PEGI Ratings and Descriptors Research
For this project, I am required to carry out an audience profile, which means to carry this out effectively I will need to carry out research into the audience of my groups game to gain a better understanding.
For this project, we are required for the game to have a PEGI rating of 7. However, the target audience of the game doesn't have to be 7, but due to the PEGI rating being 7, the target audience will be impacted by being around that age (most likely target audience of 7-12 years).
Since we have been given the requirement of the PEGI rating being 7, my first area of research will be into what PEGI 7 actually means.
On the official PEGI website, it states that PEGI 7 means:
"Game content with scenes or sounds that can
possibly frightening to younger children should fall in this category. Very mild forms of violence (implied, non-detailed, or non-realistic violence) are acceptable for a game with a PEGI 7 rating." (PEGI, 2017). This means that games that are PEGI 7 can include forms of mild violence, as long as it makes use of an art style that is cartoon/not too realistic. Additionally, PEGI 7 games can also make
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use of scenes and sounds, which may be found frightening. However, this doesn't mean that the sounds or scenes involve anything too extreme.
As well as looking into the PEGI ratings themselves, I also looked into the content descriptors that are used to show the content within games, as some of the description on the PEGI website state what PEGI rated games they are acceptable within.
The first game content listed on the website is violence. It is stated that PEGI 7 games can make use of violence, but the violence can only be non-realistic or non-detailed."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
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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." (PEGI, 2017)
The next game content listed on the website is 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, 2017)
As stated, bad language is acceptable at games that are PEGI 12, and no lower, which means that our game, which is PEGI 7, will not be able to make use of bad language. This is something that I will have to bear in mind when writing the script.
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The next game content listed on the website is fear.
"This descriptor may appear on games with a PEGI 7 if it contains pictures or sounds that may be frightening or scary
to young be frightening or scary to young children, or on PEGI 12 games with horrific sounds or horror effects (but without any violent content)." (PEGI, 2017). This shows that PEGI 7 games can contain scenes or sounds that may be found frightening to the audience. However, this fear, if being used with horror, isn't violent.
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The next game content listed on the website is 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. Games with this sort of content are PEGI 12, PEGI 16 or PEGI 18." (PEGI, 2017). Game with this descriptor include gambling in some way, shape or form, or teach the players how to gamble. This means that this descriptor won't be able to be used in our game, as this being in a game makes it, at minimum, PEGI 12.
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The next game content listed on the website is 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 content do not require a specific age rating, and this descriptor would not be necessary." (PEGI, 2017)
This means that the inclusion of sexual content in a game, whether it's just sexual innuendos or references, or actual intercourse, the PEGI rating will be between 12-18. Once again, this descriptor
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will not be able to be included in my groups game, as the minimal PEGI rating it can be used with is 12.
The next game content listed on the website is 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." (PEGI, 2017). This once again is a descriptor that will not be included in our game, mainly due to the the fact that even if we wanted it to, it is only acceptable for it to be included in games that have a PEGI rating of 16 or 18.
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"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)." (PEGI, 2017). This once again means that this descriptor won't be included.
The final game content listed on the website is discrimination.
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Research findings
After looking at the different content descriptors I have been able to see the different types of content that can be included in our PEGI 7 game. The type of content that will be suitable for our game will be violence and fear. However, these will both have to be rather mild to be able to be included.
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The concept for our game is for there to be some sort of combat. This will most likely be with a sword (mainly), but as we plan for the enemies to be mechanical sea creatures (robots), as well as having no gore in the game (even when fighting human enemies), the violence that we plan to include should be acceptable for/meet the requirements for the PEGI 7 rating.