Game Releases in the United Kingdom Might Be Delayed

In the wake of the Byron report, which tried to assess the way videogames affect different categories of consumers, mainly children, the United Kingdom government is preparing to propose and then implement a new rating system for videogames.

The current system mentions that only games labeled by the PEGI as being in the 15 or in the 18 categories are subject to review by the British Board of Film Classification. All other games are rated by PEGI and are sold in Great Britain bearing that rating.

The Byron report mentioned the possibility that all games that are rated 12 or higher should go for additional review at the BBFC. Taking into account the fact that games rated 12 or higher own the majority of the market, this might mean that more games will have to be rated and the BBFC will be slower in its process, thereby causing game releases in Britain to be delayed.

The Electronic Arts boss in the United Kingdom, Keith Ramsdale, mentioned this possibility as one of the reasons why the videogame companies should lobby the government to maintain the current system. The EA man says that "An extra and unnecessary layer of administration beyond a single system slows the process, and that delay will get passed on to the players themselves".

He also says that gamers themselves should be concerned about the proposals of the Byron reviews and that they should express their opinion in this respect. Ramsdale says that "with all the discussion about the Byron Review, we know what the Government thinks, but someone needs to speak up for British consumers. Has anyone asked British consumers what they think?"

The government has not made any decision yet and the BBFC might be expanded to handle the extra workload the system creates. But there's a real chance that at least some game releases will be delayed, at first anyway.