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Pan European Game Information (PEGI) is a European video game content rating system. It was developed by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE) and came into use in April 2003. The PEGI system is used in 29 countries. It is not associated with the European Union.

Participation is voluntary, at the discretion of the game developer. To obtain the ratings for any piece of software, the developer completes a questionnaire, which is then evaluated by the Netherlands Institute for the Classification of Audiovisual Media (NICAM) and ratings are given. It's based on the Dutch Kijkwijzer system as well.

There are two parts to the classification for any piece of software — a suggested minimum age and also up to seven descriptions of content, such as the use of strong language, violence, etc. Most recently added was the Gambling icon.

Age ratings

PEGI has five age categories. In Portugal, local legislation conflicts with some of the ratings and they are changed accordingly. Finland changed its legislation to fully adopt PEGI from January 1, 2007

3+ 7+ 12+ 16+ 18+
Standard
Portugal


PEGI is a voluntary system, although once in place it is illegal for persons under the age to purchase the game. If publishers of a game choose not to use the PEGI system it will be given a rating by the BBFC or ESRB, or in certain cases given no rating at all. However, it is not illegal for persons under the age to play the game, as it is a system of helping parents of children make informed decisions on buying the game. It is entirely the parent's choice whether to purchase a game for a minor.

Content descriptions

The seven content descriptors are:

Icon Content descriptor Examples
Bad languageGrand Theft Auto series, The Warriors, Shadow the Hedgehog, Max Payne 2 and Killer 7.
DiscriminationOriginal War, .
Drugs, The Warriors, NARC.
FearSurvival horror games, such as , and Resident Evil, Silent Hill.
Sex, nudity, erotica, pornography, Leisure Suit Larry, , BMX XXX, God of War, .
ViolenceFirst person shooters, such as Doom 3 and Halo 2 and other games like Mortal Kombat and God of War.
Gambling42 All-Time Classics, God Hand, Street Hoops.


The 'Gambling' content descriptor was first used on September 29, 2006 with the title 42 All-Time Classics.

Where PEGI is used

PEGI is used in 29 European nations (albeit with zero legal effect). They are:

Comparison and criticism

The neutrality of this section is disputed.
Please see the discussion on the talk page.


PEGI does not have the same conception of violence as the ESRB:
  • is classified 3+ by PEGI, but rated T by ESRB, Jak X has a 12+ rating for PEGI, but the reasons for the T rating are essentially the same.
  • is classified 12+ by PEGI and A by Japan's rating system, CERO. But the game was rated M by the ESRB.
  • For racing games, such as , there is a classification 3+ by PEGI, but it has been issued a T rating by the ESRB.
  • For the FPS XIII PEGI rated the game 12+, but the ESRB rated the game M. The game was later re-rated a 16+ on re-releases.
  • Final Fantasy XII is rated 16+ by PEGI, but is rated T by ESRB, the others were rated 12+ or 11+ by PEGI or ELPSA, but the reasons for the T rating in the US are the same
  • Final Fantasy IX was rated 3+ by PEGI (A by CERO), but is rated T in the US
  • Most superhero games, like Batman Begins, are classified 3+ by PEGI, but are rated T by ESRB
  • is rated M by the ESRB while it is given an adults only 18+ rating by PEGI.
  • Super Smash Bros. Melee is rated T by the ESRB whereas the PEGI gave it a 3+.
  • The Sims 2 is rated 7+ by PEGI (7+ is equal to the E Rating of the ESRB) and the ESRB rated The Sims 2 T for Teen, which is equivalent to a 12+ rating of the PEGI. All other Sims 2 Expansions are rated 12+ in PEGI and T for teen in the ESRB.
PEGI has also given different ratings than BBFC
  • Manhunt 2, while being banned by BBFC, could have been sold uncut with a 18+ rating in certain PEGI countries if not for Take-Two's suspension.
  • Family Guy Video Game!, whilst being rated a 18+ by PEGI, the BBFC rated it a 15+, similar to the dvd boxsets.
  • ''Splinter Cell Double Agent was also rated 18+ by PEGI, whilst the BBFC rated it 15.

See also

References

1. ^ Halo 2: Best of Classics. EB Games.de (2006). Retrieved on 2006-09-25.

External links

Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. Physically and geologically, Europe is the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, west of Asia. Europe is bounded to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Mediterranean Sea,
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Legislation (or "statutory law") is law which has been promulgated (or "enacted") by a legislature or other governing body. The term may refer to a single law, or the collective body of enacted law, while "statute" is also used to refer to a single law.
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Grand Theft Auto (GTA) is a video game series created and primarily developed by Scottish developer Rockstar North (formerly DMA Design), published by Rockstar Games and debuted in 1998.
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The Warriors is a beat 'em up video game published by Rockstar Games. It was released on October 17 2005 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and February 12 2007 for the PlayStation Portable. The game is based on the 1979 film, The Warriors.
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Shadow the Hedgehog (シャドウ・ザ・ヘッジホッグ
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killer7 is a video game jointly developed and published by Grasshopper Manufacture and Capcom for the GameCube and PlayStation 2. It was released on June 9, 2005 in Japan, July 7, 2005 in the United States, and July 15, 2005 in Europe.
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Discrimination

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Original War is a non-linear real-time strategy computer game developed by Altar and released by Virgin Interactive on December 3, 2001. It was re-released in the UK under the budget Sold Out label in 2004.
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drug, broadly speaking, is a substance used as a medicine or narcotic.[1] There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in medicine, government regulations, and colloquial usage.[2]

In pharmacology, Dictionary.
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The Warriors is a beat 'em up video game published by Rockstar Games. It was released on October 17 2005 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and February 12 2007 for the PlayStation Portable. The game is based on the 1979 film, The Warriors.
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Tagline: Don't Do Drugs

NARC is a 1988 arcade game designed by Eugene Jarvis for Williams Electronics. It was one of the first ultra-violent video games and a frequent target of parental criticism of the arcade game industry.
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Fear is an emotional response to impending danger, that is tied to anxiety. Behavioral theorists, like Watson and Ekman, have both suggested that fear, along with a few other basic emotions (e.g., joy and anger), is a trait innate to most higher functioning organisms.
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Survival horror is a video game genre in which the player has to survive against often undead or otherwise supernatural enemies, typically in claustrophobic environments and from a third-person perspective.
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Resident Evil, known in Japan as Biohazard (バイオハザード
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Silent Hill (サイレントヒル) is a survival horror video game franchise developed and published by Konami. As of 2007, most installments have been created by Team Silent with the exception of two upcoming titles, , which is being
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This article is about sexual practices (i.e., physical sex). Broader aspects of sexual behaviour such as social and psychological sexual issues are covered in related articles such as human sexuality, heterosexuality, and homosexuality.

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Nudity or nakedness is the state of wearing no clothing. It is sometimes used to refer to wearing significantly less clothing than expected by the conventions of a particular culture and situation, and in particular exposing the bare skin of intimate parts and has analogous
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Erotica (from the Greek Eros - "desire") — refers to works of art, including literature, photography, film, sculpture and painting, that deal substantively with erotically stimulating or arousing descriptions.
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Leisure Suit Larry is the title character of a series of adult adventure games written by Al Lowe and published by Sierra On-Line from the 1980s to the present.
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BMX XXX is a controversial 2002 video game published by Acclaim Entertainment for the Xbox, GameCube, and PlayStation 2.
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God of War is a video game for the Sony PlayStation 2 console released on March 22, 2005. As an action-adventure game based on Greek mythology, God of War was developed by Sony Computer Entertainment's Santa Monica division.
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