PEGI

Pan European Game Information, or more commonly PEGI, is a European system for rating the content of computer and video games, and other entertainment software. It was developed by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE) and came into use in April 2003. The PEGI system is used in 16 countries. It is not associated with the European Union, however the overwhelming majority of members (all except for 2) are European Union members as well.

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.

There are two parts to the classification for any piece of software — a suggested minimum age and also up to six descriptions of content, such as the use of strong language, violence, etc.

Age ratings

There are five age ratings:

• 3+
• 7+
• 12+
• 16+
• 18+

There may be small regional variations on the age ratings, in case the local legislation conflicts with the ratings. For example, instead of 12+ and 16+, Finland has 11+ and 15+ ratings.

Content descriptions

The six content descriptors are:

• Violence
• Sex/nudity
• Discrimination
• Drugs
• Fear
• Language (Bad and/or sexual)

Examples

• Violence – first-person shooters
• Sex/nudity – Project Rub
• Discrimination – Original War
• Drugs – Deus Ex: Invisible War
• Fear – survival horror games
• Language – Grand Theft Auto series

Where PEGI is used

PEGI is used in 16 European nations. They are:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Denmark
• Finland (also has a local rating system which is used instead if PEGI rating is missing)
• France
• Greece
• Ireland
• Italy
• Luxembourg
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Portugal
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom (if a game contains certain material, BBFC rating is used instead)

See also

• ESRB, the American computer and video game rating system

External links

• PEGI Official site