Council of Europe joins PEGI Online with Wild Web Woods The Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE) announced the PEGI Online registration for “Wild Web Woods”, a videogame published by the Council of Europe (CoE). Wild Web Woods, as reported in the February 2008 INSAFE newsletter,  is designed to help children – primarily within the 7 to 10 age range – learn the basic rules of internet safety in an engaging and fun format. The Council of Europe launched the game in English on Safer Internet Day 2008 and by now it has reached over 1.7 million unique hits.

Patrice Chazerand, Secretary General of ISFE, welcomes the decision. “We are particularly honoured that the Council of Europe has joined PEGI Online and embraced its Code of Conduct. Wild Web Woods perfectly illustrates what we set out to accomplish, namely to make online gaming a safe and enjoyable experience. Moreover, the association with the institution that promotes human rights and protects individuals across 47 European countries will help us to extend the reach of PEGI Online. In particular, it will bring on board providers of online videogames who clearly care about protecting minors and promoting human rights, but have not yet joined our initiative"

PEGI Online, initiated about a year ago by ISFE, is the extension of PEGI, the Pan European Game Information System. Currently used in about 25 countries in Europe and beyond, PEGI protects minors against unsuitable content by helping parents to make informed buying decisions.

Companies that register with PEGI Online (see www.pegionline.eu) commit themselves to offer only games duly classified by established European rating agencies, to ban inappropriate material from their online gaming sites, to ensure appropriate behaviour among users and to provide effective reporting mechanisms.