Both Codemasters boss Rod Cousens Sports Interactive founders the Collyer brothers have been awarded honours in the British New Year list.

Former ELSPA boss Paul Jackson also got a nod.

Cousens was given an OBE (Order of the British Empire), while the Collyers got MBEs (Member of the British Empire).

The Collyers founded Sports Interactive in 1992, going on to developer Championship Manager games with Eidos then Football Manager with Sega.

In a statement, the pair said: “We are really proud to have been given this honour, which is something we never thought would happen to us.”

Jackson, who was a leading figure for EA in Europe before taking on ELSPA, was awarded an OBE. He currently heads up Rail Simulator.

ELSPA’s promoted MD Michael Rawlinson to director general, the trade body announced this morning.

Paul Jackson, who currently holds the position, will move into an “advisory role”.

Press release after the link.

ELSPA PROMOTES MICHAEL RAWLINSON TO DIRECTOR GENERAL

Thursday 19th February/… ELSPA, the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association has promoted its Managing Director Michael Rawlinson to the post of Director General.

Michael has been with ELSPA since 1999. He was appointed Deputy Director General in November 2001 and Managing Director of ELSPA in May 2006. This move follows the stepping aside of the current Director General Paul Jackson, who will be moving into an advisory role within the organisation.

In Michael’s role as Managing Director he has been responsible for the day-to-day management of the association and was instrumental in developing PEGI, the pan-European voluntary age rating system for videogames, which came into operation April 2003.

Building on this experience, his wide-ranging responsibility will continue to include keeping abreast of the comprehensive challenges continuously facing the industry; the most prevalent current issue being the age classification consultation which came out of the Byron Review into Children and New Technology.

Michael has recently been appointed as the videogames industry representative to the executive board of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety. The council’s establishment was a key recommendation of the Byron Review, and this is a significant step forward for the recognition of the industry as an established part of our entertainment culture.

Andy Payne commented: “We greatly thank Paul Jackson for his dedication and commitment over the past two and a half years, establishing ELSPA as a key conduit between the video games industry and the UK Government. Whilst we are losing Paul on an operational basis, we are fortunate that he will continue to support ELSPA in his new role. Michael has excelled under Paul’s leadership and is now absolutely ready to take the role as Director General and lead ELSPA into the future.”

ELSPA composes the most influential organisations in the entertainment industry including Activison/Blizzard, Disney, EA, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sega, Sony, UBI Soft and Eidos to name a few.

These personnel changes position ELSPA with robust leadership in order to prepare for the future challenges of the videogames business and the entertainment industry.

Ends.

Jackson was speaking at a Labour Party Conference fringe event, where he once again claimed that a PEGI-only solution for the UK was the right choice.

“A linear ratings system like the one the BBFC uses is designed for films with a beginning, middle and end where the outcome is always the same,” said Jackson.

“It just can’t cope with the infinite variety and complexity of modern videogames, and the interaction between players.”

More on GI.

ELSPA head Paul Jackson just responded to yesterday’s Government comment saying tax breaks for UK developers are now being assessed, welcoming in the move but saying putting age ratings onto the BBFC in the UK will fail in its aim to protect children.

“We appreciate comments from Government about its support and the work being done for the UK video games industry,” he said. “We look forward to working closely with them in the near future to make good this commitment. Of immediate concern is the issue of age ratings where it is crucial that following the public consultation on games age ratings, the UK adopts the Pan European PEGI system for games sold in store and online.

“The facts are that any other conclusion from this process, including the proposed expansion of the remit of the film ratings body, the BBFC, will result in a significant and prohibitive logistical and financial burden on the games industry. This will lead to increased costs of bringing games to market and could also significantly de-stabilise the UK’s influence and position within the European games industry. More importantly, it will have failed in its main objective – protecting children.”

The BBFC was picked as the main giver of age ratings in the UK in the wake of the Byron Report.

“Creators have to enjoy freedom of expression but at the same time it’s an industry that impacts society,” EU Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding told a news conference.

“When children go out to play today they enter the world of joysticks. We are not quite sure where they go and there is real anxiety from parents,” EU Consumer Protection Commissioner Meglena Kuneva added.

ELSPA’s Paul Jackson was on hand to stand up for the PEGI, the currently used European age rating.

“Importantly, it protects children as games move increasingly online and therefore should be adopted by UK regulators. We look forward to discussing this at the forthcoming UK consultation,” he said.

Remember that in the wake of the Byron Report, the British Board of Film Classification will soon be in charge of rating games meant for people aged 12 and over in the UK, and its findings will be enforceable by law. PEGI will only be used for games rated under 12. The UK is the largest games market in Europe.

More through the link.

ELSPA head Paul Jackson has said he welcomes the Byron Report in a just-issued statement, but has warned that the paper may not be complete enough to cover issues related to online gaming.

“We fully support Dr Byron’s advice to parents on the use of technology in the home and parental awareness of their children’s activities, including the need for wider awareness of age ratings on video games,” he said.

“We believe in one legally enforceable system for classification of video games and to build increased public awareness of both the age ratings system and the long-standing availability and use of parental controls on all games consoles.

“However, we are concerned that the proposals as they stand may struggle to keep up with the public’s increasing desire to buy and play online.”

Jackson also welcomed the desire for the Government to talk to the industry in general, and from his comments it’s clear that no decision has yet been made on who’s actually going to be rating games in the UK on the basis of Byron’s recommendations.

“The games industry would need to be re-assured that the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) would be capable of delivering against any new remit, or whether PEGI may be more appropriate. We welcome the news that the Government wishes to consult with the industry on any changes to the classification system,” he said.

Press release after the link.

ELSPA STATEMENT ON THE LAUNCH OF THE BYRON REVIEW

Thursday 27 March, 2008, London/… ELSPA, the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association, welcomes the findings of the Byron Review. It lays out an important framework to deliver a better understanding of how to protect children on-line and when playing video games.

Paul Jackson, Director General, ELSPA, said: “We fully support Dr Byron’s advice to parents on the use of technology in the home and parental awareness of their children’s activities, including the need for wider awareness of age ratings on video games.

“We believe in one legally enforceable system for classification of video games and to build increased public awareness of both the age ratings system and the long-standing availability and use of parental controls on all games consoles.

“However, we are concerned that the proposals as they stand may struggle to keep up with the public’s increasing desire to buy and play on-line.

“The games industry would need to be re-assured that the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) would be capable of delivering against any new remit, or whether PEGI may be more appropriate. We welcome the news that the Government wishes to consult with the industry on any changes to the classification system.”

“We look forward to working very closely with Government over the next few months to address these concerns as the implications of the review are fully understood.”