No ‘silver bullet’ for video game age restrictions, says PEGI chief

The head of Europe’s video game rating system, PEGI, has warned against supposed “silver bullet” child protection solutions such as age verification, in an interview with AFP.

A new set of PEGI (Pan-European Game Information) age ratings, coming into force from June, will take into account factors including in-game purchases, incentives to constantly revisit games or the ability to limit in-game messages from strangers.

It had taken “a couple of years” for PEGI to work out the new classification, its director general Dirk Bosmans told AFP.

The games sector has in recent years been the subject of debate, including over allegedly addictive mechanics such as “loot boxes” – virtual items purchasable for real money that contain a random in-game reward.

PEGI’s new ratings will not apply to games released before June this year – even the most widely played titles, such as “Fortnite” or “League of Legends”.

In future, “we will have to work out a plan of…