The Video Standards Council is a non-profit organization in the UK established in 1989. The organization has established a Code of Practice to promote high standards within the video industry, which later, in July 1993, was also extended to video games industry. The Code of Practice includes Rules which are based on the legislation, good business practices, and a common sense. The Video Standards Council also supports anti-piracy together with the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) and The UK Association for Interactive Entertainment (UKIE).
Between 1994 and 2003, the Video Standards Council administered ELSPA system of age rating video games, which, later, was replaced by the Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) system. The PEGI system for the age rating of video games now operates across more than 30 countries in Europe, and is jointly administered by the the Video Standards Council, under the name of Games Rating Authority (GRA), and the Netherlands Institute for the Classification of Audiovisual Media (NICAM). In 2012, UK law abandoned BBFC and the PEGI system was effectively incorporated into the law, and the VSC was appointed as the statutory body responsible for the age rating of video games in the UK using the PEGI system.
The Video Standards Council
4 Imperial Place Maxwell Road Borehamwood Herts WD6 1JN
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 8213 3148
Fax: +44 (0)20 8213 3001
Website: http://www.videostandards.org.uk/
