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Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle
Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK; lit. 'Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body') is the organisation responsible for video game ratings in Germany. In Austria, it is mandatory in the state of Salzburg, while PEGI is mandatory in Vienna, however, USK, as well PEGI, is age recommendation in Turkey.
The USK is owned by game – The German Games Industry Association.
The USK uses an age-rating system to designate whether a computer game may be publicly supplied to children and young persons. Retailers are obliged to comply with the restrictions indicated by the rating. For example, a game approved for children aged 12 and above may not be sold to a 10-year-old. Outside of business relations (e.g., parents or adult friends giving the game to a child or youth) there is no such restriction. Advertisement for games rated USK 18 or below is not restricted only if the advertisement itself has no content that is harmful to minors. The five age ratings themselves (0, 6, 12, 16 and 18) are in accordance with article 14, section 2 of Germany’s Protection of Young Persons Act (JuSchG) from 2003, inherited from article 6, section 3 of the preceding Law for the Protection of Young People in Public (JÖSchG).
Prior to the revision of the JÖSchG into the JuSchG in 2003, USK ratings were strictly advisory and weren’t applied universally across all kinds of game software. Publishers of handheld video games (a.e. Game Boy, Atari Lynx etc.) for instance, rarely submitted their titles for a rating. With the revised law, the labelling became mandatory for all game software sold at retail, and many older titles still in circulation that had not yet been rated were submitted to receive a rating retroactively.
A series of colored symbols is used to indicate ratings. Until 2003, all the rating symbols were yellow, except for USK 18, which was red. In 2003, the symbols were redesigned to add colour coding: white for 0, yellow for 6, green for 12, blue for 16 and red for 18. The symbols were again redesigned in 2009.
Prior to 2008, the rating labels’ size were not universal and often times were the size of the thumbnail. A 2008 amendment to article 12 of the Protection of Young Persons Act introduced a minimum size requirement of 1200 square millimetres on the packaging and of 250 square millimetres on the medium (disc or cartridge) itself. The package label is always affixed to the lower left portion on the front of the packaging. Special exceptions may be granted in cases where the packaging or media happens to be exceptionally small.
In January 2023, the USK began using various content descriptors alongside their age ratings. These include descriptors specifying the level of violence, horror, sexual content, profanity and drug and alcohol use.
In January 2023, the USK also introduced descriptors indicating additional features in the game, such as in-game purchases and online interaction.
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Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle
Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK; lit. 'Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body') is the organisation responsible for video game ratings in Germany. In Austria, it is mandatory in the state of Salzburg, while PEGI is mandatory in Vienna, however, USK, as well PEGI, is age recommendation in Turkey.
The USK is owned by game – The German Games Industry Association.
The USK uses an age-rating system to designate whether a computer game may be publicly supplied to children and young persons. Retailers are obliged to comply with the restrictions indicated by the rating. For example, a game approved for children aged 12 and above may not be sold to a 10-year-old. Outside of business relations (e.g., parents or adult friends giving the game to a child or youth) there is no such restriction. Advertisement for games rated USK 18 or below is not restricted only if the advertisement itself has no content that is harmful to minors. The five age ratings themselves (0, 6, 12, 16 and 18) are in accordance with article 14, section 2 of Germany’s Protection of Young Persons Act (JuSchG) from 2003, inherited from article 6, section 3 of the preceding Law for the Protection of Young People in Public (JÖSchG).
Prior to the revision of the JÖSchG into the JuSchG in 2003, USK ratings were strictly advisory and weren’t applied universally across all kinds of game software. Publishers of handheld video games (a.e. Game Boy, Atari Lynx etc.) for instance, rarely submitted their titles for a rating. With the revised law, the labelling became mandatory for all game software sold at retail, and many older titles still in circulation that had not yet been rated were submitted to receive a rating retroactively.
A series of colored symbols is used to indicate ratings. Until 2003, all the rating symbols were yellow, except for USK 18, which was red. In 2003, the symbols were redesigned to add colour coding: white for 0, yellow for 6, green for 12, blue for 16 and red for 18. The symbols were again redesigned in 2009.
Prior to 2008, the rating labels’ size were not universal and often times were the size of the thumbnail. A 2008 amendment to article 12 of the Protection of Young Persons Act introduced a minimum size requirement of 1200 square millimetres on the packaging and of 250 square millimetres on the medium (disc or cartridge) itself. The package label is always affixed to the lower left portion on the front of the packaging. Special exceptions may be granted in cases where the packaging or media happens to be exceptionally small.
In January 2023, the USK began using various content descriptors alongside their age ratings. These include descriptors specifying the level of violence, horror, sexual content, profanity and drug and alcohol use.
In January 2023, the USK also introduced descriptors indicating additional features in the game, such as in-game purchases and online interaction.
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