Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what system of classification is used by the Video Standards Council Rating Board to rate video games; and how the level of classification is decided.

Video games are subject to a mixture of statutory and voluntary regulation mainly linked to the Pan-European Games Information (PEGI) classification system. In the UK, the PEGI age ratings have statutory backing under the Video Recordings Act 1984 and the Video Standards Council (VSC) Rating Board is designated under the Act to review and classify products. The PEGI ratings system - which has been adopted in most countries across Europe - is used to classify video games content against criteria which includes, for example, depictions of violence, sexual scenes or themes, depictions of self-harm, drug use, bad language, gambling and the ability to interact online with other players. Video games are awarded 3, 7, 12, 16 or 18 PEGI age ratings as appropriate, and pictograms are attached to the games to indicate the type of content they contain. The VSC uses this system to rate games that are unsuitable for children. More information about the VSC’s approach to classification is set out in their annual report, which is laid before Parliament each year.