Retailer Currys plans to confuse parents even more with its own video game rating system
Find out how much a game will make you laugh before you buy it
You might remember the whole debacle over Manhunt 2 on PSP and its banning in the UK. And you might also recall that a few weeks later Tanya Byron's government-commissioned report into violent video games and online safety for kids was published, which recommended that all games carry a BBFC rating.
Well, according to a report on Sky News, retail chain Currys has decided to tackle for itself the problem of confused parents who don't know their Cooking Mamas from their Manhunts and who currently find the dual PEGI/BBFC rating confusing.
The chain will soon be rolling out its own rating system in which games are judged by a panel of customers on how fun, suitable and challenging they are. The sticky labels will also feature a 'squabble-ometer' and a laughter scale. A pilot scheme will launch shortly in five areas - Sheffield, Milton Keynes, Bristol, Leicester and Thanet - and a nationwide implementation will follow.
It's possible the scheme could help parents when choosing games for their children, but it seems obvious that if more shops follow suit then these individual schemes, rated using different criteria by different panels of people, could work to further confuse parents.
Just look at the problems supermarkets have had with the 'traffic light' food labelling versus the GDA (Guidance Daily Amounts) system. Fatties all over the place can't work out any more whether there's more fat in a doughnut or a custard slice. We just hope similar confusion doesn't emerge over the coming months for gaming.
