How will PEGI work in the UK?

Video Standards Council and PEGI logo's

Well the simple answer to this is the same as always. The Video Standards Council (VSC) is the body behind which will enforce and have the power to enforce the ban on video games that do not receive a rating for retail. I have contacted the VSC for information and Laurie Hall gave me the following statement;

New PEGI Ratings In-Store by Summer!

So the new PEGI ratings brand will be on products by summer.  If you haven’t been following the whole dialema PEGI have been going through a number of re-designs of their ratings to make them more appealing as the single rating board for videogames.  Their final re-design has been confirmed to be in production already and through manufacture time scales should be in stores by the summer.

“We are very happy with this result. The best system won in the end. PEGI was always designed from the outset for games. PEGI is able to react to the games industry – legislation and other systems just don’t move that fast. We authorized publishers to start using the symbols as of last week – it obviously takes a while for them to work through the manufacturing system, but those new ratings will be seen in shops by the end of the summer.” – ISFE boss Simon Little

UK Government chooses PEGI ratings!

David Yarnton, UK General Manager, Nintendo, said: “The Government has made the right decision. The PEGI age rating system is right for the protection of children as it is designed specifically for games and interactive content.

“As a global company we welcome the decision as mature and intelligent as it works across some 30 international territories.“Rob Cooper, Managing Director, Ubisoft UK, said: “The adoption of PEGI as the rating system for games is a good decision. The PEGI system is future-proof, delivering effective child protection now and in the future. PEGI Online is a key component of the system, ensuring that the government does not have to re-assess the entire system once again in 12 months time.”