Main Issues in Film Classification - Video Games

Video games

Video games are classified under the same Guidelines and using the same categories as ‘linear’ works such as film or DVD.

The BBFC acknowledges the difference between watching a film or DVD and the more interactive experience of playing a game but recognises that, to date, limited research has been done into whether ‘interactivity’ has any significant effect on the potential for harm.

In addition, the interactivity inherent in video games may, in certain contexts, lead to a greater potential for some content to be considered unsuitable for certain age groups. The ability of a game to make a young player complicit in behaviour involving, for example:

• sex
• drugs
• realistic violence

...may be as important as the level of detail shown, especially where such behaviour forms a major component of the game, and where the level of interactivity is high.

In a video game, the frequency with which an issue occurs is also often difficult to quantify, as it will depend on how the player chooses to play the game, and how many times a particular level is attempted before completion.

Where frequency is a category defining issue (for example, with respect to strong language), the BBFC bases its judgement on an assessment of the frequency with which a player is likely to encounter the issue during normal gameplay.

Given the lack of research, especially in relation to harm, and given the rapid developments in the sophistication of video games, the BBFC may take a more cautious approach when a video game lies on the borderline between two categories, or contains material which raises issues of acceptability at the adult categories.