DJCTQ
Encyclopedia
The DEJUS, or Department of Justice, Rating, Titles and Qualification (Departamento de Justiça, Classificação, Títulos e Qualificação in Portuguese) rates movies, game
s and television program
s in Brazil
. It is controlled by the Ministry of Justice (Ministério da Justiça).
The DEJUS uses the following system:
The American
system that was being used by some Brazilian distributors, from Entertainment Software Rating Board
(ESRB), was not translated from English or adapted to the Brazilian culture, being inappropriate for the Brazilian market and leaving most consumers uninformed.
Between October 2002 and September 2004, the DEJUS analyzed and rated over 2,100 electronic games for both computer and video game console
s.
The game rating system is very similar to the film and television rating system, except for lacking the ER rating:
Content descriptors are also used, similar to ESRB system. Games are rated by trained raters, and the main topics analyzed by the DEJUS are sex, violence and drugs. Rating is mandatory for all games released in Brazil. A consequence, is that several online stores (like Playstation Network or Apple Store) do not sell games, or are not even available to Brazil. Also technically is possible to ban a game by not rating it.
A film, television show and video game ratings database is available in the Ministry of Justice website.
The docs actually are only in Portuguese, and they must be delivered by the official publisher representative in the country, in this address:
Department of Justice, Classification, Titles and Qualification, the National Secretariat of Justice, located in the Esplanada dos Ministerios, Bloco T, Ministry of Justice, Annex II, Sala 321 Brasilia, CEP 70064-900
There's no fee to get the rating and according to the ministry, the process from the documents reception to the official rating takes about 20 days.
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
s and television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
s in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. It is controlled by the Ministry of Justice (Ministério da Justiça).
Movies and TV programs
People under the minimum age indicated by the rating can watch the movie and/or TV program accompanied by their parents, except for pornographic films and TV programs. The films are rated by trained raters from the DEJUS, but TV programs are rated by their own broadcasters, in which case the DEJUS may change the self-assigned rating if considered inappropriate. More recently, the DEJUS has surveyed the audience's opinions on the ratings indicated for specific films and/or TV programs. No "parental guidance" ratings are used.The DEJUS uses the following system:
| Icon | Description | TV screening time |
|---|---|---|
| |
Especialmente recomendado para crianças e adolescentes (Especially recommended for children and teenagers) This film and/or TV program does not contain any inappropriate contents, but it may be better understood by children older than 9 years of age and teenagers. |
|
| |
Livre para todos os públicos (General Audiences) This film and/or TV program contains no objectionable content and can be viewed by anyone, regardless of age. |
|
| |
Não recomendado para menores de 10 anos (Not recommended for viewers younger than 10 years of age) This film and/or TV program is recommended for persons with or over 10 years of age, for it may contain depreciative or obscene language, threatening, physical or verbal aggression and drug use innuendo. |
|
| |
Não recomendado para menores de 12 anos (Not recommended for viewers younger than 12 years of age) This film and/or TV program is recommended for persons with or over 12 years of age, for it may contain mild nudity, sexual innuendo, obscene language and gestures, erotism, exposure of people to humiliating or degrading situations, detailed description of crimes or aggressive actions, physical or verbal aggression (such as implicit murder and animal abuse), exposure of corpses, and legal or illegal drug consuming innuendo. |
|
| |
Não recomendado para menores de 14 anos (Not recommended for viewers younger than 14 years of age) This film and/or TV program is recommended for persons with or over 14 years of age, for it may contain nudity, intimate relationships, excessively obscene or degrading language, violence (such as physical or verbal aggression, murder, torture and suicide) illegal drug consuming, and explicit and repeated legal drug consuming. |
|
| |
Não recomendado para menores de 16 anos (Not recommended for viewers younger than 16 years of age) This film and/or TV program is recommended for persons with or over 16 years of age, for it may contain sexual relationships, nudity and intimate caresses, detailed violence (murder, physical aggression, torture, rape, mutilation, sexual abuse), explicit illegal drug consuming, and inducement to consume drugs. |
|
| |
Não recomendado para menores de 18 anos (Not recommended for viewers younger than 18 years of age) This film and/or TV program is recommended for persons with or over 18 years of age, for it may contain explicit sex, pornography, excessive violence (murder, torture, rape, suicide, mutilation, detailed exposure of corpses), and explicit and repeated consuming of illegal drugs. This classification is also used for pornographic films and/or TV programs. |
|
Games
Games are rated in Brazil by the DEJUS since October 2002. The growing game market in Brazil needed bigger control over the countless games sold in the country every day. It was introduced by Senator José Gregori.The American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
system that was being used by some Brazilian distributors, from Entertainment Software Rating Board
Entertainment Software Rating Board
The Entertainment Software Rating Board is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings, enforces industry-adopted advertising guidelines, and ensures responsible online privacy principles for computer and video games as well as entertainment software in Canada, Mexico and...
(ESRB), was not translated from English or adapted to the Brazilian culture, being inappropriate for the Brazilian market and leaving most consumers uninformed.
Between October 2002 and September 2004, the DEJUS analyzed and rated over 2,100 electronic games for both computer and video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
s.
The game rating system is very similar to the film and television rating system, except for lacking the ER rating:
- Livre (general)
- 10 anos (10 years)
- 12 anos (12 years)
- 14 anos (14 years)
- 16 anos (16 years)
- 18 anos (18 years)
Content descriptors are also used, similar to ESRB system. Games are rated by trained raters, and the main topics analyzed by the DEJUS are sex, violence and drugs. Rating is mandatory for all games released in Brazil. A consequence, is that several online stores (like Playstation Network or Apple Store) do not sell games, or are not even available to Brazil. Also technically is possible to ban a game by not rating it.
A film, television show and video game ratings database is available in the Ministry of Justice website.
Requesting a rate
In order to request a Qualification Rating, you must provide to the Ministry the documentation which explains why your media (game/tv show, etc.) is recommended or not to a certain rating, and must also provide some preview of that media, otherwise your request will not get correctly analyzed.The docs actually are only in Portuguese, and they must be delivered by the official publisher representative in the country, in this address:
Department of Justice, Classification, Titles and Qualification, the National Secretariat of Justice, located in the Esplanada dos Ministerios, Bloco T, Ministry of Justice, Annex II, Sala 321 Brasilia, CEP 70064-900
There's no fee to get the rating and according to the ministry, the process from the documents reception to the official rating takes about 20 days.
External links
- DEJUS page; rated movies and games database (in Portuguese)
- Links to the needed forms (in Portuguese)