Clare introduced a bill proposing an act to amend the current Classification Act (PDF), which if successfully passed through the Lower House and the Senate could go into effect as early as New Year’s Day, 2013.

The bill would introduce a federal R18+ ratings category for games in addition to current classification categories, but does not give guidelines for what content each category would cover.

However, past comments from state attorneys general and former Home Affairs minister Brendan O’Connor have indicated support for draft guidelines which allow for stronger content in the new R18+ category than is currently permissible under the MA15+ label. Combined with reinforcement of the MA15+ category’s guidelines, classification reform could result in both more consistent enforcement of current strictures to protect those under 15 and the sale of games currently refused classification, such as Syndicate.

Thanks, PlayerAttack.

Speaking with CVG, Hill said it was “definitely” the powers-that-be in the UK started supporting its games studios in order to stop the “talent drain.”

“A lot of my friends have moved abroad to get work; there’s a real talent drain,” he said. “Montreal is a central place for development and it’s mainly because the tax breaks they give are so phenomenal. It’s a real shame… we have some of the best talent in the world in this country. That situation is rapidly changing and it’s such a shame.

“We have great developers here but those numbers are dwindling. You just think about quality developers like Bizarre Creations, Black Rock – people who are making really good games and going out of business. Those guys were so talented so how can that happen?

“I just think that we could have been in Montreal’s position with that backing from the government. It’s such a big industry now and we could be world leaders. Britain’s home computing history is just incredible.”

Hill isn’t far off in his opinion on tax breaks, as a Tiga study published in January reported that 41% of laid off UK developers moved overseas between 2009 and 2011, and the country’s overall games development workforce has fallen 10%.

Various UK trade bodies have been trying to implement change in the sector for ages, something the UK government has been dragging its heels on for ages.

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Here’s a excerpt from the broadcast, pulled by GamePolitics, via Opposing Views:

“In a new Star Wars game, the biggest threat to the empire may be homosexual activists! Hello, I’m Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. In a galaxy not so far far away, Star Wars gamers have already gone to the dark side.

“The new video game, Star Wars: The Old Republic, has added a special feature: gay relationships. Bioware, the company that developed the game, said it’s launching a same-sex romance component to satisfy some complaints. That surprised a lot of gamers, since Bioware had made it clear in 2009 that “gay” and “lesbian” don’t exist in the Star Wars universe.

“Since the announcement, homosexuals have been celebrating the news, but parents sure aren’t. On the game’s website, there are more than 300 pages of comments–a lot of them expressing anger that their kids will be exposed to this Star Warped way of thinking.

“You can join them by logging on and speaking up. It’s time to show companies who the Force is really with!”

We’re unsure if Perkins also attacks the heterosexual love scenes in SWTOR, which as usual in a Bioware game, go to a black screen, because we’ve yet to listen to his session.

However, if you are in the mood to listen to such hate-spewing trash, by all mean do so by clicking here.

SOCTUS was devised by State Senator Leland Yee and supported by ex-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and sought to impose regulations on the sale of video games the bill deemed violent. The US Supreme Court untimately found the bill to be unconstitutional, and dismissed it on those grounds.

The ESA has announced it would donate a portion of the $950,000 to develop “after-school educational programs for underserved communities” in Oakland and Sacramento.

This new new charitable education initiative will launch in the spring, and with it the ESA hopes to “harness young peoples’ natural passion for playing and making video games” while developing industry-related job skills.

Including reimbursements already paid from the two California lower court rulings, the state will have paid $1,327,000 to ESA. Other states which attempted to regulate the sale of video games, resulted in ESA receiving $1,773,000, totaling $3.1 million in legal fees paid.

“Our plans are to introduce the R18+ bill in the first session of parliament this year,” a representative for the minister’s office told Gamespot.

To make it through the Lower House, the bill will need the support of two two crossbench members to pass. The five members – independents Rob Oakeshott, Tony Windsor, Andrew Wilkie, Bob Katter, and Greens Adam Bandt – have not made their stances on R18+ public. Parliament will meet for the first time in 2012 on February 7, leaving just two weeks to contact your local MP and communicate your opinion on the matter.

If the bill passes through the Lower House, it will move onto the Senate, and require support from the Coalition or the Greens.

Australia’s attorneys general agreed to proposed classification reform in mid 2011 after years of debate. Australia currently refuses classification to any games judged too high impact for the MA 15+ category; the proposed changes would allow the legal sale of R18+ classified games, and also modify existing MA15+ category guidelines to ensure more consistent application.

PIPA postponed

In a statement, Reid said he was “optimistic that we can reach a compromise in the coming weeks,” and hopes the bill’s backer, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (VT), can help resolve issues with its legislation.

“Counterfeiting and piracy cost the American economy billions of dollars and thousands of jobs each year, with the movie industry alone supporting over 2.2 million jobs,” Reid said. “We must take action to stop these illegal practices.”

On Thursday, in move which surprised some of his more liberal constituents, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (KY), encouraged Reid to postpone action on the bill, as other senators previously behind PIPA and the similar bill SOPA, dropped support.

Last week, Leahy, has said more study was needed regarding DNS blocking proposed in his bill before it went to vote. His backpedaling was due to the outpouring of protest from his constituents in Vermont.

“I and the bill’s co-sponsors have continued to hear concerns about the Domain Name provision from engineers, human rights groups, and others,” Leahy said in a statement. “I have also heard from a number of Vermonters on this important issue. I remain confident that the ISPs – including the cable industry, which is the largest association of ISPs – would not support the legislation if its enactment created the problems that opponents of this provision suggest.

“Nonetheless, this is in fact a highly technical issue, and I am prepared to recommend we give it more study before implementing it.”

The PIPA vote, originally moved to Tuesday, January 23 has yet to be rescheduled as of press time. Via Reuters.

SOPA off the table, ESA backs out

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) has also announced his panel would not proceed with pushing the SOPA bill until a compromise is reached regarding its contents.

“I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy,” said Smith. “It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products” (via BBC).

Meanwhile, the ESA has also decided to drop its support of SOPA after-the-fact, saying in a statement this afternoon: “From the beginning, ESA has been committed to the passage of balanced legislation to address the illegal theft of intellectual property found on foreign rogue sites. Although the need to address this pervasive threat to our industry’s creative investment remains, concerns have been expressed about unintended consequences stemming from the current legislative proposals.

“Accordingly, we call upon Congress, the Obama Administration, and stakeholders to refocus their energies on producing a solution that effectively balances both creative and technology interests. As an industry of innovators and creators, we understand the importance of both technological innovation and content protection and are committed to working with all parties to encourage a balanced solution.”

The ESA also supported PIPA and spent $190,000 on lobbying efforts in support of the bill in Washington.

Eurogamer reports PIPA co-sponsors, Florida senator Marco Rubio and Missouri senator Roy Blunt, have both reversed position, along with Utah senator Orrin Hatch, the Democrats’ Ben Cardin and the Republican party.

On the SOPA side, Republican house members Ben Quayle of Arizona, Dennis Ross of Florida and Lee Terry of Nebraska withdrew support.

Ars Technica reports Lamar Smith, the Texan Republican who has been a primary driving force of SOPA, has remained firm in the face of dwindling support.

“I realize some people are nervous because of misinformation about this bill, but I am confident that ultimately the facts will overcome fears,” he wrote.

“Contrary to critics’ claims, SOPA does not censor the Internet. It only targets activity that is already illegal, and only targets foreign websites that steal and sell America’s technology, inventions and products.”

Smith has indicated he is willing to address concerns over the acts intricacies, but is clearly fairly confident the central premises are in the right.

A number of developers and games media outlets went dark to protest the controversial legislation, despite the ESA’s support of both proposed acts.

The report further states that the country’s games development workforce has fallen 10%, and used Bizzare Creations as an example of workers leaving the UK to find jobs outside of the country. According to the report, one third of the staff who left the studio after its closure in 2010 went overseas to find new work, mainly the US and Canada.

Richard Wilson, CEO of TIGA, said those in the industry are flocking to countries where better tax incentives are in place, and the future looks grim for the UK if similar schemes aren’t put in place.

“The UK video games development and digital publishing sector provides high levels of graduate employment, has a high propensity to export, is at the cutting edge of R&D, and has a world class reputation for IP generation,” he said. “Our competitors in Canada and elsewhere are able to recruit highly skilled developers from the UK largely because they benefit from tax breaks, which effectively reduce the cost of games development.

“Tax breaks both stimulate job creation in the games sector and provide games businesses with significant financial resources with which they can deploy to recruit staff. The video games industry is exactly the kind of sector that the Government should be supporting to help rebalance the UK economy.”

TIGA’s figured were derived from surveying 75% of the UK’s games industry, and the full findings will be published in a forthcoming report.

Thanks, Develop.

Red 5′s The League for Gamers has been launched as “a gathering place for gamers, developers and industry supporters who want to stand against legislation that’s detrimental to the games industry”, backed by $50,000 previously intended for an E3 booth.

E3 is a major source of income for the ESA, a trade industry body which has thrown its support behind the Stop Online Piracy and Protect IP acts, despite the discomfort of many of the members it represents.

CEO Mark Kern told ArsTechnica the developer pulled out of the show the very same day it had signed off on a booth, having realised that the ESA would not change its stance.

“We’re on the hook with ESA for the money that we owe them, and because of our stance against what the ESA is doing here, I doubt we’ll ever get that money back,” he admitted.

Interestingly, Kern admitted that it was media efforts – particularly those of Shack News – which spurred him to pull out; Red 5 also took Firefall offline to mark an international day of protest against the proposed legislation.

Kern expressed disappointment that corporations and the ESA are “definitely putting corporate needs well above that of gamers’ First Amendment rights, and the First Amendment rights of the Internet in general”, but said even in purely practical terms, the introduction of SOPA and PIPA could be detrimental to Red 5.

“Because we’re a free-to-play game, and we’re heavily into eSports,” he explained.

“We feel that our ability to stream games on sites like JustinTV or other streaming sites around the world is threatened by the fact that if some user were to stream the wrong content on these sites, these advocates for game spectating would be shut down financially.

“We love the idea of user-generated content. We want to see more games with user-generated content, and [SOPA] threatens that as well. Firefall doesn’t have any, specifically, right now, but we do want to protect eSports and the ability for teams and players to stream game content.

“A lot of shoutcasters make their living by streaming content. All it would take is one game company that says ‘That’s not fair use,’ and it doesn’t just affect that streamer, it affects the entire site.”

Hit the link above to read the full interview, which is well worth a read and not as dry as some SOPA coverage.

Thanks, Gamefront.

Thanks, Gamefront.

The White House issued its repose due to the We the People petition regarding SOPA and online piracy.

The official statement from the White House said it was important to “avoid creating new cybersecurity risks or disrupting the underlying architecture of the Internet,” while at the same time providing prosecutors and rights holders “new legal tools to combat online piracy” originating outside the US.

However, the Oval Office said it will not support any legislation which when implemented , reduced “freedom of expression, increase cybersecurity risk, or undermine the dynamic, innovative global Internet.”

The statement says the current administration will continue to work with “all sides” in order to “pass sound legislation” on the matter. It also asked for the public to suggest ideas on “how to clamp down on rogue websites” and other criminals “who make money off the creative efforts of American artists and rights holders.”

“We should all be committed to working with all interested constituencies to develop new legal tools to protect global intellectual property rights without jeopardizing the openness of the Internet. Our hope is that you will bring enthusiasm and know-how to this important challenge,” the statement continued.

You can read the full statement below, culled from the official White House blog.

Earlier today, it was announced the DNS portion of the SOPA bill had been pulled, and the author of PIPA declared his bill needed more “study” before being put to a vote.

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COMBATING ONLINE PIRACY WHILE PROTECTING AN OPEN AND INNOVATIVE INTERNET
By Victoria Espinel, Aneesh Chopra, and Howard Schmidt

The White House has responded to two petitions about legislative approaches to combat online piracy. In their response, Victoria Espinel, Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator at Office of Management and Budget, Aneesh Chopra, U.S. Chief Technology Officer, and Howard Schmidt, Special Assistant to the President and Cybersecurity Coordinator for National Security Staff stress that the important task of protecting intellectual property online must not threaten an open and innovative internet.

Right now, Congress is debating a few pieces of legislation concerning the very real issue of online piracy, including the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the PROTECT IP Act, and the Online Protection and Digital ENforcement Act (OPEN). We want to take this opportunity to tell you what the Administration will support—and what we will not support. Any effective legislation should reflect a wide range of stakeholders, including everyone from content creators to the engineers that build and maintain the infrastructure of the Internet.

While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet.

Any effort to combat online piracy must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small. Across the globe, the openness of the Internet is increasingly central to innovation in business, government, and society and it must be protected. To minimize this risk, new legislation must be narrowly targeted only at sites beyond the reach of current U.S. law, cover activity clearly prohibited under existing U.S. laws, and be effectively tailored, with strong due process and focused on criminal activity. Any provision covering Internet intermediaries such as online advertising networks, payment processors, or search engines must be transparent and designed to prevent overly broad private rights of action that could encourage unjustified litigation that could discourage startup businesses and innovative firms from growing.

We must avoid creating new cybersecurity risks or disrupting the underlying architecture of the Internet. Proposed laws must not tamper with the technical architecture of the Internet through manipulation of the Domain Name System (DNS), a foundation of Internet security. Our analysis of the DNS filtering provisions in some proposed legislation suggests that they pose a real risk to cybersecurity and yet leave contraband goods and services accessible online. We must avoid legislation that drives users to dangerous, unreliable DNS servers and puts next-generation security policies, such as the deployment of DNSSEC, at risk.

Let us be clear—online piracy is a real problem that harms the American economy, threatens jobs for significant numbers of middle class workers and hurts some of our nation’s most creative and innovative companies and entrepreneurs. It harms everyone from struggling artists to production crews, and from startup social media companies to large movie studios. While we are strongly committed to the vigorous enforcement of intellectual property rights, existing tools are not strong enough to root out the worst online pirates beyond our borders. That is why the Administration calls on all sides to work together to pass sound legislation this year that provides prosecutors and rights holders new legal tools to combat online piracy originating beyond U.S. borders while staying true to the principles outlined above in this response. We should never let criminals hide behind a hollow embrace of legitimate American values.

This is not just a matter for legislation. We expect and encourage all private parties, including both content creators and Internet platform providers working together, to adopt voluntary measures and best practices to reduce online piracy.

So, rather than just look at how legislation can be stopped, ask yourself: Where do we go from here? Don’t limit your opinion to what’s the wrong thing to do, ask yourself what’s right. Already, many members of Congress are asking for public input around the issue. We are paying close attention to those opportunities, as well as to public input to the Administration. The organizer of this petition and a random sample of the signers will be invited to a conference call to discuss this issue further with Administration officials and soon after that, we will host an online event to get more input and answer your questions. Details on that will follow in the coming days.

Washington needs to hear your best ideas about how to clamp down on rogue websites and other criminals who make money off the creative efforts of American artists and rights holders. We should all be committed to working with all interested constituencies to develop new legal tools to protect global intellectual property rights without jeopardizing the openness of the Internet. Our hope is that you will bring enthusiasm and know-how to this important challenge.

Moving forward, we will continue to work with Congress on a bipartisan basis on legislation that provides new tools needed in the global fight against piracy and counterfeiting, while vigorously defending an open Internet based on the values of free expression, privacy, security and innovation. Again, thank you for taking the time to participate in this important process. We hope you’ll continue to be part of it.

Victoria Espinel is Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator at Office of Management and Budget

Aneesh Chopra is the U.S. Chief Technology Officer and Assistant to the President and Associate Director for Technology at the Office of Science and Technology Policy

Howard Schmidt is Special Assistant to the President and Cybersecurity Coordinator for National Security Staff

According to an official statement released from his office today, after consulting with “industry groups across the country,” Smoth removed DNS blocking from the bill so the Committee could “further examine the issues surrounding the provision.”

Should mandatory DNS blocking have been put into place, ISPs would have “to remove certain security protocols, like DNSSEC, which adds an extra layer of security to websites by checking for a special DNS signature to prove that the site is actually what it claims to be,” explained VentureBeat. ISPs such as Comcast use DENSSEC in order to further secure its network.

However, even with the DNS blocking section removed, supporters of SOPA may still seek to have sites accused of copyright infringement and piracy “de-indexed from popular search engines” or prevent the site from using payment services such as PayPal.

Meanwhile, the author of the Protect IP Act (PIPA), Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, has said more study was needed regarding DNS blocking before his bill goes to vote. This bit of backpedaling was due to the outpouring of protest from his constituents.

“I and the bill’s co-sponsors have continued to hear concerns about the Domain Name provision from engineers, human rights groups, and others,” Leahy said in a statement. “I have also heard from a number of Vermonters on this important issue. I remain confident that the ISPs – including the cable industry, which is the largest association of ISPs – would not support the legislation if its enactment created the problems that opponents of this provision suggest.

“Nonetheless, this is in fact a highly technical issue, and I am prepared to recommend we give it more study before implementing it.”

Full statements from both Smith and Leahy are below, courtesy of VentureBeat. There is also more information available on the matter from Ars Technica through here.

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas)

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today said he plans to remove a provision in the Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R. 3261) that requires Internet Service Providers to block access to certain foreign websites.

Chairman Smith: “After consultation with industry groups across the country, I feel we should remove Domain Name System blocking from the Stop Online Piracy Act so that the Committee can further examine the issues surrounding this provision. We will continue to look for ways to ensure that foreign websites cannot sell and distribute illegal content to U.S. consumers.

“Current law protects the rights of American innovators by prohibiting the illegal sale and distribution of their products by domestic websites. But there is no equivalent protection for American companies from foreign online criminals who steal and sell American goods to consumers around the world. Congress must address the widespread problem of online theft of America’s technology and products from foreign thieves.

“The Stop Online Piracy Act cuts off the flow of revenue to these foreign illegal sites and makes it harder for online criminals to market and distribute illegal products to U.S. consumers. The bill maintains provisions that ‘follow the money’ and cut off the main sources of revenue to foreign illegal sites. It also continues to protect consumers from being directed to foreign illegal websites by search engines. And it provides innovators with a way to bring claims against foreign illegal sites that steal and sell their technology, products and intellectual property.

“American intellectual property industries provide 19 million high-paying jobs and account for more than 60 percent of U.S. exports. Congress cannot stand by and do nothing while some of America’s most profitable and productive industries are under attack. The Stop Online Piracy Act protects the products and jobs that rightly belong to American innovators.”

Sen. Patrick Leahy (VT-D)

“The PROTECT IP Act provides new tools for law enforcement to combat rogue websites that operate outside our borders but target American consumers with stolen American property and counterfeits. One of those tools enables law enforcement to secure a court order asking Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to use the Domain Name System to prevent consumer access to foreign rogue websites. This provision was drafted in response to concerns that law enforcement has remedies it can take against domestic websites, but does not currently have the power to stop foreign rogue websites. I worked closely with the ISPs in drafting this provision to ensure they were comfortable with how it would work, and I appreciate their support.

“The process in drafting the legislation has always been an open one in which we have heard from all third parties, and have worked to address as many outstanding concerns as possible. It is through this process that we have gained the support of the majority of third parties who will be asked to take action under the legislation, as well as a bipartisan group of 40 cosponsors in the Senate.

“It is also through this process that I and the bill’s cosponsors have continued to hear concerns about the Domain Name provision from engineers, human rights groups, and others. I have also heard from a number of Vermonters on this important issue. I remain confident that the ISPs – including the cable industry, which is the largest association of ISPs – would not support the legislation if its enactment created the problems that opponents of this provision suggest. Nonetheless, this is in fact a highly technical issue, and I am prepared to recommend we give it more study before implementing it.

“As I prepare a managers’ amendment to be considered during the floor debate, I will therefore propose that the positive and negative effects of this provision be studied before implemented, so that we can focus on the other important provisions in this bill, which are essential to protecting American intellectual property online, and the American jobs that are tied to intellectual property. I regret that law enforcement will not have this remedy available to it when websites operating overseas are stealing American property, threatening the safety and security of American consumers. However, the bill remains a strong and balanced approach to protecting intellectual property through a no-fault, no-liability system that leverages the most relevant players in the Internet ecosystem.”

Yesterday, Firefall studio Red 5, Mojang, and Destructoid announced each would go offline on Monday for a 24 hour period in protest of SOPA. Nvidia, Bungie, GoG.com also spoke out against the bill yesterday as well, joining Epic, 38 Studios, THQ, MLG and many others.

Running lists of supporters and those who have yet to comment, can be found through both Joystiq and RPS.

The US senate is expected to vote on SOPA once it returns from recess on January 24.

Red 5, speaking in a statement to Shack, said it was pulling the current online beta of the game for 24 hours, adding it was cancelling its appearance at this year’s E3 due to support by organiser ESA for SOPA and sister bill PIPA.

“We are extremely disappointed in this misguided legislation. We are also ashamed of the ESA for supporting a bill which is clearly not in the best interests of gamers or the game industry,” said E5 CEO Mark Kern.

“This bill, and it’s sister bill, Protect IP, will shut down live streaming, shout casting, user generated content and have a chilling effect on game innovation and social media.”

He went on to add: “We issue a call to all our industry peers, including developers, publishers and game press, to join us in letting the ESA know they do not represent our views on this issue, and strongly oppose SOPA and PIPA.”

Destructoid has also said it’ll take part in the blackout on Monday.

“On January 18th members of the House Committee will be discussing PIPA/SOPA in Washington, D.C. and, like many of our friends, Destructoid will be blacking-out in protest of legislation that would allow DNS and Search Engine Blocking,” said founder Niero Gonzalez.

“If you think this blog post is annoying and not about videogames, wait until you can’t reach our site at all because you won’t have the power to decide what websites you can and cannot reach.”

Meanwhile, Torchlight developer Runic Games has come out and said it’s firmly against SOPA as well.

“We at Runic Games oppose the SOPA/PIPA legislation and we encourage you to do the same,” read a forum topic on the matter on the developer’s forums.

Mojang head Markus Persson has also announced via Twitter that Minecraft.net and Mojang.com will be taken offline on January 18 in protest of the bill.

Nvidia, Bungie, GoG.com have also come out against the bill, with the Halo studio stating it could “cripple the kind of games we love to create.”

Epic, 38 Studios, THQ and MLG are just some of the firms which have previously spoke out against the SOPA bill as it is currently written.

The US senate is expected to vote on the bill and PIPA once it returns from recess on January 24.

The developer, an Arizona-born Iranian-American and former US Marine, was detained by Iranian officials last August while visiting his grandparents in the country due to work he did for Kuma in 2009 on a language-retention toolset for soldiers. The project was funded by a $95,000 grant from the Department of Defense.

According to Iran’s Tehran Times, Hekmati confessed to working with the CIA on creating “free special movies and games with the aim of manipulating public opinion in the Middle East.”

“The goal of the company in question was to convince the people of Iran and the people of the entire world that whatever the U.S. does in other countries is a good measure,” he said in a taped confession via The New York Times.

The White House and the State Department has denied the allegations against Hekmati and has called for his immediate release.

Thanks, IndustryGamers.

Schilling said the studio is a “strong supporter” of copyright and trademark protection, but as it stands now, the firm cannot support the bill until efforts are made to amend the legislation while also maintaining the “freedom and openness” provided by the Internet.

Epic Games announced its stance on the bill earlier in the week, which mirrors 38′s opinion on the matter.

Major League Gaming as also shown it doesn’t support the bill, by moving over 100 domains from GoDaddy, formerly a staunch supporter of the bill until negative publicity forced it to admit changes are necessary, to rival domain registrar Namecheap. MGL said it is “firmly against both the specifics of SOPA and the philosophy behind the bill.”

Capcom executive Christian Svensson has also stated that while “the ESA represents us in legislative matters” Capcom has not announced “any stance on our support (or not) for SOPA.”

Meanwhile, Joystiq’s list of ESA members which support and do not support the bill has been updated to include: Nival, Slang, THQ, and Trion Worlds. RPS has updated its list of respondents as well.

You can also check out Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian’s chat with Bloomberg TV below (via GamePolitics), where he discussed the bill stating: “In creating this legislation about something that frankly they don’t understand, Congress is going to obliterate an entire tech industry in the United States as collateral damage.”

According to a statement released on its forums, Epic PR manager Dana Cowley wrote: “We do not support the current version of SOPA. We are members of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a trade organization that is working with legislators to refine the bill.

“Epic Games supports efforts that would stop overseas websites profiting from pirating our games, but we have to do that in a way that’s compatible with freedom of speech and due process of law,” she said.

Epic is the first member of ESA to officially state it does not support the current version of SOPA, despite reports that EA, Nintendo, and Sony had dropped support of the bill. However, Microsoft, which is also a member of ESA, spoke out against the bill along with Adobe and Apple through the Business Software Alliance (BSA).

RPS as a running list of ESA members which support and do not support the bill through here.

Thanks, Joystiq.

Said ESA: “As an industry of innovators and creators, we understand the importance of both technological innovation and content protection, and do not believe the two are mutually exclusive.

“Rogue websites – those singularly devoted to profiting from their blatant illegal piracy – restrict demand for legitimate video game products and services, thereby costing jobs. Our industry needs effective remedies to address this specific problem, and we support the House and Senate proposals to achieve this objective.

“We are mindful of concerns raised about a negative impact on innovation. We look forward to working with the House and Senate, and all interested parties, to find the right balance and define useful remedies to combat willful wrongdoers that do not impede lawful product and business model innovation.”

The statement follows a developing story earlier today, which noted that, despite reports over the holidays that EA, Nintendo and Sony have dropped support for SOPA, the firms have only been removed from a list of official supporters compiled by the House Judiciary Committee and are still members of ESA (via The Raw Story and Blue).

ESA’s anti-piracy stance is similar to that of the movie industry’s MPAA and the music industry’s RIAA.

ESA has a piracy monitoring division, and lobbies Washington representatives each year on behalf of gaming companies that are members of the association. ESA has said previously it supports the bill.

However, not all large tech and gaming firms are completely behind the bill. Back in November, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) which includes members such as Apple, Microsoft and Adobe, requested the bill be altered in a way which would fight copyright infringement without censoring freedom of speech. BSA president Robert Holleyman admitted SOPA needs work and “valid and important questions have been raised” regarding the bill.

Meanwhile, hackivist group Anonymous has said it plans to target Sony over its support of the bill, but intends to do it in a manner that will avoid the public backlash it received over PSNgate last year.

Thanks, GamePolitics. [image]

“Could we have a debate next week about the harmful effects of violent video games?” Vaz asked assembled politicians, as recorded in the House of Commons Hansard.

“At a time when parents are thinking of purchasing video games for Christmas, does the right hon. Gentleman not think that it is important to hold a debate on this matter? This is not about censorship—it is about protecting our children,” he added.

The Leicester East MP brought up recent research by the University of Indiana to back up his request. As Spong points out, DailyTech discovered the study in question had been funded by an anti-gaming pressure group.

Sir George Young responded by promising to bring the matter to the attention of the Home Secretary, but wouldn’t commit to a debate.

Vaz has acquired a reputation for doggedly pursuing stricter policies on game content.

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Should the Committee, which held a side event during the 31st International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in Geneva, Switzerland this week to discuss the matter, decide that it the conventions should indeed apply to virtual victims of war in videogames; the body will move to “encourage” governments to adopt such regulatory laws in videogames.

“While the Movement works vigorously to promote international humanitarian law worldwide, there is also an audience of approximately 600 million gamers who may be virtually violating IHL,” read the event’s description. “Exactly how video games influence individuals is a hotly debated topic, but for the first time, Movement partners discussed our role and responsibility to take action against violations of IHL in videogames. In a side event, participants were asked: ‘What should we do, and what is the most effective method?’

“While National Societies shared their experiences and opinions, there is clearly no simple answer. There is, however, an overall consensus and motivation to take action.”

The Committee’s purpose during the meeting was to discuss the “trivialization of international humanitarian law violations” games and debate whether it could “help reduce these ‘virtual’ — yet very realistic — violations of IHL.”

“One possible course of action could be to encourage game designers/producers to incorporate IHL in the development and design of video games, while another could be to encourage governments to adopt laws and regulations to regulate this ever-growing industry,” the description stated.

When Kotaku, which first published the story, asked the ESA for comment a spokesperson told the site that while it was aware of the meeting, it could not comment on the Movement’s “merits or specifics” at the time. However, the ESA remains firm on its immovable commitment “to developers’ rights for creative freedom and in achieving their artistic vision.”

Alexandra Boivin, head of the Civil Society Relations Unit’s Department of International Law and Cooperation for the committee, declined to discuss the Movement’s findings as well, but did say the ICRC would post more information on the topic at a later date.

This isn’t the first time a group has discussed whether or not international humanitarian laws should apply to games: TRIAL, a Geneva-based organization that deals in international crimes such as genocide, along with humanitarian and war crimes proposed the same suggestion in 2007.

More detailed information on the ICRC proposal can be found through the link.

Vaz mentions in the EDM (via MCV), which was motioned six days after the game’s release on November 14, that he was “deeply concerned” over the London Underground sequence, and that it brings up similar scenes to the terrorist attacks back in the city on July 7, 2005.

52 people were killed on that day.

Here’s Vaz’s EDM in full:

“That this House is deeply concerned about the recently released video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, in which players engage in gratuitous acts of violence against members of the public; notes in particular the harrowing scenes in which a London Underground train is bombed by terrorists, bearing a remarkable resemblance to the tragic events of 7 July 2005; further notes that there is increasing evidence of a link between perpetrators of violent crime and violent video games users; and calls on the British Board of Film Classification to take further precautions when allowing a game to be sold.”

But fellow Labour MP, and pro videogames activist, Tom Watson has hit back, suggesting in an amendment that the BBFC gave the game “an 18 classification.”

He added the shooter “neither draws upon nor resembles real terrorist attacks on the underground’; concluding by encouraging the BBFC should “uphold the opinion of the public that whilst the content of video games may be unsettling or upsetting to some, adults should be free to choose their own entertainment in the absence of legal issues or material which raises a risk or harm.”

The full Early Day Motion, with Watson’s full response and signatures added to date, can be found here.

“This further delay to PEGI’s implementation is extremely frustrating not to mention disappointing,” commented UKIE chairman Andy Payne, as ported by Eurogamer.

“We have received repeated assurances from government that the process is in hand, yet PEGI is still no closer to implementation.”

According to the UKIE, the British government needs to make a Statutory Instrument to introduce PEGI, but has failed to file the paperwork needed to present it to the House of Commons.

“The government has set its stock by making the UK one of the best places in Europe to do business yet despite industry consistently calling on the government to introduce the necessary measures to reduce the cost of doing business, we have been hit by delay after delay,” Payne continued.

“It seems that the much talked about red tape has yet again got in the way.”

The UK government decided to adopt the widely-used PEGI as its sole games rating system in mid 2009, removing the buden currently shouldered by the British Board of Film Classification in a confusing double system.

The system was expected to be adopted before the end of that year, but suffered numerous delays.

During a Parliamentary debate on obesity and food education, Abbott’s response was to High Peak Conservative Andrew Bingham, who mentioned Wii-Fit as a form of beneficial activity.

“Far be it from me to advertise any particular product in this Chamber, but Wii-Fit games are perhaps better than PlayStation games,” she responded, clearly unaware of Move, Zumba Fitness, and or Dance Star Party, according to Spong.

Minister of State for Health and Tory member for Chelmsford, Simon Burns, responded in a cognizant manner, stating that the “danger” had more to do with television in general, as many parents us the flickering box as an “easy option”, allowing children to spend hours watching television or playing games, “because it involves less effort on the parents’ part.”

The debate in question focused on obesity in children in the UK, and how the government needs to educate parents on the importance of physical activity, and how to cook properly instead of whipping out “a ready meal from Marks and Spencer.”

The full transcript is through here.

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According to a report in Norwegian newspaper Rogalands Avis, Geir Inge Stokke, director of Coop Norway Retail, said the retail giant is temporarily removing the games out of “consideration for those affected,” by last week’s murders.

“The decision to remove the games was made around the time we realized the scope of the attack,” he said. “Others are better suited than us, to point to the negative effects of games like these. At the moment it’s [appropriate] for us to take them down. I wouldn’t be surprised if others do the same.

“We have to think very carefully about when to bring these goods back. The economy involved is of no importance.”

Breivik, the man behind the attacks, mentioned in his “manifesto” time playing WoW and even went so far as to describe Modern Warfare as “training” tool in his “plan.”

Games confirmed as being removed from shelves by Gamers Globe include: Homefront, Black Ops, Modern Warfare 2, World at War, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Sniper Ghost Warrior, and Counter-Strike Source (thanks, distraet).

Toys that “look or function as weapons” have also been removed.

Thanks: Anders, DSB.

Gamespot reports all states bar New South Wales voted in favour of the new category at the quarterly standing committee in Adelaide today.

NSW attorney general Greg Smith abstained from the vote, as he had promised earlier in the week, but said he would make a decision shortly in consultation with the NSW cabinet, which is too newly formed to make an informed decision as yet.

In a press conference following the meeting, minister for home affairs Brendan O’Connor said a historic agreement had been reached, and that an R18+ ratings category could be introduced at a national level.

“We can move forward to introduce R18+ now,” he said. “This is a big step forward in the long-running debate on classification of computer games for adults.

“Once introduced, the classification will afford adults the opportunity to view material designed for adults. It is a credit to all jurisdictions that the meeting has now been able to achieve agreement over what is a complex matter in classification policy.”

Each of the states is said to have agreed “in principle” to the introduction of the R18+ category, but during the meetings, discussed amendments to the reform guidelines released in May. Some “matters of detail” resulting from this discussion are yet to formally signed off on by cabinets around the country.

Comments from O’Connor and South Australian attorney-general John Rau suggest the amendments came about because individual state cabinets want complete classifications reform, with definite guidelines for content appropriate to each category, avoiding ratings inconsistency.

Rau said he was “delighted” by the outcome, and had supported a national R18+ category all along.

The politician added that the finalised guidelines, once nailed down, would allow parents to judge “with confidence” the content of a game based on the ratings label. He said he would not move on a plan to sticker over MA15+ games with R18+ until national changes had been implemented.

No mention was made of plans to increase parental access to information regarding media ratings, or to enforce age categories at retail.

Response
In the wake of the initial announcement that consensus had not been possible, and the revelation that the R18+ category would go ahead anyway, local social media was dominated by the news, with related hash tags trending strongly on Twitter. Mainstream press has been quick to pick up the story.

Local industry spokespeople are expected to issue statements over the next week. Kicking things off, EA Asia Publishing vice president Mark Bradley said the news was encouraging.

“Australia needs a rating system that recognises that millions of adults play video games,” he told Gamespot.

“The current policy of the Australian government forces an arcane censorship on adults who play games – cuts they would never impose on movies, books or other forms of artistic expression. Today’s news is encouraging since continued delays in Australia will keep adult consumers waiting for the right to make their own content choices for entertainment, and increase risk of adult content being accessed by minors.”

“Right now what I am envisaging is a system where South Australia still receives games that have been rated MA15+, but we simply put an R18+ sticker on top of the MA15+ sticker before the games are sold,” Rau told Gamespot.

“That way parents can have a clear idea of which content is for adults.”

Rau told Gamespot it doesn’t want to “muck around” re-evaluating current ratings guidelines, preferring to implement a stat

“I’m working on the basis that while the Federal Government sets the rules, it’s up to each individual state to police them,” he said, citing the example of the X18+ rating for movies, which is only used in the Northern Territory and ACT.

“I cannot imagine it will be a problem for South Australia to fold the MA15+ rating into the R18+ rating, once Australia has one.”