From today the PEGI (Pan European Game Information) ratings officially take over from the BBFC as legally enforceable system in the UK from today.
Previously video games released in the UK were rated by the BBFC under the Video Recordings Act of 1984, one of the most significant pieces of censorship legislation ever passed in the UK; it required that "all ‘video works’ (films, TV programmes, video games, etc) which are supplied on a disc, tape or any other device capable of storing data electronically to be classified by the BBFC, unless they fall within the definition of an exempted work."
The Act deemed it to be an offence to supply a game to anyone below the rightful age limit, and was punishable by a fine up to £5000 or up to 6 months in prison.
Today, the government has dropped the BBFC ratings in favour of the PEGI system. The new system is largely the same, except the BBFC's age rating of 15 is raised to 16, and it attempts to communicate the content of games more clearly. Formerly, the PEGI system was a voluntary code which game developers used to self-certify the content of their games. All games that applied for a rating were reviewed by an independent body. Today it ceases to be a voluntary system, and it will provide the legally enforceable ratings in the UK. The punishments remain unchanged.
The BBFC, however, will still classify all games featuring strong pornographic content and all non-game content on a game disc, including trailers and featurettes.
The PEGI system is generally considered to be more transparent, and it's hoped that the change in system (a movement which started back in 2009) will help parents make more informed decisions when purchasing games for their children.
Source : feeds.ign.com
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