BBFC launches new ratings system Comments by Games Industry.biz

Voluntary censorship? This should be interesting...

My god yes, thats what the world needs - MORE CENSORSHIP! And paid for by the taxpayer too I guess? Lovely, jobs for the boys again.

I'm glad I no longer live in the UK.

It's classification, not censorship.
The BBFC is funded by charging for its classification services. Not by the taxpayer.

Certification != Censorship

EDIT: As Charroux said. But let's not let the facts get in the way of a good knee-jerk reaction, eh?

My god yes, thats what the world needs - MORE CENSORSHIP! And paid for by the taxpayer too I guess? Lovely, jobs for the boys again.

I'm glad I no longer live in the UK.

I don't mean to be rude, but that's the most ridiculous comment I've read on EG this week.

The BBFC is a well respected and generally fairly sensible rating body (although some will disagree) and unlike the mess that exists across the pond, its role/ratings is well understood and clear. I'm glad they are finally getting more involved in games/downloads because it is ludicrous to have lots of different rating systems.

Unlike the US, where most movies seem to end up with an R-rating, the BBFC system offers a sensible progression of rankings, and retailers/parents/politicians/Daily-Mail-Readers understand it! This is what is needed for games, because if people understand it, there's less likelihood of the usual nonesense we see reported.

Classification/Certification helps prevent censorship. It's a good thing.

"We don't feel the need to compete with PEGI, but PEGI are shit and we're awesome."

Anyone care to guess how long this will remain "voluntary"? My guess is six months.

Anyone care to guess how long this will remain "voluntary"? My guess is six months.

Depends how long it takes to change the law, as I understand it the current legislation on governs the sale of physical media and public screening and not digital downloads so that is why it is voluntary. It seems to me it is inevitable that the classification system will be extended to digital downloads eventually s more and more media is delivered to the consumer this way. I can't see the problem with that sa look as it is governed by the same rules as physical media.

1) As others have said, clasification is not censorship you morons.

2) Why make it voluntary? No reason not to make it compulsory.

3) Can't we just have to good old 18, 15, PG, U etc on all games (digital or otherwise) and sod the rest? It just looks messy.

Classification is good, but we seem to be heading towards a world in which something that is unrated is illegal. When there are also things that cannot even recieve an 18 rating, this is a very bad thing indeed. What adults play and watch and say (provided the media is created legally) should not be restricted. Seeing as this is not a compulsory system, it's all good. For now...

Should just use PEGI online, no need for the BBFC here at all. Cunts.

@LEmming:

>2) Why make it voluntary? No reason not to make it compulsory

Apart from the reason that in order to make it compulsary, you would have to block all websites (or web services, peer-to-peer fans) potentially containing unrated content from everybody.

Before you get to any concerns you may have about that being censorship (which it undeniably is) doing such a thing would be a logistical nightmare and given that it would also be prohibitively expensive it would result in higher content prices if it is paid for by the BBFC (and therefore the content providers/producers), higher internet access prices if it is to be paid for by the ISPs, or (most likely) higher taxes if it is to be paid for by the government.

As well as that, given the BBFC's current relationship with the law- where unrated disc/tape-based content is illegal- the classification system represents a tax on creativity. The internet has so far provided an outlet for independent and niche creators whose market is not large enough to pay for such a tax- creators behind content like Consolevania, and all those indie games you see on sites like Manifesto Games- and this would come to an end should something like this become compulsary.

BBFC: Telling you what to watch and play.

I love how they try to sneak this stuff in.

It'll be voluntary for now.. give it a few years for people to get used to it..

Then an OTT daily mail article.. and BAM! Every downloadable game/video is censored..

>It's classification, not censorship.


Tell that to manhunt 2..

Or the ooodles of movies which have been censored by the bbfc.

"We don't need to set up in rivalry to PEGI Online"

Riiiiight.

Pegi has already been classifying online-delivered games; for ex. all WiiWare and VC games have a Pegi certification.
So what's the point of BBFC online then?

I thought the problem with PEGI was it was voluntary, according to the government after the Byron report was released. And now the BBFC is launching a voluntary programme.

I suppose the difference is that BBFC has Gordon Broon with his big clunking fist behind it if they don't behave voluntarily.

Oh nice comeback Aspic, very droll and intelligent too. Your actual thoughts on the article are what exactly? Or are you just here for crap replies?

I would also argue that the average IQ of those leaving the UK recently is a lot higher than the average IQ of those left behind, but whatever.....

MGG: "I would also argue that the average IQ of those leaving the UK recently is a lot higher than the average IQ of those left behind, but whatever....."

America and Australia would contradict that...

I did say "recently" to be fair.

And not all of us go to the USA and Oz - places like Canada, France, NZ, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa etc etc may have different experiences of intelligence levels amoung ex-pats.

Maybe certain countries attract people of lower intelligence? That sounds like an interesting research topic!