Home News PEGI announces PEGI Express

PEGI announces PEGI Express

Mobile games for Windows Phone will have a PEGI classification.

PEGI S.A., the organisation that manages the pan-European age rating system for video games, today announced that PEGI Express, a new rating process specifically designed for mobile platforms, is now available for games for the Windows Phone platform.

Games rated via PEGI Express will display the familiar age rating icons that video games on consoles and PC are already using, so consumers can easily recognise and understand the ratings. PEGI Express is not a different rating system - it uses the same criteria as ratings for console games and verification will be handled by PEGI administrator NICAM - but it is a new process built specifically to deal with the surge of mobile games.

PEGI Express is designed to cope with a very high volume of required ratings and the need for quick turnover time to match the flexibility of the digital distribution model. For this reason, it uses a post-release audit system to verify the ratings of games. Due to the digital nature of game apps, corrections can be performed easily and instantly when necessary. The audit fee will be carried by Windows Phone, making this a cost-effective and time-efficient solution for game app developers.

Developers will be able to access the PEGI Express tool directly through the Windows Phone platform as an integral part of the app submission process. Submitting a game requires a very short time: games with barely or no content that can be inappropriate for children of a certain age are classified at once. Only as the amount and diversity of potentially inappropriate content increases, more questions need to be answered.

“At Microsoft, providing parents with the tools to help keep their children safe online is a top priority, and we have made considerable investments in this area both in our Windows environment as well as on the Xbox 360,” stated Chris Lewis, VP IEB, Microsoft EMEA. “Given the fast growing popularity of mobile gaming amongst a younger age group, we felt that it was critical to apply those same rigorous standards to our Windows Phone devices as currently apply to Xbox and Games for Windows titles.”

“PEGI continues to play a crucial role in the interactive entertainment sector,” continued Lewis. “As a founding member of PEGI, Microsoft continues its strong commitment to safe entertainment, by working together with PEGI to help developers rate their games quickly and effectively.”

“We are very pleased to have Microsoft as a committed partner and we are delighted that the Windows Phone Platform is the first to feature this new technology”, commented Simon Little, Managing Director of PEGI S.A. “PEGI Express fills a clear need for a system to classify mobile game content so that informed decisions can be made by parents. Windows Phone games rated via PEGI Express will use the same set of age labels that video games on consoles and PC are using already, making it easy for consumers to recognise and understand them.”

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All ages

All ages (AL) means that a film, series or television show contains no harmful imagery.

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6 years

The age category 6 years was developed to protect young children from scary and violent imagery. Young children are especially sensitive to this kind of material.

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9 years

Once children are around the age of 9, they are better able to understand whether films or series are real. That's why some productions are rated 9 years and older.

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12 years

When children are between 10 and 12 years old, they start to look differently at the world around them. Still, children around this age are more easily affected by content than teenagers.

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14 years

At this age, children start to use film and television to learn 'social' lessons, like: how to be yourself? And how to interact with others? Watching dangerous behaviour on screen can therefore cause issues at this age. 

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16 years

Although 16-year olds are better able to understand the difference between good and bad, this doesn't mean they can just watch any film or series without trouble.

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18 years

The age rating 18 years and older indicates that a film or television show is for adults only. 

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Violence

When children see violence, it can make them aggressive, scared or desensitized to violence. The chance at these kind of effects is influenced by a few things, like: how realistic is the violence? Is there blood or gore? Is violence rewarded? 

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Fear

Scary images can frighten children, make them restless or even cause long-term effects like nightmares. The effects vary depending on the viewer and the viewer's age. 

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Sex

Children and teens that are in the middle of their (sexual) development, are not always ready to see sexual scenes. They may also be unable to interpret them correctly. Kijkwijzer takes this into consideration. How explicit a sex scene is determines the final age rating.

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Coarse language

Coarse language consists of cussing and cursing, suggestive terms or sexual expletives. Children may imitate the use of offensive language and even incorporate it in their vocabulary.

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Discrimination

Discrimination is any expression that suggests (a group of) people are 'inferior' in some way, for example on the basis of skin colour, religion, sexuality, sex or gender, nationality or ethnicity. If a production contains discrimination and the discriminatory action is not immediately condemned, the icon for discrimination is depicted.

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Smoking, alcohol and drugs

If hard drugs are used in a production - or (a lot of) alcohol, soft drugs or tobacco - the Kijkwijzer icon for smoking, alcohol and drugs is depicted. Teenagers can start to see the use as something that's normal, or even as something worth trying. 

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Dangerous challenges and stunts

Dangerous challenges and stunts regularly occur in content on video sharing platforms.

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Violence

The game contains depictions of violence. In games rated PEGI 7 this can only be non-realistic or non-detailed violence. Games rated PEGI 12 can include violence in a fantasy environment or non-realistic violence towards human-like characters, whereas games rated PEGI 16 or 18 have increasingly more realistic-looking violence.​

Fear

This descriptor may appear as 'Fear' on games with a PEGI 7 if it contains pictures or sounds that may be frightening or scary to young children, or as 'Horror' on higher-rated games that contain moderate (PEGI 12) or intense and sustained (PEGI 16) horror sequences or disturbing images (not necessarily including violent content).

Sex

This content descriptor can accompany a PEGI 12 rating if the game includes sexual posturing or innuendo, a PEGI 16 rating if there is erotic nudity or sexual intercourse without visible genitals or a PEGI 18 rating if there is explicit sexual activity in the game. Depictions of nudity in a non-sexual context do not require a specific age rating, and this descriptor would not be necessary.

Drugs

The game refers to or depicts the use of illegal drugs, alcohol or tobacco. Games with this content descriptor are always PEGI 16 or PEGI 18.

Discrimination

The game contains depictions of ethnic, religious, nationalistic or other stereotypes likely to encourage hatred. This content is always restricted to a PEGI 18 rating (and likely to infringe national criminal laws).

Bad language

The game contains bad language. This descriptor can be found on games with a PEGI 12 (mild swearing), PEGI 16 (e.g. sexual expletives or blasphemy) or PEGI 18 rating (e.g. sexual expletives or blasphemy).

PEGI 3

PEGI 7

PEGI 12

Video games that show violence of a slightly more graphic nature towards fantasy characters or non-realistic violence towards human-like characters would fall in this age category. Sexual innuendo or sexual posturing can be present, while any bad language in this category must be mild.

PEGI 16

This rating is applied once the depiction of violence (or sexual activity) reaches a stage that looks the same as would be expected in real life. The use of bad language in games with a PEGI 16 rating can be more extreme, while the use of tobacco, alcohol or illegal drugs can also be present.

PEGI 18

The adult classification is applied when the level of violence reaches a stage where it becomes a depiction of gross violence, apparently motiveless killing, or violence towards defenceless characters. The glamorisation of the use of illegal drugs and of the simulation of gambling, and explicit sexual activity should also fall into this age category. 

Gambling

The game contains elements that encourage or teach gambling. These simulations of gambling refer to games of chance that are normally carried out in casinos or gambling halls. 

In-game purchases

The game offers players the option to purchase digital goods or services with real-world currency. Such purchases include additional content (bonus levels, outfits, surprise items, music), but also upgrades (e.g. to disable ads), subscriptions to updates, virtual coins and other forms of in-game currency.

If this icon is accompanied by the notice Paid Random Items, the in-game purchases may consist of offers where the player doesn't know precisely what they are buying prior to purchase (i.e. loot boxes or card packs). 

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