Video Standards Council


The Video Standards Council, also known as the VSC Rating Board, is an administrator of the PEGI system of age rating for video games. It was established in 1989, and has been responsible for the age ratings of video games sold in the United Kingdom since 2012. The organisation is accountable to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

History

The VSC was established in 1989 following concerns from the Home Secretary about the video industry. The organisation designed a code of practise to ensure that the video and video game industries delivered their products to the public responsibly. It also provides retailers with staff training courses concerning the supply of age restricted videos, DVDs and video games.
Since 1994, the VSC has been responsible for the age ratings of video games. Initially, they worked on behalf of the UK Interactive Entertainment Association. Since 2003, they have been administrators of the PEGI system, which was incorporated into UK law in 2012. Since then, the VSC has been the statutory body responsible for the age rating of video games in the UK. From 2012 to 2017, the VSC branded the arm of their organisation fulfilling this statutory responsibility as the Games Rating Authority. This branding was scrapped in 2017, and the new title of the VSC Rating Board adopted, to make it clearer that it was a division of the VSC rather than a separate entity. The VSC Rating Board also rates games for at least 30 other European countries.