Dealing with gamers Packaging and labelling requirements Packaging and labelling requirements PEGI The Pan-European Game Information The age labels should appear on the (PEGI) age rating system was front of the box with the descriptor established to help European labels generally appearing on parents make informed decisions the back. on buying computer games. In the UK, certain PEGI age ratings are Age labels legally enforceable, so it’s important that publishers comply before Age ratings advise on the suitability making their games available on and content of a game, not on the the UK market. level of skill required to play it. In the UK, the PEGI age rating bands are PEGI ratings can apply to all games as follows: whether boxed or online, for consoles or mobile phones. The ratings 3 – Considered suitable for all come in two parts: age groups. There may be very mild/ An age rating. unrealistic violence in a child-like setting or nudity shown in a natural A content descriptor. and non-sexual manner. In the UK, the Video Recordings Act 7 – Contains unrealistic violence, 1984 (VRA 1984) requires any boxed often directed towards fantasy game to receive a PEGI rating before characters. Violence towards human it can be released, and it’s a legal characters is unrealistic, of a minor requirement that rated games must nature, or only implied, eg a city only be supplied in physical form to being bombed or cars crashing, people above the specified age. where the violence to humans isn’t 113