Unit 4 Media Audiences

Codes of Practice

What is PEGI?

• PEGI is the Pan-European Game Information age rating system that was found to help European parents make informed decisions on buying computer games for their children. It was launched in spring 2003 and replaced a number of national age rating systems with a single system now used throughout most of Europe, in 30 countries

• Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo all support the PEGI system, as well as publishers and developers of interactive games throughout Europe. The age rating system was developed by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE).

A series of Content descriptors

• Game may contain some kind of depiction of violence.

• Rated 7 – any violence can be non-realistic.

• Rated 12 – Can include violence in a fantasy environment.

• Rated 16 or 18 – Can have more realistic violence.

• Game may contain bad language.

• Rated 12 – Can include mild swearing and offensive language.

• Rated 16 or 18 – Can have blasphemy and sexual expletives.

• This descriptor may appear on 7 rated games with pictures or sounds that could be frightening to young children.

A series of Content descriptors

• Games depicting nudity or references to sexual nature.

• Rating 12 – May include words or activities with obvious sexual innuendo.

• Rating 16 – Erotic and sexual nudity may feature .

• Rating 18 – Explicit images of sexual activity may be included.

• This descriptor can only appear on games rated 18 – depictions of ethnicity, religions, nationalistic and stereotypes.

• Used for games rating 12, 16, or 18 that may encourage or teach gambling for money played in casino’s etc..

A series of Content descriptors

• Games may encourage the use of tobacco or alcohol in games rated 16 or depict illegal drugs in 18 rated titles.

• Games may be played online.

The icons representing the minimum recommended age.

• These are all the age ratings produced by PEGI and used across Europe.

I've applied my PEGI content for my game and this is how it looks.