<![CDATA[Kotaku: Bbfc]]> http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/kotaku.com.png <![CDATA[Kotaku: Bbfc]]> http://kotaku.com/tag/bbfc http://kotaku.com/tag/bbfc <![CDATA[Arkham Asylum Gets its GOTY (Edition)]]> The British Board of Film Classification has listed a Game of the Year edition for Batman: Arkham Asylum, offering no details beyond the fact it's a separate version under a different name. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5448538&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[More Movies Refused BBFC Classification Than Games]]> In an attempt to counter unfair stereotypes about games, UK game industry trade organization TIGA reveals that three times as many movies have been refused British Board of Film Classification ratings than games in the past five years. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5417025&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[The Ballad Of Gay Tony To Have "Strong" Sex, Ample Thrusting]]> How does Rockstar Games plan to one-up the shock factor of full frontal male nudity from Grand Theft Auto: The Lost & Damned? Perhaps with some "strong" sex scenes and thrusts aplenty in The Ballad of Gay Tony. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5387060&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Wait, There Was A "Recipe" For Meth In GTAIV?]]> Proof that in a world as big as Grand Theft Auto IV's you can play it for months and never see all the game has to offer: apparently there's a "recipe" for the production of methamphetamines hidden somewhere in the game. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5300416&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[PEGI Triumphs Over The BBFC]]> The war between the British Board of Film Classification and the Pan-European Game Information system over UK game ratings comes to an end today, with PEGI to act as the UK's sole age rating system. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5292677&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Silent Hill Gets Re-Rated, Wii-make Announcement Coming Soon?]]> If Konami does have plans to re-release the original Silent Hill for the Wii and PSP, as previously rumored, that announcement must be coming soon, as the BBFC has just recently rated the title. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5167122&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[British Rating Board: Resident Evil 5 Is Not Racist]]> When the Resident Evil 5 trailer was first shown, it raised some eyebrows. Some were critical, saying the set-in-Africa game used racist imagery. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5162594&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[MadWorld Won't Be Censored For UK]]> Upcoming Wii title MadWorld has made it through the British rating board, the BBFC. There will be no content changes to game — probably the most violent title since No More Heroes. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5132587&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Ratings: ESRB on Punch-Out, BBFC on Chinatown Wars]]> The British Board of Film Classification have given Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, an 18-rating. No surprise there, but the classification also mentions that there's 168 minutes of cutscenes in the game. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5128653&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[PEGI Should Be Legal Standard In UK - ELSPA]]> The consultation period for the UK's Byron Review into age ratings and the effects of videogames on children has now concluded and the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) have presented their report to the UK Government. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5096370&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[UK Manhunt 2 - The Long Struggle Is At An End]]> At last there is light at the end of the tunnel, and beyond that a man waiting with a claw hammer, ready to crack open your skull. Rockstar has confirmed with our friends over at GamesIndustry.biz that following a long struggle with the British Board of Film Classification, Manhunt 2 for the PS2, Wii, and PSP will be in the shops on October 31st, which is some sort of a holiday, or so I'm told. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5059455&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[PEGI: We'll Talk With You, But First, Do You Support Us?]]> The ongoing debate between the British Board of Film Classification and the Pan-European Game Information system over who should be left to rate video games has recently been locked in at a feverish pitch. The argument, one which one day we may see come to U.S. shores, is steeped, I think, in some very interesting issues. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5054086&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[ELSPA - BBFC Can't Cope With Game Rating]]> The British Board of Film Classification comes under further fire today as the director general of the Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) Paul Jackson calls out the organization while addressing the Labour Party Conference in Manchester, England. Jackson, along with just about everyone else, believes that the Pan-European Game Information system (PEGI) is best suited to protecting Britain's children from mature content, specifically online content that finds them interacting with players in other countries. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5053036&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Nintendo, SEGA, Ubisoft, EA All Back PEGI Over BBFC]]> After the Bryon Review suggested a new system requiring games that would normally receive a 12+ Pan European Game Information (PEGI) rating be subjected to review by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), publishers like EA started to worry about even longer UK game release delays. Both the BBFC and PEGI are trying to carve out control in a UK game ratings power scramble. Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association head Paul Jackson explains why PEGI is superior to the BBFC: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5022851&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[BBFC Disappointed By Publisher Delay Concerns]]> Recently some UK game publishers - notably EA - expressed concern that proposed changes to the ratings system that would require the British Board of Film Classification to review all games 12+ and up would cause delays in getting titles into the hands of consumers. BBFC Director David Cooke finds their lack of faith disturbing, and says so in a lengthy statement released today. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5020686&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[UK Government Forms Byron Review Action Plan]]> Britain's Byron Review, in which the big-smiling Dr. Tanya Byron made a series of measured, generally reasonable findings and recommendations regarding children's use of video games and the internet, has now produced an "action plan" from the UK government. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5019708&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[EA: UK Game Ratings Changes Spell Delays]]> The last thing gamers in the UK need is additional delays to the games that can already take months to make the jump from Japan and North America, but that's just what they'll get under the new system under consideration by the British government. Suggested in the Byron review, the new system would require games that would normally receive a 12+ PEGI rating be subjected to review by the British Board of Film Classification. Speaking to Eurogamer, EA UK head honcho Keith Ramsdale worries that the new system wouldn't be in the gamers' best interest. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5019593&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[BBFC Says MGS4 Has "Implied Child Rape" [Updated]]]> Metal Gear Solid 4 violent? Let's hear what the British Board of Film Classification says:
More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=382937&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[GTAIV's Naughtier Content Detailed]]> GTAIV didn't just pass classification muster in Britain, it passed completely uncut. In clearing the game for release, though, the BBFC had to look at (then detail) everything the game had to offer, from the palatable stuff like just driving a car around a virtual city to the less palatable stuff. Like this:
During gameplay the character can pick up prostitutes... What follows is an un-detailed portrayal of masturbation, fellatio and intercourse. The character can also visit lap dancing clubs and request a private dance.
Saucy. Those staunchly in the anti-nipple-and-dangly-bits camp need not worry, though, because "while the game contains sexualised dancing and the portrayal of sex, there is no sexualised nudity". You can read more of the leaked BBFC report at the link below. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=374939&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[BBFC Clears GTAIV For Release]]> Crisis. Averted. The BBFC, Britain's classification board, have cleared Grand Theft Auto IV for release, awarding it an adults-only "18" rating. Bad news for 12 year-olds the country over, but good news for Rockstar, who after a pretty hairy release list of late (ie Bully & Manhunt 2) have managed to get the latest GTA title past three of the toughest classification boards (in Britain, Germany & Australia) in the Western world. Bravo. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=374434&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Read The Byron Review Yourself]]> As expected, much of the British press (and even isolated pockets of the British gaming press, who should know better) have been grossly misreporting the findings of Dr. Tanya Byron's pleasantly reasonable review into how the internet and games are adversely affecting children. And if you can't trust the media to get it right, who can you trust? Yourself, hopefully, so if you'd like to read the review sans alarmist mainstream media spin, the whole thing's at the link below. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=373261&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Byron Review Released, Much Ado About Nothing]]> After weeks of getting their knickers in a twist over it, British pundits and interested consumers can now read up on what the long-awaited Byron Review has to say. Commissioned by the British government in response to growing concerns over children's exposure to unsuitable content in games, it's findings are already being blown out of proportion by many British press outlets, but in reality are really quite sensible. Dr. Tanya Bryon's report recommends the adoption of a more recognisable film-style ratings system - including a "12" rating - clearer, more prominent displays of a game's ratings on the cover and more effort on the part of parents in monitoring and controlling their children's gaming and online habits. Like I said, all quite fair and reasonable, really, so if you're British and are waking up to a falling sky, things aren't as bad as certain "excitable" elements of the press will have you believe. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=372725&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Manhunt 2 Finally Gets UK Rating]]> Finally the long struggle that kept us on the edge of our seats mildly interested for months has been resolved, and Manhunt 2 can finally be released on to store shelves in the UK. The Video Appeals Committee announced today that their decision to appeal the rejection of the game by the British Board of Film Classification remains upheld, and that the board has no choice but to issue an 18 certificate for the title. Director of the BBFC David Cooke whined a little bit about the decision.
We twice rejected Manhunt 2, and then pursued a judicial review challenge, because we considered, after exceptionally thorough examination, that it posed a real potential harm risk. However, the Video Appeals Committee has again exercised its independent scrutiny. It is now clear, in the light of this decision, and our legal advice, that we have no alternative but to issue an '18' certificate to the game."
Rejoice, citizens of the United Kingdom! The decision not to purchase Manhunt 2 shall soon be yours! More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=367893&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[British MP - Games Let You Rape Women]]> The time-honored tradition of stodgy men arguing over things they know nothing about continued in England during last Friday's game censorship debate in the House of Commons, with MP Keith Vaz showing us how it's done while speaking in defense of Julian Brazier's bill to add a censorship level above the British Board of Film Classification. In comparing the interactivity of video games to movies, Vaz unleashed this little gem: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=363120&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Manhunt 2 Continues Uphill Battle for UK Release]]> Embattled Rockstar Games title Manhunt 2 got dealt another blow in the British Courts this week. As you know, the game was banned by the British Board of Film Classification for sale in the UK back in June, but Rockstar was able to revamp the game enough to get an appeal on the ban and convince the UK Video Appeals Committee to reclassify it with a new rating. But, it seems that the BBFC isn't ready to give up the fight just yet. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=337143&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[BBFC Manhunt 2 Judicial Review Is Go]]> And the Manhunt 2 UK ban saga continues, as the British Board of Film Certification today announces that they have be granted permission for a judicial review of the appeal the Video Appeals Committee passed regarding the classification of the game. While I think we can all agree that no one cares about Manhunt 2 anymore, the unfolding drama could very well have an important effect on future, more interesting violent video games.
The BBFC was today given permission to judicially review the decision by the Video Appeals Committee to overturn the Board's rejection of the video game Manhunt 2. The Board has also been granted a stay on the classification of the game. It is expected that the case will be heard in January.
So even if the review does fail, the chance for UK gamers to pass by Manhunt 2 on the shelves is still at least a couple of months away. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=336711&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[BBFC Makes Take-Two Sad]]> I can almost imagine in my head how this all went down. The Video Appeals Committee overturns the British Board of Film Classification's decision not to grant Manhunt 2 a rating, and the folks at Take-Two start setting up this massive, celebratory pizza party. Then the BBFC decides to apply for judicial review of the VAC's decision. As this news hits Take-Two central and a stunned hush breaks out over the jubilant office, the pizza arrives. Someone starts sobbing.
"We are disappointed that the BBFC has decided to appeal its own Video Appeals Committee's judgment in favor of an 18-plus certificate for Manhunt 2," said Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick.
More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=335663&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[BBFC Fights Manhunt 2 Appeal]]> We knew it wasn't over. The British Board of Film Classification has applied for a judicial review of the appeal that the Video Appeals Committee passed a week ago regarding granting Rockstar's Manhunt 2 a classification, allowing the title to be released in the UK.
"The BBFC is contesting the VAC judgment because in the Board's view, it is based on an approach to harm which is an incorrect interpretation of the Video Recordings Act. The VAC judgment, if allowed to stand, would have fundamental implications with regard to all the Board's decisions, including those turning upon questions of unacceptable levels of violence."
This is the sort of problem you run into with any system of checks and balances. Once you overrule a decision on one issue it becomes that much easier to negate decisions on future issues. The BBFC is struggling to maintain their reputation and integrity, and Manhunt 2 is going to have to be sacrificed for that to happen. It's an interesting dilemma. Just wish it was happening to a more interesting game. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=334694&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Rockstar's UK Manhunt 2 Appeal Succeeds]]> Rockstar's appeal against the British Board of Film Classification's ban of Manhunt 2 from release in the UK has passed, garnering a narrow victory of 4 to 3 from the Video Appeals Committee. The game was originally banned / refused classification in the UK back in July, with the recut, happier version of the game denied as well in October. The BBFC has stated that they will consider the judgment of the VAC and its reaction once they receive the pertinent paperwork, while issuing a lengthly statement on how right they believe they were in their decision.
Such balancing judgments are inevitably complex and multi-faceted, and are made only after very careful consideration of the contents of a work. We played Manhunt 2 for well over 30 hours prior to our decision.
Incidentally, this is 30 hours more than I played Manhunt 2. Judging from their reaction to the appeal, which you can read in full by following the link below, this is far from over. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=331934&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Manhunt 2 Could Get Legal Release In UK As Download]]> The outright banning of Manhunt 2 in the UK by the British Board of Film Classification might not spell the end of Rockstar Games' chances to have the game released in the region. According to a report from The Register Hardware, a legal loophole in the UK's 1984 Video Recordings Act wouldn't rule out sales of a downloadable version of the game, should the developer or publisher pursue such a product. That means, in theory, a Wii Ware or PlayStation Store version of the game could make it playable on two of the intended platforms, with a PlayStation 2 release less technically feasible. More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=315271&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[How the British Board of Film Classification Views Things]]> The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification, formerly the British Board of Film Censors) nixed Manhunt 2 and would not certify the game's PS2 and Wii versions. This happened not once, but twice. The re-cut version got approved in the U.S., but not in the U.K. What kind of organization is the BBFC? Clive Barker offers Newsweek's N'Gai Croal this non-gaming example about how the BBFC thinks: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=314265&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Rockstar Appeals Manhunt 2 Ban]]> After nearly six weeks of silence since UK's Manhunt 2 ban, Rockstar has filed for a hearing with the Videogame Appeals Committee, an entity with the power to overturn the existing ruling by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification). More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=284814&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[ELSPA Boss Backs Manhunt 2 Ban]]> In a press release yesterday, Paul Jackson (the director for the ELSPA) backed the decision by the BBFC to ban Manhunt 2 in the UK: More »
]]> http://kotaku.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=270482&view=rss&microfeed=true