14 DAY TRIAL // Probably for some of you, this does not come as a huge surprise, but today's decision of the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE) to use the PEGI system to rate one game, Against all Odds, was astonishing for the UK rating monitors, Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), the organization which was one of the founders of ISFE. But, as long as two huge organizations are involved and everything works fine, we're happy.
The game that got it all started, Against All Odds, is a title developed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), has a 7+ rating and it is available to be played for free or downloaded from here. The game puts players in a variety of refugee situations to promote understanding particularly amongst children and teenagers - we're talking about taking tough decisions, many with dramatic consequences, just as it happens when it comes to real life refugees.
"For us, the UN?s commitment to PEGI Online is clear evidence of the reputation the system has across Europe for helping to protect younger gamers to ensure that they are only playing appropriate games for their age group. The system also ensures parents are empowered to make the right choices for their children when purchasing games in any of 27 countries across Europe," said Paul Jackson, Director General, ELSPA.
PEGI Online, initiated more than a year ago by ISFE, is the extension of PEGI, the Pan European Game Information System. Its only goal is to protect minors against unsuitable content by helping parents to make informed buying decisions. It is considered one of the best rating systems but we all know that parents tend to ignore these ratings, no matter if they say "M for Mature" or "12+" or whatever.