Just like the US has the ESRB, the UK (and nearly all other territories for that matter) has an age rating system to determine what games can be deemed suitable to what audience. In light of the recent Byron Review, a study that further investigated gaming habits and perspective dangers in Britain, the government is proposing sweeping changes to the country’s ratings board.

The review suggests that more games be submitted for review, specifically anything that could be rated 12+ or higher. Also, the current body which rates games would be split into two groups, one handling 12+ games and up, and the other handling anything that falls below that point.

EA VP and UK General Manager Keith Ramsdale is concerned that the government is acting too hastily, and warns that a new system would only serve to create delays for games that are already released Europe sometimes months behind their US counterparts. Ramsdale opines:

"Every time you add a new standard, game developers have to guess what the censors are looking for. If there’s more than one standard in the UK, and across Europe, that can only equal delays in getting games to market and into the hands of British players."

Ramsdale is also concerned about the government acting without consulting consumers first. He points out that the Byron Review, while reflective of the government’s take on the game industry, doesn’t necessarily reflect the thoughts of consumers. With recent surveys showing an overwhelming amount of support for the current PEGI system (67% of adults polled back the system as it stands), Ramsdale and those aligned with him all believe the current system is working just fine for both publishers and consumers.

While the Byron Review contained a host of useful data and some great insights, this particular recommendation would likely only cause confusion and carnage, and leave consumers waiting idly to get their hands on games that they have been anticipating for months or even years. The even bigger issue is why fix something that isn’t broken?