PEGI ratings: effectief of onbelangrijk?

The popularity of videogames has increased in the past few years and is an important source of leisure time in the lives of many teenagers. To protect children from the negative influences of games, the Pan European Game information (PEGI) classification system has been introduced in 2003. Parents can apply this system to judge whether games are suitable for their children or not. The master thesis will provide insights regarding the following research question: “To what extent are the PEGI age classifications assigned to the 16 to 18 age categories observed and accepted by Dutch youth between the ages of 12 till 15. More overly, to what extent do parents play a role with regard to this process?” Observations and qualitative interviews were conducted with 16 families with children aged between 12 to 15 years old and their parents. The most important finding is that the teenagers in this study think it is normal to play a videogame that is assigned with the age category 16 or 18. This is because everyone in their surroundings plays these types of games. The parents of the teenagers decide, based upon their own norms and values if a game is suitable for their child. They donʼt apply the PEGI classifications for this decision. Additional longitudinal research is suggested in order to identify evidence of long-term consequences as the result of not following the PEGI qualifications.