Despite the stunning revelation of a bureaucrat screwup that invalidates 25 years' worth of game and movie content rating enforcement in the UK, all parties in the game supply chain have agreed to proceed as if the law was still in effect.
The British government is expected to fix the loophole, which dates back to the Maggie Thatcher era, later this year.
As reported by gamesindustry.biz, members of the UK's Video Standards Council have agreed to continue enforcing ratings. VSC exec Laurie Hall explains:
All sectors of our membership, whether they are video distributors, videogame publishers or entertainment retailers have confirmed that they will continue to conduct their businesses as usual.
Whatever the position of the law is at present our members will continue to operate as if it was mandatory. So far as videogames are concerned they have been acting upon this basis under the Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) system for quite some time.
A PUBLICATION OF THE ECA
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Comments
As long as it merely prevents the sale of stuff to minors then its not on the slippery slope, if it restricts to the point the law can be enforced on anyone who shares or shows then it becomes needless revenue grabbing...
Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy! Stop supporting big media and furthering the criminalization of consumers!! http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/
For some, like me, a law prohibiting the sale of violent games to minors is to already have slipped too far.
Then prehaps you should wait acouple years befor you can get porn :P
Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy! Stop supporting big media and furthering the criminalization of consumers!! http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/
Well to be perfectly honest if they decided not to enforce it themselves then when the government does re-pass the law making it legit, they'd probably go much harder on them for lack of a better term "sticking it to them".
"No law means no law" - Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black on the First Amendment
see, you don't need a law, just a voluntary policy.
The retailers don't have to honor but are going ot anyway.
And a law is still needed, why?
Well obivously because they might change their minds further down the road. Say it with me: "For the chiiiiiiiilllllllldrrreeeeeeeeeenn!!"
"For the chiiiiiiiilllllllldrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeenn!!"
Because the uk retailers - wether or not they believe in selling 18+ games to young 'uns - are being lazy. It just so happens that not changing policy here is the right thing to do. It will be enforceable in a few weeks anyway so why change habit?