“That’s PEGI, the American system!”: perceptions of video game age ratings among families in Norway

Abstract

The Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) age rating system was established as a self-regulatory system in 2003 and has been touted as a success story of modern European media regulation. Today PEGI provides video game age ratings for nearly 40 European countries on a vast array of digital platforms. Now, almost two decades after the introduction of PEGI, little is known about how the self-regulation of video games has been received by the end-user, and how the evolving landscape of digital media platforms has affected this reception. The current study draws on qualitative interview data from families in Norway to investigate perceptions and applications of video game age ratings, emphasizing regulatory challenges. The study finds that while families use video game age ratings actively as a part of their investigative practices, there is a severe lack of knowledge about media regulation and a strong sense of Americanization. The study also indicates that families view media age ratings homogeneously without much attention paid to variations in-between different rating systems. I conclude that research on media regulation needs to move beyond a theoretical and legislative vacuum devoid of the end-user’s reality to better enable public knowledge and scrutiny of media regulation.