Category Archives: Politics

British MP Keith Vaz has called on parliament to revisit the issue of potential negative effects of gaming on children.

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The International Committee of the Red Cross is looking into whether videogames in which the player participates in wars, whether fictional or not, should adhere to the Geneva and Hague conventions.

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US-based industry trade body the Entertainment Software Association spent $1.1 million lobbying during the last quarter, according to Yahoo Finance; that’s right on par with its usual spend. Issues the association tackled this past quarter include piracy, copyright, foreign trade policy reform and visas for the temporary hire of skilled foreign workers. The ESA is largely funded by member companies, mostly major publishers, and also runs the ESRB.

“It is possible to form the impression that many of today’s children no longer fully appreciate the joy of taking refuge in their own imaginations, preferring to spend their time on computer games, or watching digital television or playing with pre-programmed electronic toys.” – New Irish president Michael D Higgins, speaking at a meeting in Temple Bar, Dublin (via MCV).

He’s back at it. Labour MP Keith Vaz has tabled an Early Day Motion on Modern Warfare 3 in Parliament. [Spoilers for MW3 after the break]

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Trade organisation UK Interactive Entertainment has called out the British government for its failure to follow through on plans to adopt the PEGI system of games content rating.

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British Labour Party politician for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, Diane Abbott, believes Wii is better for children than PlayStation when it comes to nipping obesity.

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Coop Norway has announced it is to stop carrying 51 gaming brands and toys previously available to customers, after the horrific events in Oslo and on Utøya, including games CoD4: Modern Warfare and World of Warcraft – titles which the perpetrator Anders Behring Breivik claims to have actively played.

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Although Australia’s attorneys-general failed to reach consensus at today’s standing committee, Australia will introduce an R18+ ratings category at the national level.

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South Australian attorney-general John Rau has explained how he intends to wipe out the MA15+ ratings category for games in his home state: stickers.

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The association for UK Interactive Entertainment has launched a £100,000 fund to promote digital industries, with support from TIGA and the Department of Culture Media & Sport.

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Western Australia has said that it’s for the introduction of the R18+ for videogames around the country.

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GameSpot AU’s reporting this morning that the attorney general of New South Wales is to abstain from the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General meeting on Friday, which would have seen AGs as well as state and territory censorship ministers voting on the introduction of an R18+ rating for games in Australia.

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Attorney-General John Rau has communicated that South Australia will drop the current MA15+ ratings category for video games in favour of R18+, regardless of national overhauls to the classifications system.

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Australia is closer than ever to embracing the 21st Century and introducing an adult ratings category for gaming.

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Tony Reed, CEO of the Game Developers Association of Australia, feels the Australian Government’s proposed R&D tax credits is the best deal it has come up with to date, as it will provide the gaming sector with a 45 percent refundable tax credit if a firm’s turnover is less than $20 million.

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The Entertainment Software Association spent $1.1 million lobbying on the games industry’s behalf during the first quarter of 2011, financial reports have revealed.

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Back in November 2010, the US Supreme Court Justices weighed in on the videogame violence bill written by California state Senator Leland Yee which was supported by the state’s former-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The case is to be ruled on by the end of June, so sometime by the end of next week, we should know something regarding whether or not California will be able to legally limit the sale of what it considers violent video games to minors or not. We’ll keep you posted. Via MTV. [pic]

A LulzSec member has confirmed that Ryan Cleary, who was arrested in the UK this week on suspicion of hacking charges, had no formal ties to the group despite a few media reports stating otherwise.

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UK MP Jim McGovern has called on Ed Vaizey, the minister for creative industries, to makes games industry tax relief a priority.

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