Game industry business news

The changes s uggested by Dr. Tanya Byron in her Review of digital entertainment today – and backed by leading Ministers – won’t actually have any practical effect until 2010. That’s according to the report itself, which sets out a timetable for when Byron’s recommendations will be implemented. It reads: …

– Why commission the report at all when there is no known problem that needs addressing? This is just another waste of taxpayers money and an example of blame culture running amok. The nanny state out of control. There are far more pressing social issues that the government continually fails …

Platform holder Microsoft has congratulated Dr. Tanya Byron in the aftermath of the Safer Children in a Digital World report , praising the way the report has been put together. "This is a timely and valuable report on what we believe is a key issue, ensuring that parents, Government, NGOs …

MCV sister site Develop has the full story – head over there for more details

Tanya Byron has revealed her grand plan for UK video game classification – and PEGI will still have a very significant role to play. Speaking at a conference to selected press this morning, Byron described her vision: a system in which all games are rated by the BBFC, with a …

An aggressive price promotion from the UK’s leading retailer Tesco has seen Microsoft’s Xbox 360 drop below the 150 barrier for the first time. The supermarket chain if offering an Xbox 360 Arcade machine, which includes a wireless joypad, 256MB memory card, component cable and five Xbox Live Arcade titles, …

Currently video games are subject to two classification bodies, PEGI and BBFC, with the latter only used for more adult software. PEGI is a voluntary system, with the ratings carried out by members of the industry itself. This takes place by means of a self-assessment form. Ratings proposed by the …

As other national papers detail the Byron report, The Independent’s front page advertises its feature for the ten best video games. The feature, which can be found on page 24 of its extra supplement, claims that Sega’s Condemned 2 is the best video game of the moment, whilst Advance Wars: …

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 …

Director of the BBFC David Cooke has welcomed the Byron review’s recommendations – and has emphasised that its own ratings system is the industry standard. The BBFC has been able to handle a major expansion of the DVD market over the last few years, and we are ready and able …