BBFC launches site for parents

The BBFC has announced the launch of Parents BBFC, a new website designed to help parents decide which videogames and films are suitable for their children.

"This website will take the guess work out of the family outing to the cinema and open up the world of videogames for those who don't know their PSP from their Wii,â said BBFC director David Cooke.

Although the BBFC's primary focus is the rating of films, videogame publishers are required to submit games for classification if the games contain specified sexual or violent content. Most videogames without mature content use the European PEGI ratings system, although some publishers are starting to use the BBFC system even when they are not required to do so.

Cooke noted that not all parents are as technologically literate as their children, making content and ratings information particularly relevant to videogames. He also pointed out that the site contains information about games of all ratings, not just those designed for children.

The new website, www.pbbfc.co.uk, will provide detailed information about the content of kids' films and all BBFC-classified videogames, as well as an explanation as to why the BBFC gave the material a particular rating.