Government Confusion in Call for Return of BBFC Game Ratings

The fusty, ancient and should-be-rebooted UK House of Lords appears to think that kids who play video games are cunning and so it's time to turn back the clock on BBFC game ratings according to a verbatim report we've seen.

After many years of lobbying, the pseudo state controlled BBFC ceased to rate/censor video games following under the Digital Economy Bill. PEGI took over. Everybody was clear on this way forward. Not the ancient House of Lords.

Lord Stevenson of Balmacara in fact wants to return to the old days. "My main point is that PEGI is an industry-led body and that one increasingly finds that in video games inserts are being used from films and related materials. Is there not a case for trying to get co-ordination across this, and having some sort of accommodation with the BBFC?" He stated in the Lords yesterday.

Now that seems odd to us - the government that decided to change to PEGI is now trying to get the BBFC involved again? That doesn't make sense...

He wasn't the only patronising politician to seek even more state control. Later in the report, Baroness Massey of Darwen said, "I am sure that she is aware that some video games are extremely pornographic and violent and that, even for adults, there should be enforced regulation on them."

We have a few points to make here... "extremely pornographic"? Now, we appreciate that there are some explicit scenes in games - maybe, just maybe they could be classed as 'soft-porn', but "extremely pornographic", really? She also says "some video games are extremely violent" - Don't get us started on this point. Every man and his dog seems to blame video games for acts of violence in real life. Hell, maybe shooting that alien possessed me to steal a car and crash into a bakery?

She then goes on to say that "even for adults, there should be enforced regulation on them." - So not only are kids on total lockdown when it comes to playing CoD, but adults need an "enforced regulation" as well?

Oh, and just to add the icing on the cake, Baroness Garden of Frognal goes on to state that "It is a question all the time of trying to keep one step ahead of cunning children, who have a tendency to be one step ahead of their parents."

So these politicians have insulted adults, children, we're sure there was a paragraph about cows conspiring in there somewhere too. (That's obviously sarcasm, but we don't want any confusion.)

Anyway, here's the source.