Regulation – PEGI
Research the following using the PEGI website.
1) What is the VSC and how does it link to UK law?
The VSC Rating Board is an Administrator of the PEGI age rating system which is used in over 30 countries throughout Europe. PEGI system was incorporated into UK law and the VSC was appointed as the statutory body responsible for the age rating of video games in the UK using the PEGI system.
2) Note down the key statistics on the homepage.
- 12000+ Games Rated
- 8000+ Apps Rated
- 1987 Number of Member Outlets
- 30 Years in Operation
3) What is the purpose of PEGI?
They are committed to providing as much helpful information we can about video game ratings. They can’t tell you how good, bad or indifferent a video game might be, but supply detailed consumer information about the content of the games with PEGI ratings.
4) Click on the PEGI Rating tab in the top menu. What are the age ratings and what do they include?
Age rating 3:
Some violence in a comical context or child-friendly setting is acceptable, as is nudity when shown in a completely natural and non-sexual manner such as breast feeding.
PEGI 7:
A little more violence is permissible at PEGI 7. It is always unrealistic and often directed towards fantasy characters, though very mild non-realistic violence to humans may also feature. Implied violence (for example the bombing of a city where violence is not seen directly) is also dealt with at this level.
PEGI 12
At a PEGI 12 level more graphic and realistic looking violence towards fantasy characters is allowed. Any violence towards human characters must look unrealistic unless it consists of only minor or trivial injury such as a slap.Some bad language is allowed but it can be no more than mild swearing.
PEGI 16:
At the 16 level you can expect to see more mature and realistic violence against human characters. The game may deal heavily with death and injury to humans. Sexual activity can be shown but it must not include visible genitals. Depictions of erotic nudity may feature.
The worst forms of bad language can be heard and will often include sexual expletives.
PEGI 18:
The adult classification is applied when the level of violence becomes gross. Gross violence is classed as horrific methods of bringing death or severe injury, including torture, decapitation or dismemberment.
Violence against vulnerable characters such as children and the elderly may feature, along with motiveless violence against multiple innocents. Sexual violence and threat are also classified at PEGI 18. The game may include detailed descriptions of criminal techniques, or it may glamorise the use of illegal drugs.
Sexual activity with visible genital organs can be shown.
5) Scroll down to look at the ‘How games are examined’ infographic. What is the PEGI process for rating a game?
The developer has to let PEGI know the detailed content of the game so that it can be ready for assessment, after this assessment the developer is provided with a provisional rating that can be used for advertising. This further means that developer has to provide evidence for their creation like footage, this is then assessed to see if the developer has missed or misinterpreted a certain part of the footage of the game. The next part is the examination of the game itself so you can try out things that may not have been shown in the video.
The ‘Freemium’ gaming model
Read this Lifewire feature on freemium gaming and answer the following questions:
1) How does the freemium model work?
The basic freemium application gives away its core functionality for free and offers upgrades to add certain features. In its most simple form, this is like combining the "lite" version of an app with the premium version, with the premium features available for a price. The idea behind the freemium model is that a free app will be downloaded much more than a paid app. And while many users will continue to use the app for free, the overall number of in-app purchases will exceed what could be made by keeping the app premium.
2) Why do some gamers believe freemium is ruining games?
It often seems like games are trying to nickel-and-dime players to death. A bad game can be ignored, but a good game series turned bad is frustrating. But perhaps the worst aspect of the rise of free-to-play is how it has changed the player base. As much as many players wish for games that they can simply pay for and never worry about paying again, gamers as a whole have become accustomed to downloading a game for free.
3) What are the positives of the freemium model for gaming?
The ability to download and check out a game for free is good. And when done right, you can earn the "premium" content by working through the game and building up the in-game currency. But the best aspect of the model is the emphasis on longevity. A popular game already has a fan base and it is much easier to keep them within the same game than it is to convince them to move to the sequel.
Now read this Business Insider feature on freemium gaming and multiplayer games. Answer the following questions:
1) Note the key statistics in the first paragraph.
- The "Freemium" model dominates mobile games. From Candy Crush Saga to Clash of Clans, "freemium" games and their in-app purchases account for about 70-80% of the $10 billion or more in iOS revenue each year.
2) Why does the freemium model incentivise game developers to create better and longer games?
If developers don't have a strong monetary incentive, it's difficult for them to constantly improve the game experience. With freemium games, players are continuously spending money on the game, as opposed to paying once and forgetting about it. Developers are then incentivized to put that stream of revenue directly back into the game to improve it.
3) What does the article suggest regarding the possibilities and risks to the freemium model in future?
The "freemium" model has proven itself to be incredibly profitable. The question now is how game developers use it to grow without alienating a large share of the gaming community.
Read this New York Times feature on freemium gaming and answer the following questions:
1) Why did Temple Run use the freemium model?
Temple Run free and promoted it through free app day, a Web site that features free games. The game immediately had a spike in downloads and quickly soared in popularity. To date, it has topped 40 million downloads, and about 13 million and helped renovate profit.
Temple Run free and promoted it through free app day, a Web site that features free games. The game immediately had a spike in downloads and quickly soared in popularity. To date, it has topped 40 million downloads, and about 13 million and helped renovate profit.
2) The bigger gaming studios like Electronic Arts used to avoid the freemium model. Why are they now embracing it?
Nick Earl, a senior vice president at Electronic Arts, one of the largest American game publishers, said a vast majority of its games coming this year for iPhones and Android smartphones would be free, with the option to buy extras. He said the company had made the decision based on the success of Sims FreePlay.
3) Why does Peter Farago suggest independent game makers benefit more from the freemium model than the major publishers like EA?
Farago said independent game makers should benefit more from freemium than major publishers like Electronic Arts, Nintendo and Microsoft. He said that the big companies had always relied on charging for games and that it would be difficult for them to change their makeup.
Electronic Arts
Read this Pocket Gamer interview with EA’s Amanda Schofield, Senior Producer on The Sims FreePlay at EA's Melbourne-based Firemonkeys studio. Answer the following questions:
1) How has The Sims FreePlay evolved since launch?
It has envolved as there are more things audiences are able to engage with other than just controlling six sims and having a pet you can now get married and have mythical things for your pet.
2) Why does Amanda Schofield suggest ‘games aren’t products any more’?
Games aren’t products anymore, they’re services built in a partnership with our players.This means that functions like customer support and community management are a critical part of the game development process and must be embedded with our game teams so we not only know what our players are saying about the newest update, but we also can quickly respond to any problems that arise.
3) What does she say about The Sims gaming community?
She claims that the community is very active and always hungry to see more features and content in the game. We’ve not had to do much more than listen and build to keep the players engaged. When we find systems that are particularly exciting to our players, we focus our efforts to build that section out a little more.
4) How has EA kept the game fresh and maintained the active player base?
A lot of the players are able to build incredible houses in ways we could never have imagined when we created Build Mode. They have been working to give them more tools and freedom to make the houses of their dreams by adding balconies, pools, a second story and all manner of furniture styles over the years. It's also really key to remember that we don’t have one kind of player. People play games for lots of different reasons and are at different stages in the game.
5) How many times has the game been installed and how much game time in years have players spent playing the game? These could be great introductory statistics in an exam essay on this topic.
The first is that we’ve seen well over 200 million installs of The Sims FreePlay to date which shows the extent of the popularity of not just this incredible franchise, but also the game itself. The number that I personally find incredibly inspiring is 78,000, which is the amount of game time in years our players have spent in the game!
Finally, read this blog on how EA is ruining the franchise (or not) due to its downloadable content. Answer the following questions:
2) What examples of downloadable content are presented?
“DLC.” A magnet for controversy in the past several years, DLC is simply new content for a game that is purchased or downloaded for free as a separate add-on. To many irate gamers, a more suitable definition would be “things that should’ve been in the game in the first place.”
3) How did Electronic Arts enrage The Sims online communities with expansion packs and DLC?
It provided an in-depth system of creating pets while also containing a sizable amount of building content for houses and cosmetic items for Sims. Three months later, the related “My First Pet” stuff pack delivered smaller pets and the usual extra elements.
4) What innovations have appeared in various versions of The Sims over the years?
The original carved out the niche for “life simulation” gaming. In the next cycle, “The Sims 2” refined the virtual families, allowing players to create multi-generational legacies. Following this feat, the developers gave players full access to every inch of a hyper-realistic world in “The Sims 3.”
5) In your opinion, do expansion packs like these exploit a loyal audience or is it simply EA responding to customer demand
I think it can be exploiting loyal audience to some extent as they want to increase profit and make as much of revenue as possible so both these factors a correlate and customer demand can also be said to be true as now consumers have more of a say in what is being created.
I think it can be exploiting loyal audience to some extent as they want to increase profit and make as much of revenue as possible so both these factors a correlate and customer demand can also be said to be true as now consumers have more of a say in what is being created.
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