Tag Archives: gordon brown

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said in a podcast that the UK games industry is “leading the way” in Europe.

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Cant say we see this every day.

UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has confessed that he is, in fact, a gamer. Speaking in an interview with The Mirror newspaper, the PM answered a question on how he’d be spending time with his children playing video games during the summer recess in Parliament with his family.

“He plans to do more “re-winning” of [his childrens'] interest as he watches the boys’ favourite TV shows and plays computer games over the next few weeks at the couple’s home in Scotland and on their holiday,” according to an extract from the paper.

Be sure to send us a friend request, Gordon.

More at MCV.

The Byron Report – a study commissioned by the UK Government to investigate games and internet use among the young in the UK – was delivered last week, saying almost exactly what everyone thought it was going to say and showing its author, Doctor Tanya Byron, in a highly professional light.

Probably the best thing about the publication, however, is that fact it’s now been and gone and we can (almost) stop writing about it.

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Tanya Byron, author of yesterday’s Byron report, has moved to assure gamers that her recommendations – the main one of which was for a legally enforcable system of ratings for games in the UK – won’t stop adults getting at the content they want to consumer.

“I’ve worked with a lot of gamers throughout the review and I do believe that adults have the right to make decisions about the content that they access, whether it’s viewing or interacting,” she said. “There’s a huge moral debate around content in videogames. I’m very clear, that wasn’t the remit of my review to pass judgment on that and I do believe that content for adults is content for adults. It should be rated that way.”

Very nice exclusive by Next-Gen, there. Any chance you could turn the caps lock off though, Colin? No need to shout.

Oh dear. This isn’t going to go down too well. According to this, the cost of making parents more aware about videogaming – as recommended in this morning’s Byron Report – could well be paid for by the games industry itself.

“I have talked to industry about how they can enable public information campaigns to be funded,” said Tanya Byron, speaking at a launch event for her report this morning. “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 adult games are for adults… How the industry takes that forward is a matter for discussion.”

Genius. No tax breaks, greater restriction and yes, people need to know what’s good for the public but no, the government won’t stick its hand in its pocket. Pathetic. How much more bust do you want British games firms to go, Brown?

David Cooke, director of the BBFC, has said he believes the British body is a better fit for rating games in the wake of this morning’s Byron Report as it has the power to ban products.

“We co-operate closely with the Pan European Games Information Systems (PEGI) and will continue to do so,” he said in a statement.

“Unlike PEGI, the BBFC has the power, in exceptional cases, to reject films, DVDs and games which have the potential to pose real harm risk. We reject an average of two to three works a year (mostly DVDs) and will continue to do so where it is necessary to protect the public. At the adult level, we respect the public expectation that adults should be free to choose except where there are real harm risks. But we do not think it would be right to remove the reserve rejection power and we are pleased that Dr Byron agrees with this.

“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 to take on the extra work envisaged by Dr Byron. We attach great importance to providing a speedy and effective service, primarily to the public, but also to the creative industries who produce films, DVDs and games. We will be talking to the Government, PEGI and the games industry about how to implement Dr Byron’s recommendations.”

Full thing after the link.

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Both Nintendo and SCEE have told videogaming247 that they will be making no comment on today’s Byron Report.

“There’s no comment and no one will be offering comment – it’s an industry issue and therefore we are referring everyone to ELSPA,” said a Nintendo UK spokesperson.

“I’m afraid we will not be making any comment on the Byron report,” said a SCEE rep. “As this is a games industry issue rather than a Sony-specific one, it may be worth speaking to ELSPA instead.”

We’re still waiting to hear back from Microsoft.

Tanya Byron recommended today that ratings for UK games should be enforced by law. Hit this for broad detail of what’s contained in the paper.

Loads of stuff here, in far more detail than the BBC report. This is the same article we quoted earlier. The report will recommend:

• New codes of practice to regulate social networking sites, such as Bebo and Facebook, including clear standards on privacy and harmful content;
• A gold standard for the use of console games, including clear set-up guidance for parents on issues such as pin codes and locks;
• Better information for parents on how to block children accessing some websites. Byron has been struck that the technology exists to impose timers and filters, but there has been little take-up, knowledge or development of the technology;
• A new law based on a 2006 Law Commission recommendation making it unlawful to assist suicide on the internet;
• A national council to implement her strategy, with a fixed timetable for industry experts; a parents’ panel and child development experts to implement her recommendations.

From the piece:

Classifications are likely to be refined on the basis that what may be deemed appropriate for someone approaching 18 may well not be appropriate for someone of nine or 10.

At present most video games are simply licensed for general use or for those aged over 18 years.

The new classification system will be clearer, with one set of logos and much more explicit descriptions of content and context on the packaging. She is also likely to propose a clearer law stating when games cannot be sold under that age.

The British Board of Film Classification system gives no indication about contents of games or detail of why an age rating has been given. Research published by the IPPR thinktank this week suggested some children were spending 20 hours a week on the internet, almost three times higher than the previous estimates.

The final report’s nowhere to be seen yet.

According to this, Tanya Byron is pinning the biggest issues in games ratings on lack of understanding between generations.

“The key finding is that we have this huge digital generational divide at the moment where children are enjoying benefits and opportunities both online and in videogames but parents are really genuinely confused in terms of what videogames are and how their kids are playing them, what the content really means and what should they be allowing their kids to play and not play,” she said.

“For me it’s about how can government really empower parents, society and teachers who grapple with these issues in schools to really support children to think about risks both online and in videogames where most adults are coming from the position of knowing less than the children who are using these technologies.”

The Byron Report, a study into gaming and the internet in the UK, was published today. We’re still waiting on the actual document, but Byron has recommended that all games should be rated in the UK, that the minimum age rating should be dropped to 12 and that a dedicated body related to web and game regulation should be set up.

A launch event for the report is currently in progress in London.

Well, sort of. The BBC’s got it, clearly. We’re just waiting for the final draft, but you can see everything that’s about to be announced here. Included is:

• The creation of a website for parents where they can find our more information about online safety.
• A comprehensive public information and awareness campaign on child internet safety.
• Clear and consistent guidance for industry on how games should be advertised.
• High profile efforts to increase parents understanding of age ratings and improved parental controls.

The final report, should you care by now, is set to be published any time now.

British newspaper the Guardian is reporting that Tanya Byron’s report into games regulation in the UK this morning contains mention of lock-out codes for console games.

The report, to be delivered at 9am this morning, is to recommend, “A gold standard for the use of console games, including clear set-up guidance for parents on issues such as pin codes and locks,” said the paper.

The report doesn’t clarify whether or not this means such devices are to be including in games by law.

Byron is to recommend that “a national council to implement her strategy” will be set up, the paper says, “with a fixed timetable for industry experts.”

Two reports are claiming that the Byron Report will today recommend a film-style ratings system with recognisable symbols for the UK, as well as lowering the statutory requirement for game ratings to 12.

According to the newly relaunched GamesIndustry.biz, ex-TV presenter Tanya Byron will also recommend that the British games industry should also make sustained and high profile efforts to increase parents’ understanding of age ratings, and improve parental controls to enable better policing of game-playing in the home.

The Times is claiming that Byron will also recommend cigarette-style warnings for certain games. For those of you outside the UK, cigarettes here have a large portion of the packet taken up with a white, block warning.

According to the Times report, retailers that sell rated games to minors are to face up to five years in prison.

PEGI, the current voluntary system for rating games in Europe, is out, from the sound of that report.

“The alternative Pan-European Game Information system is considered to be ineffective because it uses symbols that are confusing and distributors effectively chose their own ratings by filling in a form about their product,” said the Time. “Dr Byron wants a single statutory classification system.”

It’s as yet unknown if the BBFC will be rating games in the UK or a new body is to be set up.

The Byron Report was commissioned by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown to look into better regulating games and internet use among the young in the UK.

The final paper is expected to be deliver at 9am GMT this morning.

Says so here. Tanya Byron’s report was commissioned by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown to look into violence and rating issues. The paper is thought to recommend that all games in the UK should be rated by a dedicated board, possibly the BBFC.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport confirmed the date this morning.

The BBFC has admitted is doesn’t know what Tanya Byron’s going to recommend in her report to the government about UK games regulation next month, but has said that it’s prepared to take on the job of classifying all games for Britain is necessary.

“We don’t know what Dr Byron is going to recommend, but we’d be prepared to take on the role of classifying all games if that’s what’s decided,” said BBFC spokesperson Sue Clark, adding, “BBFC is a rating people understand from film and DVD, so it might give parents a bit more piece of mind… It would mean a bigger workload – but that’s our problem, not the industry’s – and we know we could handle it.”

Clark’s comments came after PEGI today said that a move away from the current, voluntary rating in the UK would be a “step backwards”.

The Byron Report, which is thought to recommend that all British games should be rated with a cinema-style system, is to be filed with the government next month.

One story emerged last week that is to dominate the British games industry for months, and possibly years, to come. Tanya Byron, ex-TV psychologist and compiler of a report commissioned by Prime Minister Gordon Brown to look into the affects of videogames on the young and make recommendations as to future regulation, is to deliver her findings next month. Inevitably, the press decided to deliver some of them first.

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UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown can’t beat his own son at tennis on Wii Sports. We knew you were rubbish, Gordon, but seriously.

“Mr Brown also revealed he has been struggling to play tennis on his four-year-old son John’s Wii video game console, said this. “He said: ‘It didn’t leave me out of puff but that’s because I was beaten early on by my son.’”

Gordon, take our advice. Practice every day until you’re proper awesome at it, come home from your next Iraqi summit, or whatever it is you do, offer to give him a game then destroy him, three sets to love. It’s the only way they learn.

Citing a “Whitehall leak”, a Scotland on Sunday report has suggested that PM Gordon Brown is readying to use the Byron report – a commissioned paper into videogames in the UK in general – to tighten up regulations in gaming and “crackdown” on violence in games.

BBFC ratings for all games are expected to be recommended by the review. After a meeting between Tanya Byron and industry leaders last week, a person present had this to say to MCV:

“It was pretty much agreed by all parties – publishing, retailers and parents and Government – that there needs to be one rating system for transparency’s sake, whether that be the BBFC or something more voluntary. But there’s a definite fear that Brown will aggressively present this to the media and public as ‘we are fighting the industry for your kids’ safety’. Nothing could be further from the truth, and Tanya Byron knows that.”

The source added, “The meeting ended with a lengthy discussion, headed up by her, on how we can present this to the Government.”

Should be fun. How else did anyone think the power-crazed old warhorse was going to present it to Parliament?