Pan-European Game Information

       This is a rating system that belongs to the ISFE (Interactive Software Federation of Europe) and the ISFE contracted the administration of the system to the NICAM (Netherlands Institute for the Classification of Audiovisual Media). This system is supported by the 3 major console manufacturers Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, as well as publishers and developers in Europe. 
This rating system is used in 32 countries in Europe, Israel and South Africa.  
       The PEGI rating system bases itself on a code of conduct that regulates forms of media like console and computer games, and also regulates advertising, promotion and marketing of interactive software so that all of these are conducted in a responsible manner. 
       The sole purpose of this code of conduct, by which the PEGI bases its guidelines, is to inform parents and educators with objective, intelligable and reliable information about the content of any given product and it's age categorization, with specific reference to it's content by way of content descriptors. This rating system by no means refers to the difficulty of the game or the skills necessary to play it,  it only refers to sensitive visual and auditive content.

The Rating Process
     Before the game is released the publisher must answer an on-line assessment form. There are some steps to complete before they are authorized to label the product, here they are:

1. First part of the assessment form deals with some legal provisions for some European Union countries. 
2. Second part of the assessment form relates to content of the game taking into account all the sensitive visual and auditive content of the game.
3. Depending on the answers given, the system automatically gives an age rating along with content descriptors to explain why the game was categorized in that age group.
4. For provisional ratings of 12 and over the PEGI administrator pre-examines the game before the confirmation of a rating.
5. If there is doubt whether the questionnaire was filled in accurately or for games rated 3 and 7  there are random examinations by the administrator.
6. The publisher is then given a license authorizing the use of the age rating logo and the content descriptors on the product.

     The rating label that is put on the box is located on the front and back of the box the content descriptors appear only on the back. The age rating catergories differ from the ESRB because the PEGI system categorizes adolescence differently, while the ESRB jumps from a Teen (13 ) to a mature (17 ) rating, the PEGI system has casual increments in this age group. Here's the list of the age rating given by PEGI:

Ratings

• 3

     This is suitable for all ages. Violence in a comical context is accepted. The child should not be able to associate on-screen characters with real people, the have to be fantasy characters. No sounds or scenes that could frighten, no nudity or any reference to sexual activity in any context.

• 7

     Contains possibly frightening scenes or sounds. Scenes of partial nudity may be found but not in a sexual context.

• 12

     These games show violence a little more graphic in nature towards fantasy looking characters and non-graphic violence towards human-looking characters and recognizable animals. Mild language and slightly more graphic nudity. 

• 16

     This age rating is where violence looks the same as in real life. Extreme language, the concept of the use of drugs, tobacco and the depiction of criminal activity can be contained in this age rating.

• 18

     This age rating is limited to games that have gross violence. Gross violence is defined as: The depiction of violence that would make the viewer feel revulsion.

     There are only 8 content descriptors in the PEGI rating system. Here's the list:

Content Descriptors

1. Bad Language
2. Discrimination
3. Drugs
4. Fear
5. Gambling
6. Sex
7. Violence
8. Online Gameplay

      The PEGI system is used in 32 European countries, Israel and South Africa, but for the majority of these countries these ratings are voluntary or advisory and are not enforced by some kind of local regulation or law, this means that a publisher can release a game with no rating or the publisher can submit the game to another rating organization if they want. The only countries that enforce these ratings with local regulation or law are Finland, Norway and partially Austria.
      Here's a list of the countries using the PEGI rating system:

• Austria***
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland***
• France
• Greece
• Germany
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway ***
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Russia
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom

*** Enforced by law.

Portugal has a slight variation with the age rating because of local legislation problems, so instead of having the standard 3 ,7 ,12 ,16 ,18 ratings they modified the first 2 ratings like this: 4 ,6 ,12 ,16 ,18