EU wants games industry to protect minors

23-04-2008

by Ciara O'Brien

The EU has given the video games industry two years to enhance its ratings system to protect underage gamers from accessing inappropriate content.

The current pan-European age-rating system developed by the industry with EU support, PEGI, is a "good first step", the European Commission said, but it needs to be strengthened and updated regularly. Twenty out of the 27 EU countries use this system to rate their games.

This latest move comes after the Commission carried out a survey on the measures in place at national level throughout the EU to protect children from violent games.

The video games sector in Europe is continuing to grow rapidly, with revenue expected to reach EUR7.3 billion by the end of 2008.

"Video games have become a strong pillar of Europe's content industry and are experiencing booming sales across Europe. This is welcome, but implies greater responsibility for the industry to ensure that parents know what kind of games their children play," said Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for the Information Society and Media.

"PEGI, as an example of responsible industry self-regulation and the only such system with almost pan-European coverage, is certainly a very good first step. However, I believe it can be greatly improved, in Europe and beyond, by making the public more aware about its existence and fully implementing PEGI Online. I also call on Member States and the industry to govern the sale of video games in shops to respect the fundamental need to protect minors."

The Commission also called on the industry and public authorities to increase co-operation to raise awareness of classification and age rating systems and to avoid confusion caused by parallel systems.

"All consumers need clear, accurate information to make informed choices. But this is particularly about children – some of the most vulnerable consumers in society. And our clear message today is that industry and national authorities must go further to ensure that all parents have the power to make the right decisions for themselves and their child," said Meglena Kuneva, the EU Consumer Commissioner.

European leaders have been trying to work out a common ratings system since 2003, but efforts have increased after an investigation into a school massacre in Finland last year revealed that the 18-year-old killer was a games fan. Four countries, including Ireland and the UK, have banned violent titles in the past.

However, experts disagree on whether violent video games are the cause of aggression among young gamers, with different studies producing conflicting results.