Heavy Rain gets 15 certificate from BBFC

By Robert Purchese Published 6 January, 2010

"These are obviously not real people."

The BBFC has passed Heavy Rain for sale in the UK, deeming the mature PS3 exclusive suitable for 15 year-olds.

Quantic Dream's emotional thriller features "strong language, violence and sex", but avoided the 18 rating stamped on games like Grand Theft Auto IV and Modern Warfare 2.

"These are obviously not real people, or real people acting, and it all depends on the level of blood and violence. We use the same classification for games as we do for films, and this game is suitable for a 15 audience," the BBFC told IncGamers.

The 15 rating may come as a surprise to some, particularly as game creator David Cage told Eurogamer that the industry should not be frightened to tackle mature themes in the same way films or books do.

Heavy Rain will be released exclusively on PS3 early this year. No official date has been announced, but the BBFC rating appears to support the late February estimate backed by retailers.

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About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (35) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • superted1974 #1 2 years ago

    This seems ok to me.

    Mature themes does not mean swearing and fighting.

    I know lots of immature films that are rated 18 and lots of mature films rated PG!
    Edited by 1 at 06/01/10 @ 10:09

  • awb83 #2 2 years ago

    I think (and hope) this game will be outstanding, can't wait for it.

  • Doctor_What #3 2 years ago

    It is interesting though - I wonder if Heavy Rain was an animated movie whether it would have had a 15 rating, and then again if it was a live action movie.

    It sounds like they're rating things on a purely visual basis rather than the psychology or ideas in a game. That's an odd precedent in many respects.

  • menage #4 2 years ago

    The concept is cool, I haven't seen anything yet which makes it a fun game to play though.

  • gjgjg #5 2 years ago

    are 15 yolds mature (ly themed) these days?

  • ParanoidZombie #6 2 years ago

    "These are obviously not real people, or real people acting"

    WTF??? Extensive motion capture sessions + hours of voice ACTING (hint) = these are real people acting.In the post - Avatar era (or even the post Beowulf era), this guy makes no sense. It's even insulting for the game, it kinda implies that the game failed to reach its primary objective, ie being immersive and believable.

  • Golgo #7 2 years ago

    @ParanoidZombie. Good point. Maybe this BBFC numpty thinks that films are 'real'.

  • HermitArcader #8 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:17:39 22-12-2011

  • telboy007 #9 2 years ago

    Films aren't real?!? O_O

  • Yossarian #10 2 years ago

    Depression: The Videogame. Should be a hoot.

  • X201 #11 2 years ago

    It boils down to what the character is doing. I can fully expect to see problems for Heavy Rain in the US where they seem to have a problem with onscreen nudity and sex.

    I'd much rather have the European tastes where violence is stamped upon and nudity goes through uncut.

  • Roland_D11 #12 2 years ago

    "These are obviously not real people, or real people acting"

    This can be applied to every videogame ever developed. Why does any game get a rating higher than 15, then?

  • Bigglesworth #13 2 years ago

    It sounds like they're rating things on a purely visual basis rather than the psychology or ideas in a game. That's an odd precedent in many respects.

    It is? I thought that was how ratings seem to be assigned these days. Are there any recent films that have been given a high rating for their 'challenging ideas'?

  • Mox #14 2 years ago

    So is the BBFC having a dig at the quality of the game's graphics?

  • andywilkie35 #15 2 years ago

    Haha, so in one of the most well animated games, the characters are obviously "not real people" but hey, in Manhunt 2 its definitely like real life!

  • Murton #16 2 years ago

    Until we play the game for ourselves we can't know what made the BBFC decide that the game was suitable for 15 year olds. It could be that the scenes containing the "mature" content are approached in a way that is deemed acceptable for a 15 year old. That being said there's a rule of thumb for movies where if the word "fuck" is used more than once or in a sexual context the movie is an instant 18, if the same rule has been applied here then we can assume that the language is somewhat more natural than your typical video game.

    Regardless of what the BBFC think and say I've been looking forward to this game for two years now and this announcement mostly serves to tell me that the wait is almost over.

  • M_of_the_sys #17 2 years ago

    The concept is cool, I haven't seen anything yet which makes it a fun game to play though.

    Perhaps you should stick to your WWE games then.

  • schnide #18 2 years ago

    "These are obviously not real people, or real people acting

    Which makes it different from virtually every other game ever released.. how again?

  • RexRunti #19 2 years ago

    Way to take one line from a defensive argument and blow it way out of proportion. Does anyone here actually think Heavy Rain deserves a higher rating (subjective though it may be as no one here will have played the finished product)? Maturity does not imply a higher game rating, in fact the way the BBFC works, the more in context or maturely handled a contentious issue the lower the rating. This is why I was and still am against the PEGI system (which will have rated it 18 I'm sure) as it is simply an exercise in box ticking.

  • HermitArcader #20 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:17:39 22-12-2011

  • X201 #21 2 years ago

    From reading the previews and listening to podcasts of people who have played it I think we're going to get loads of moaners on release day because the first half hour is hard going but worth slogging through.

  • GamesConnoisseur #22 2 years ago

    I m looking forward to the game and fingers crossed that its will rates great with gamers and reviewers. Though am quite puzzled if the game is indeed made out to be pretty much adult only, and 15 rating is still pretty mature but would perhaps gives different signal that its still for the 'teens'?

    Consider Australia and Germany, where the censors literally stops games that CATERS for adults only from being released there as still had narrow focus of games as being for kids.

    Movies medium is easily recognised as being possible for different audiences or for all, and I was thinking this game Heavy Rain could be a flag bearer for mature only audience with story, plots, violences and so forth being on our level.

    Still if its still carry the same message and just not as overt as some of us imagined but getting more gamers to enjoy the game, then I m all for it.

  • hiddenranbir #23 2 years ago

    "These are obviously not real people, or real people acting"

    GTA is obviously real people. It was shot as a documentary.

  • retr0gamer #24 2 years ago

    Titanic had a fair amount of titty in it and was rated PG. Don't see how Heavy Rain should be reviewed any harsher as long as it's tastefully done.

  • Hantheman #25 2 years ago

    Game ratings are a joke. I say we show children two screens. Behind one screen is a person getting executed in real life. Behind the next is someone playing Modern Warfare 2. See if they cn spot the difference. Those who can't are taken to a secret army base to be turned into super-soldiers.

  • Shinetop #26 2 years ago

    This can be applied to every videogame ever developed.

    Never played FMV games, eh?

  • jefranklin18 #27 2 years ago

    Although the comment "these are obviously not real people..." is poorly chosen, I suspect the reason this got a 15 rather than an 18 rating is that it does not contain the excessive levels of violence found in GTA, COD, etc. This is not just an isolated case applying to games only though. For example the movie Closer only got a 15 rating but really the themes in that are not really suitable for the average 15 year old - not least because they don't have the "life experience" to empathise with what is going on.

  • dudefella #28 2 years ago

    "The 15 rating may come as a surprise to some, particularly as game creator David Cage told Eurogamer that the industry should not be frightened to tackle mature themes in the same way films or books do."

    Mature theme =/= blood and gore/explicit sex. Come on, now.

    Nevertheless, good on BBFC for being sensible and not flipping out over a pair of tits. M/borderline AO rating in the States?

  • dagas #29 2 years ago

    Minimum age says nothing about how mature a game is. Tits, guns and blood isn't mature. You can have a very mature game that has no sex or violence in it.

  • RobotRocker #30 2 years ago

    The BBFC rate a lot lower for nudity and sexual themes than most organisations and they take into account context alongside actual content so its not that surprising. Mass Effect was rated as a BBFC 12 y'know.

    That being said there's a rule of thumb for movies where if the word "fuck" is used more than once or in a sexual context the movie is an instant 18, if the same rule has been applied here then we can assume that the language is somewhat more natural than your typical video game.

    That is the US MPAA standard for PG-13 movies. There are a lot of movies where the F-Bomb is used a lot which have a 15 rating. American Pie is a good example since that has a lot of swearing and nudity but is rated as a 15 movie. To really get an 18 rating you need to have a film that is either sexually explicit or deals with erotic themes, is violent with an emphasis on dwelling on injury or is filled with imitable illegal activity without consequence.

  • AHiFi #31 2 years ago

    Cage will be raging after reading that quote. Cage in a rage.
    Edited by 1 at 06/01/10 @ 19:52

  • Mkwone #32 2 years ago

    It doesn't matter what rating it gets the daily mail will still have a hissy fit and we'll go over all the same agruments we always do when the morals of videogames come into question.

  • man.the.king #33 2 years ago

    @X201

    "It boils down to what the character is doing. I can fully expect to see problems for Heavy Rain in the US where they seem to have a problem with onscreen nudity and sex."

    I know. Over here in the US, stylized slasher movies and other movies which have over-the-top gratuitous violence are rated PG13, i.e. Parental Guidance Under 13 (e.g. Urban Legends 2, which shows a disembowelment) while, if a movie shows so much as a tit or says "fuck" once (for most cases), it is rated R (i.e. above 17 or only with an Adult accompanying). It's really weird, as if the MPAA is comprised of repressed misanthropes.
    Edited by 1 at 06/01/10 @ 21:06

  • RobotRocker #34 2 years ago

    It's really weird, as if the MPAA is comprised of repressed misanthropes.

    It actually is. Track down "This Film Has Not Yet Been Rated" and you will find out how right you are.

  • man.the.king #35 2 years ago

    @RobotRocker

    I Googled it and read about it on IMDB. While I had read a review about it a while back, I had completely forgotten about it. The synopsis refreshed my memory. I'll check if my local Blockbuster's has it.

    EDIT: By the way, I just remembered - I don't think the same body reviews games. As far as I know, MPAA does movies, ESRB does games.
    Edited by 3 at 07/01/10 @ 07:34