Windows Phone to support age ratings for mobile games


31 Aug 2011

Windows Phone will support PEGI Express, a programme which will apply age ratings to mobile games in order to better inform parents of their suitability for children.

The programme is managed by PEGI S.A., the same group behind the current European content rating system for video games. Microsoft is a founding member of this group.

Individuals or companies developing games for the platform can submit information about the content of the game to PEGI Express. This will apply an age rating to the game in minutes, allowing parents to make an informed decision on what mobile games their children should be playing.

“At Microsoft, providing parents with the tools to help keep their children safe online is a top priority, and we have made considerable investments in this area both in our Windows environment as well as on the Xbox 360”, stated Chris Lewis, vice president for IEB at Microsoft EMEA.

“Given the fast growing popularity of mobile gaming amongst a younger age group, we felt that it was critical to apply those same rigorous standards to our Windows Phone devices as currently apply to Xbox and Games for Windows titles,” said Lewis.

The Windows Phone platform is the first mobile operating system to feature this age rating technology.

“PEGI Express fills a clear need for a system to classify mobile game content so that informed decisions can be made by parents,” said Simon Little, managing director of PEGI S.A.

“Windows Phone games rated via PEGI Express will use the same set of age labels that video games on consoles and PC are using already, making it easy for consumers to recognise and understand them.”