Category Archives: Politics

US vice president Joe Biden has said there’s no legal objection to imposing a tax on violent media.

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MP for Newcastle Upon Tyne Chi Onwurah has called for reflection among the UK games industry on the issue of gender equality in issues such as employment, skills and more. The MP called the imbalance of women working in information and communications technology roles – including the games industry – an “absolute scandal”, and called on the industry to provoke real change.

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Electronic Arts has revealed plans to ditch gun licensing deals from its games – but will continue to feature well-known weaponry in their titles without paying gun manufacturers.

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Tomb Raider writer Rhianna Pratchett has discussed the impact of her #1reasontobe and #1reasonwhy hashtag campaigns, which called on females working within the games industry to reveal moments where they felt they were being ether harassed or treated with inequality due to their gender, and to raise awareness on the positives of the industry respectively.

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After being taken offline in South Korea in July 2012, the PlayStation Store will be brought back online May 16. The store was taken offline due to a law in the country which forbids online services for asking those under 18 years old their name or age. Sony took the store offline to incorporate changes which would get the service in-line with the new law. Once it’s back up May 16, the store will be restricted to those 18 years of age and older. Minors will no longer be allowed to use the service, and a credit card will verify the registrants age with the store. Thanks, CVG.

UK Chancellor George Osborne and Culture minister Ed Vaizey have said that the EU Commission’s investigation into a UK games tax relief will not deter the incentive from being applied.

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South Korean politician Shin Eui-jin has revealed a bill proposing that games, along with alcohol, gambling and drugs, be strictly regulated.

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Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Chi Onwurah has called on the Tory government to address the lack of females working in the UK games industry, and feels it should better reflect the diversity of those playing games today.

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In other news out of the Jersey Shore, the New Jersey SAFE Task Force, has released a report recommending state lawmakers stamp out the sale of Mature games to minors. Former by governor Chris Christie in January, the task force is looking for a way to curb situations would result in tragedies such as Newtown school shooting. While it also recommends changes to gun control laws, providing better access to psychological care, and encourages schools to employ armed officers, the task force is also reviewing whether violent media is being marketed to kids. This is despite the group’s acknowledged of the Supreme Court ruling in California, and said it’s plan was “subject to the appropriate regulatory authority’s consideration of the practicality and feasibility of each approach.” More through GI International.

The European Commission believes there is “no obvious market failure” in the UK games sector to provide tax relief to developers, and has opened an in-depth investigation into the proposed scheme backed by the industry and trade groups.

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New Jersey assemblywoman Linda Stender has proposed a state bill prohibiting public spaces like cinemas and bowling alleys from hosting arcade games rated Mature or Adult’s Only. But put down your pitchforks; according to Kotaku, the ESRB doesn’t actually rate coin-operated arcade machines, so assuming this bill was passed, it would have absolutely no effect on anything, anywhere. Hopefully someone will highlight this issue for Stender before she puts her bill before other lawmakers.

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Speaking on US TV, Dianne Feinstein seems to have suggested that games can be a kind of aid or crutch for those inclined towards violent acts.

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California senator Dianne Feinstein believes the government could legislate the sale violent games in US if the industry doesn’t cut back on violence in its games.

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Game Developer Magazine has published the findings of its annual survey into employment equality in the games industry, and the findings underline the need for significant change.

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Following a report suggesting the perpetrator of last year’s Sandy Hook massacre was trying to get some sort of ‘high score’, a pair of US politicians have renewed their campaigns against violent games.

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TIGA has announced that while tax relief in the UK has been delayed, the Government is still planning to legislate for Games Tax Relief in the current Finance Bill.

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The gunman responsible for the Sandy Hook school shooting was so obsessed with video games, that he created a score sheet filled with the names of past serial killers in an attempt to out-score’ them. That’s the claim of a new report by the New York Daily Times.

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Tiga CEO Richard Wilson is of the belief that studios with canceled game projects should receive tax relief, due to publishers leaving the firms “high and dry.”

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The state of New Jersey has passed a bill intended to make online gambling legal, GamePolitics reports. New Jersey joins Nevada and Delaware in allowing real-money online gambling, something Zynga has bet the bank on. The bill comes into effect when the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement sets an official start date, which is likely to be somewhere between three and nine months from now.

Survey group Harris Interactive has conducted a poll that suggests 58% of adult Americans believe there is a correlation between teenage violence and violent videogames.

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