BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Dominika Urbańska-Galanciak (Ph.D.) graduated from Warsaw University specializing in Cultural Science. Apart from holding the position of Representative of the Entertainment Software Producers and Distributors’ Association (Stowarzyszenia Producentów i Dystrybutorów Oprogramowania Rozrywkowego), she is also Member of the Management Board of the Interactive Software Federation of Europe, Member of the Programme Board of the Polish Association for Game Studies (Polskiego Towarzystwa Badania Gier) and (WHAT POSITION? UNCLEAR) of the Anti Piracy/Legal Affairs Committee (OF WHAT ORG?). Her main field of interest are video games and their educational potential.

29 September, Wednesday, 14.30 – 16.30

Paralel session: Online overplay

Presentation title: Pegi Online

The Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) is a computer and video game content rating system established to help European parents make informed decisions on buying computer games suitable for their children. It was developed by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE) and launched in spring April 2003. It replaced a number of national age-rating systems with a single European system and is now used in 30 European countries (Austria, Denmark, Hungary, Latvia, Norway, Slovenia, Belgium, Estonia, Iceland, Lithuania, Poland, Spain, Bulgaria, Finland, Ireland, Luxemburg, Portugal, Sweden, Cyprus, France, Israel, Malta, Romania, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, the Slovak Republic and Great Britain).

The whole system is overseen by a number of different Boards and Committees, which offer advice, adapt and modify the PEGI questionnaire and raise awareness on safe use of video and computer games in the European society.

PEGI has the enthusiastic support of the European Commission. It is considered to be a model of European harmonisation in the field of the protection of children.

The origins and functioning of PEGI will be presented. Special focus will be given to education campaigns in Poland, which were addressed to parents, children and journalists.