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The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification FYI) rates all games, but the vast majority get a PG or U/Uc rating and are available to all.

Quite a few console games are now getting 12 ratings and some are getting 15s, with a handful of PC and console games being give an 18 rating. Frankly I don't see a problem with this - all the information on how they decide their ratings is listed on their website and it reduces the ability of shitty parents to complain about games their kids played before the killing spree because it's a criminal offence to sell a BBFC rated Game/DVD to someone under that age.

In all honesty, our film/game censorship is really pretty lax compared to the US, especially with regard to sex - although ironically, when it comes to porn, you still win.

I'm shocked that a lot of people here seem to think it's okay to sell violent games to children. A lot of games are extremely violent and offensive, and reward indiscriminant violence.

Surely people agree that the same type of ratings should be applied to video games as are applied to videos/films?

In the UK we have the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) http://www.bbfc.co.uk/ . If it decides a film/video/game is only suitable for people over a certain age, then it is illegal for a shop to sell it to a person below that age. Other countries have similar systems. There's also a pan-European organisation, http://www.pegi.info/, although I don't think it's descisions are legally enforcable.

Since when are cinemas run by the state [in Britain]?

Try the British Board of Film Classification, who decide what ratings each film gets, and in extreme cases can ban films (actually the local authorities have the final say).

Having said that, the best bet is to read the Wikipaedia entry.

In the jurisdiction in which I live, that makes it a criminal offence to sell or rent either item to anyone under the age of 18.

I'm guessing from your website that you live in the UK. Based on that assumption, I wonder whether you're aware that the certification of movies, undertaken by the British Board of Film Classification, has no legal basis? By this, I mean that no crime is committed if an under-18 walks into an 18-certificate movie. Of course, almost all mainstream cinemas will not let the under-18 see the 18-certificate movie; but this decision is made at the discretion of the management, and has no basis in UK law.

On to the case with GTA3 and GTA:Vice City, both of my (UK-purchased) copies have, like yours, 18 certificates on the back. However, this classification is BBFC-based, and therefore most likely carries the same legal weight as movie classifcation: none. So your initial points would appear to be wrong, although I'm not 100% sure, and you may want to check this. You're spot on, though, with your closing remarks about electronic babysitters.

There are a few exemptions, but that's approximately right. Here are the details.

Tell me, who in your state sets those ratings, and who enforces them?

Actually, not strictly true about PG. From the bbfc site:


PG

General viewing, but some scenes may be unsuitable for some children

'PG' Parental Guidance

Unaccompanied children of any age may watch. A 'PG' film should not disturb a child aged around eight or older. However, parents are advised to consider whether the content may upset younger or more sensitive children.

(My emphasis)

PG - Parental Guidance - If you are under 12, you have to be with a parent to see it

PG - Parental Guidance - If you are under 12, you have to be with a parent to see it

I personally don't understand the double standard with sex vs. violence. If we declare sexual material to be dangerous to a young person's mind, why isn't violent material held up to the same standard, and forbidden by law?

This goes some way to explaing why a non American didn't get the point of this story - in the UK sex and violence do fall under the same categories with respect to videos and video games.

There is self policing by ELSPA (European Leisure Software Publishers Association) but video games also fall under the auspices of the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification). Whilst the ELSPA ratings are purely voluntary (Damn - I even use google as my spell checker!) the BBFC ones have legal force.

Looking at my PSone games (my PS2 games are too tame) I see that 'Resident Evil' and 'DOOM' merit a 15 and 'Duke Nukem' gets the maximum 18 suggesting that violence is rated less than sexual content over here.

Emotional maturity is not a function of age

Indeed, but parents (the ones with the votes) probably are in favour or laws preventing their kids from buying material they deem unsuitable. If the parents are die hard libertarians then they can buy what they want for their kids as long as they take responsibility for whatever their kids do subsequently.

Porn and Doom didn't turn my teenage self into a sex-crazed homicidal maniac. Maybe I didn't get enough!

Me too! Personally I don't believe that pr0n and DOOM turn anyone into into sex-crazed homicidal maniacs - the nutters were that way inclined anyway IMHO.

"A Clockwork Orange" is in my local Woolworth's, with an 18 certificate on it. You're about a year out of date. We have "The Exorcist" too, now...

BBFC decision on ACO

BBFC decision on The Exorcist

So no, we're not as bad as we used to be. Even then, we still ban all kinds of stuff and FACT will raid markets and/or shops for R1 discs at any chance it gets (ignoring pirated stuff while it does it.) We're not a panacea, and our Customs are paranoid. Still, at least we can import our stuff whenever we like...

I suppose it's like the ban the French had, until a few years ago, on encryption software: a futile attempt to keep their citizens at bay. They seem to be more recipient of this than we are (although we have RIP); no wonder they think their government is screwing them over. Because they are.

"A Clockwork Orange" is in my local Woolworth's, with an 18 certificate on it. You're about a year out of date. We have "The Exorcist" too, now...

BBFC decision on ACO

BBFC decision on The Exorcist

So no, we're not as bad as we used to be. Even then, we still ban all kinds of stuff and FACT will raid markets and/or shops for R1 discs at any chance it gets (ignoring pirated stuff while it does it.) We're not a panacea, and our Customs are paranoid. Still, at least we can import our stuff whenever we like...

I suppose it's like the ban the French had, until a few years ago, on encryption software: a futile attempt to keep their citizens at bay. They seem to be more recipient of this than we are (although we have RIP); no wonder they think their government is screwing them over. Because they are.

Or the British Board of Film Classification, as we like to call it over here...

www.bbfc.co.uk