Government tells MCV that industry is expected to 'push information campaign forward’
Secretary Of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport Andy Burnham has told MCV that the video games industry is expected to fund a parental awareness campaign following the publication of Dr. Tanya Byron’s Review of video games and internet safety.
In the Review, Byron suggested ‘sustained, high-profile and targeted efforts by industry to increase parents’ understanding and use of age-ratings’ – particularly the new statutory '12' BBFC classification.
However, when questioned by MCV on whether the Government would provide any financial assistance at a press conference this morning, Burnham said:
“Principally, we're looking for the games industry to take that forward."
Dr. Byron said she was due to hold discussions with the industry on how funding for a public information service would be organised – which seems most likely to fall on the shoulders of UK publishers.
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When questioned by MCV, she replied:
"I have talked to industry about how they can enable public information campaigns to be funded, but I haven't spoken to industry since the publication of this report.
“I need to go back and do that again, but this is an industry that clearly wants people to understand there are brilliant games for kids, that they want kids playing, and that there are adult games are for adults.
“How the industry takes that forward is a matter for discussion."
Comments
tough job
But how can the industry educate the 'stupid'? If they can't understand BBFC ratings on games, like they do for movies, what hope is there?
Re: tough job
The government wants the Games Industry to pay for this, okay then where are the games subsidies going to happen...???
Re: tough job
And does Ford and VW have to cough up the cash to educate on road safety and does Bacardi and Sminoff have to cough up for safe drinking???
Don't understand why publishers would have to spend on awareness when the government supports and funds other awareness campaigns?
Re: tough job
Its funny how the governments answer to this involves money.
Yeah, we need to educate people about this, can you give us loads of cash and together we'll publish a little leaflet to hand out in schools and stuff.
Yeah, give us about £10m and that should do it.
What? You want an invoice for the cost of the leaflets? er, hang on....
Sir, the games publishers want an invoice for the cost of the leaflets.
But they only cost us £2500.00?!
Yeah, I know but I couldnt tell them that......
Okay, quick, think of another reason why games are bad for kids and they should leave us alone.
Re: tough job
Andy has obviously no awareness of games or the industry...if he did then he'd know its NOTHING to do with games companies (and why should they pay?) ...it's ALL about CRAP parents! why should the games industry pay, whereas the idiot chavvy parents who let little Timmy play 'gorefest 27' get away scott-free, don't have to pay a penny, and then moan when their kid is out of control!?!
Re: tough job
Where is the evidence of this 'moral panic' that justified the spending of public money on this pointless exercise? Games are already subject to BBFC classification, a responsible parent would no more purchase a copy of Manhunt for their 11 year old child than they would a DVD of Silence of the Lambs. Slapping yet another sticker on the box and making the Games industry fork out for it is no substitute for parental responsibility.
BBFC Labels on boxes
I just compared the size of the BBFC labels on the boxes of Project Zero III and RE Umbrella Chronicles to those on a few movies (Sin City, Bad Boys II etc.) and those on the game boxes must be twice as big.
Parents can clearly see these just fine, and I'm sure they don't need educating on what they mean (being identical but for the size to those on DVDs). They just need to stop buying whatever games little johnny wants as a way to shut him up for a few hours a day.
Do us a favour - talk to your kids, play with them, teach them something before they grow up and rob me in a few years and blame it on whatever is the scapegoat of the day.
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