The Pegi (Pan-European Game Information) system has become the only system used for determining what age certificate video games should be awarded, after the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) was dropped.

The move should make it easier for parents to determine what titles are suitable for their children with ratings of 12, 16 and 18 to be added to game sleeves. Diagrams detailing what kind of content will be found in the game will also be included, along with whether the it features online game play with other players. 

It will be up to the Games Rating Authority (GRA) to determine a game's age category  - with the power to ban games - in accordance with Pegi’s criteria. Many feel Pegi's system is stricter than the BBFC’s. Any retailer found selling titles to children under the designated age limits could face prosecution.

The Pegi classification system has three ratings - 12, 16 and 18 - with titles rated 12 years and over if the depict “non-graphic violence to human or animal characters, a slightly higher threshold of violence to fantasy characters or significant nudity or bad language” .

Games are awarded a 16 years and over rating “if the depiction of violence or sexual activity looks the same as it would do in normal life. Drug and tobacco references also trigger the age limit.”

Finally, games rated 18 years and over will contain “a ‘gross’ level of violence likely to make the viewer feel a sense of revulsion".

As a parent do you feel this system will help? Is it necessary? Let us know in the comments below...