Letter: Video games master

Sir: Louise Amor (letter, 14 September) has reacted with rightful disdain to the suggestion that I passed Kingpin: A Life of Crime because I had become used to the violence contained in the game. I never suggested ("So violence is only a game?", 13 September) that I had become inured to violence in computer games. My point was that the board receives very few computer games to classify.

As a result, it has taken some time for us to become sufficiently familiar with the medium to deal with it appropriately. With increased familiarity, we can deal with video games on their own terms (rather than as films or videos).

Louise Amor can rest assured that we treat all works containing violence (whether in films, videos or games) with the utmost seriousness. Kingpin was passed "18" because we recognise that it is designed and marketed as adult entertainment. There is no reason to assume that such material will be given a lower age classification in the foreseeable future.

Dr JIM BARRATT

British Board of Film Classification

London W1