Dear Future Gamer,
ELSPA ratings are designed to tell you what age the game you are buying is suitable for in terms of difficulty. So why do many big shops, such as Blockbuster, think they are the same as BBFC ratings!

Take Resident Evil. It has a 15 BBFC rating, meaning you have to be 15-or-over to buy it. Right? Tomb Raider has a 15-or-over ELSPA rating, which means you can be any age to buy it, but it might be a bit hard if you are under 15.

But places like Blockbuster just think ELSPA and BBFC ratings are the same, and slap a 15 BBFC sticker over the ELSPA rating! This bothers me as I have tried to rent PSX games several times but have been refused, which means I have to wait for my mum to get them for me!

Am I right?

Donnie

FG: You are indeed right Donnie. ELSPA ratings are not in any way legally binding. BBFC ratings are however. ELSPA ratings are purely voluntary, a games publisher is given a set of guidelines as to what can be in a game before it needs to go to the BBFC for a legal rating.

I'm talking swearing and nudity and violence here - if a game contains none of these, then it doesn't need to be rated by the BBFC. But publishers will still usually put an ELSPA rating on the game; this isn't intended to be a difficulty rating but is meant to be an age rating like the BBFC.

It's entirely up to a retailer whether they sell a game rated by ELSPA as an over-18 to an 11-year-old, but they're liable to prosecution if they sell a BBFC 18-rated game to an 11-year-old.