content in some games. However, there is a general consensus that the age ratings broadly reflect UK consumers' expectations, with few complaints made about ratings under either system. However, the criteria PEGI use to rate games can often lead to stricter age ratings than the BBFC might have given.

"On the one hand this may reassure some consumers that the system is rigorous," Dr. Byron continued. "On the other hand, if video games were to consistently receive age ratings that UK consumers feel are too severe, there is a danger that the classifications would become less meaningful and potentially be disregarded. There was some evidence of this in my focus group research and my Calls for Evidence, although some have argued that the opposite can also happen, in that PEGI criteria may sometimes lead to a more lax rating being given than the UK public may expect."

Electronic Arts, which makes one in five video games sold to gamers in the UK, has joined with Microsoft in publicly stating the system proposed by the Byron Report would be confusing and unrealistic for real-world use.

Microsoft executive Neil Thompson is specifically worried about the new complicated ratings system driving PC game prices up for UK gamers. Game publishers are most worried about the cost of compliance, as it would take longer to classify the games, which it says could lead to costly game delays.

EA also is worried that the game ratings system will become too confusing, since ratings assigned to games today would ultimately change if the BBFC managed both systems. According to EA, games today rated for 18+ on the current system would end up being available to 15+ gamers on the new cinema system. EA also said it would be difficult to properly implement the BBFC proposal because gamers now have the ability to download additional content for their games from the Internet.

EA warned the release dates for future UK game titles could be delayed weeks as the publisher works to try and comply with more complicated ratings.

Another concern expressed by the game publishers is whether or not the BBFC will be able to handle a larger workload if its were to assume responsibility over more games.

But the BBFC currently averages a games classification in just eight calendar days, its administrators claim, which is typically faster than similar organizations rating games in the United States and elsewhere. In addition, the BBFC is a larger organization and should be able to rate games more efficiently than the PEGI, so publishers likely will not have to worry about "weeks" of video game delays.

The report also recommends game developers work more diligently to raise parent awareness in the type of video games and the content their children are exposed to.

Other large game studios have kept their thoughts on the new proposal quiet.

Regardless of what the major game studios think, the BBFC said it is willing to work both with game studios to implement the new classifications and with the general public to make them aware of the new ratings system.