Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association
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The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) is an organisation set up in 1989 by British software publishers. It was known as The European Leisure Software Publishers Association until 2002.
Between 1994 and Spring 2003 ELSPA voluntarily rated computer games released in Britain that were exempt from legal classification by the BBFC. The ratings given were originally 3-10, 11-14, 15-17 and 18+. Red "X"s would highlight which age group a title was not suitable for, while a tick in the categories above that would indicate the suitable ages. For example: A title suitable for all ages would have all the categories checked. A title suitable only for adults would have "X"s in all categories except for 18+. A title suitable for ages 11 and older would have an "X" in 3-10 and ticks in the rest. The ratings were later simplified to a 3+, 11+, 15+ or 18+ as appropriate. In many computer games magazines at the time, prototypes of what the age ratings chart would look like, featured a character called "Monitor Man" who was a personal computer with a face on its screen, he was scrapped when the ratings were first used on video games. The Mortal Kombat series was a notable candidate for having the more mature audience ratings. This has now been replaced by a European ratings system, called PEGI.
ELSPA are responsible for providing sales charts for computer games sold in the United Kingdom, and promoting anti-piracy initiatives, very much like the music industry's organisation the BPI. It also co-manages the London Games Festival and the Edinburgh Interactive Festival
Director General: Paul Jackson
Managing Director: Michael Rawlinson
Chairman: Andy Payne
[edit] Notes
The PS1 game based on the CGI cartoon ReBoot had a cross in the boxes for 3-10 and 11-14, despite the game is rated E in the US.
[edit] See also
- CERO, the Japanese computer and video game rating system
- ESRB, the United States and Canadian computer and video game rating system
- PEGI, the European computer and video game rating system
- USK, the German computer and video game rating system
- OFLC, the New Zealand media rating system
- OFLC, the Australian media rating system
