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Yahoo news report
What the article is saying is that there is a general feeling that sex in video games is more common than it used to be and this is concerning parents and some MPs. It also goes without saying that both sex and violence go together when MPs discuss video games and the effect they have on children.
Like TV and books before it, video games are still considered to be 'new' media or at least the newest form. Of course, some people are still under the impression that all video games are still considered to be something for kids. This means that when they look at an 18 rated game like GTAIV or House of the Dead Overkill they are not seeing the true audience.
Ok, so there will always be those parents who don’t bother to find out what they child is actually playing or even go and buy the game for them, ignoring the large red 18 rating in the corner and on the spine of the game, but for the most part most parents should be able to tell from the cover, media and that all important BBFC rating.
One way it might change perceptions is for companies to succumb to having proper classifications as with films for all games rather than just 18 rated ones. More importantly, it’s important to educate parents that video games are like films, there are adult games, family friendly games etc.
Of course, as adults and teenagers, and even those of us who have children of our own we have come to expect the annoying voice of those who still don't 'get' what video games are about and ridicule gaming for destroying our youth (thank you, again, Daily Mail). All that is needed is to educate these people through the same media they use to find out about all these 'harmful' games. Obviously Daily Mail and its ilk won't do this voluntarily but if the government is convinced to start an education campaign then they may have to.
To give them their due, the Government have come a long way since the days of dismissal and refusal to listen. At least they’re listening now and have appointed Dr Tanya Byron to properly research both the effects and the perception of Video Games on our youth and society and she has come up with some interesting results. More importantly, she recommends sensible actions about sex and violence in games and how children should be protected. None of this is sensationalist and the measures are all sensible ones that the Government seems to be listening to.
Like TV,I believe that games need some form of regulation and, dare I say it, censorship, how ever small or lenient it is. This will protect them further from the voice of stupidity that fails to recognise what games really are. The film industry occasionally gets criticized for censorship of films, but it does a good job (in fact the British censorship is often less harsh than it’s American cousin and Western European censorship is even less likely to censor films). To protect them, games need some form of control which will, in turn, give these parents and ‘concerned individuals’ less to complain about when looking at sex and violence in the content of the games their child may be playing.
What the article is saying is that there is a general feeling that sex in video games is more common than it used to be and this is concerning parents and some MPs. It also goes without saying that both sex and violence go together when MPs discuss video games and the effect they have on children.
Like TV and books before it, video games are still considered to be 'new' media or at least the newest form. Of course, some people are still under the impression that all video games are still considered to be something for kids. This means that when they look at an 18 rated game like GTAIV or House of the Dead Overkill they are not seeing the true audience.
Ok, so there will always be those parents who don’t bother to find out what they child is actually playing or even go and buy the game for them, ignoring the large red 18 rating in the corner and on the spine of the game, but for the most part most parents should be able to tell from the cover, media and that all important BBFC rating.
One way it might change perceptions is for companies to succumb to having proper classifications as with films for all games rather than just 18 rated ones. More importantly, it’s important to educate parents that video games are like films, there are adult games, family friendly games etc.
Of course, as adults and teenagers, and even those of us who have children of our own we have come to expect the annoying voice of those who still don't 'get' what video games are about and ridicule gaming for destroying our youth (thank you, again, Daily Mail). All that is needed is to educate these people through the same media they use to find out about all these 'harmful' games. Obviously Daily Mail and its ilk won't do this voluntarily but if the government is convinced to start an education campaign then they may have to.
To give them their due, the Government have come a long way since the days of dismissal and refusal to listen. At least they’re listening now and have appointed Dr Tanya Byron to properly research both the effects and the perception of Video Games on our youth and society and she has come up with some interesting results. More importantly, she recommends sensible actions about sex and violence in games and how children should be protected. None of this is sensationalist and the measures are all sensible ones that the Government seems to be listening to.
Like TV,I believe that games need some form of regulation and, dare I say it, censorship, how ever small or lenient it is. This will protect them further from the voice of stupidity that fails to recognise what games really are. The film industry occasionally gets criticized for censorship of films, but it does a good job (in fact the British censorship is often less harsh than it’s American cousin and Western European censorship is even less likely to censor films). To protect them, games need some form of control which will, in turn, give these parents and ‘concerned individuals’ less to complain about when looking at sex and violence in the content of the games their child may be playing.
In my opinion parents need to take responsibility for their actions. When I worked In Game, I could not sell GTA III or Vice City to any youth who couldn't prove their age, and if the parents were there, I warned them of the content before they bought it.
However, a lot of parents would buy the GTA games, and other similarly rated games for their children just because their friends had the game anyway.
You can spoon-feed information to parents, who will in turn plead ignorance, but at the end of the day, the content is rated, and PEGI rated games have a system which explains the content, so its not like the information isn't out there.
If children are playing unsuitable games, then its because the parents aren't taking enough interest in their childrens' activities and are relying on the media to bring up their children.
Censorship may have to be considered, I don't doubt that. But parents should act like parents too (which I'm sure isn't an easy job, but is their responsibility).
However, a lot of parents would buy the GTA games, and other similarly rated games for their children just because their friends had the game anyway.
You can spoon-feed information to parents, who will in turn plead ignorance, but at the end of the day, the content is rated, and PEGI rated games have a system which explains the content, so its not like the information isn't out there.
If children are playing unsuitable games, then its because the parents aren't taking enough interest in their childrens' activities and are relying on the media to bring up their children.
Censorship may have to be considered, I don't doubt that. But parents should act like parents too (which I'm sure isn't an easy job, but is their responsibility).
Yahoo news report
What the article is saying is that there is a general feeling that sex in video games is more common than it used to be and this is concerning parents and some MPs. It also goes without saying that both sex and violence go together when MPs discuss video games and the effect they have on children.
Like TV and books before it, video games are still considered to be 'new' media or at least the newest form. Of course, some people are still under the impression that all video games are still considered to be something for kids. This means that when they look at an 18 rated game like GTAIV or House of the Dead Overkill they are not seeing the true audience.
Ok, so there will always be those parents who don’t bother to find out what they child is actually playing or even go and buy the game for them, ignoring the large red 18 rating in the corner and on the spine of the game, but for the most part most parents should be able to tell from the cover, media and that all important BBFC rating.
One way it might change perceptions is for companies to succumb to having proper classifications as with films for all games rather than just 18 rated ones. More importantly, it’s important to educate parents that video games are like films, there are adult games, family friendly games etc.
Of course, as adults and teenagers, and even those of us who have children of our own we have come to expect the annoying voice of those who still don't 'get' what video games are about and ridicule gaming for destroying our youth (thank you, again, Daily Mail). All that is needed is to educate these people through the same media they use to find out about all these 'harmful' games. Obviously Daily Mail and its ilk won't do this voluntarily but if the government is convinced to start an education campaign then they may have to.
To give them their due, the Government have come a long way since the days of dismissal and refusal to listen. At least they’re listening now and have appointed Dr Tanya Byron to properly research both the effects and the perception of Video Games on our youth and society and she has come up with some interesting results. More importantly, she recommends sensible actions about sex and violence in games and how children should be protected. None of this is sensationalist and the measures are all sensible ones that the Government seems to be listening to.
Like TV,I believe that games need some form of regulation and, dare I say it, censorship, how ever small or lenient it is. This will protect them further from the voice of stupidity that fails to recognise what games really are. The film industry occasionally gets criticized for censorship of films, but it does a good job (in fact the British censorship is often less harsh than it’s American cousin and Western European censorship is even less likely to censor films). To protect them, games need some form of control which will, in turn, give these parents and ‘concerned individuals’ less to complain about when looking at sex and violence in the content of the games their child may be playing.
What the article is saying is that there is a general feeling that sex in video games is more common than it used to be and this is concerning parents and some MPs. It also goes without saying that both sex and violence go together when MPs discuss video games and the effect they have on children.
Like TV and books before it, video games are still considered to be 'new' media or at least the newest form. Of course, some people are still under the impression that all video games are still considered to be something for kids. This means that when they look at an 18 rated game like GTAIV or House of the Dead Overkill they are not seeing the true audience.
Ok, so there will always be those parents who don’t bother to find out what they child is actually playing or even go and buy the game for them, ignoring the large red 18 rating in the corner and on the spine of the game, but for the most part most parents should be able to tell from the cover, media and that all important BBFC rating.
One way it might change perceptions is for companies to succumb to having proper classifications as with films for all games rather than just 18 rated ones. More importantly, it’s important to educate parents that video games are like films, there are adult games, family friendly games etc.
Of course, as adults and teenagers, and even those of us who have children of our own we have come to expect the annoying voice of those who still don't 'get' what video games are about and ridicule gaming for destroying our youth (thank you, again, Daily Mail). All that is needed is to educate these people through the same media they use to find out about all these 'harmful' games. Obviously Daily Mail and its ilk won't do this voluntarily but if the government is convinced to start an education campaign then they may have to.
To give them their due, the Government have come a long way since the days of dismissal and refusal to listen. At least they’re listening now and have appointed Dr Tanya Byron to properly research both the effects and the perception of Video Games on our youth and society and she has come up with some interesting results. More importantly, she recommends sensible actions about sex and violence in games and how children should be protected. None of this is sensationalist and the measures are all sensible ones that the Government seems to be listening to.
Like TV,I believe that games need some form of regulation and, dare I say it, censorship, how ever small or lenient it is. This will protect them further from the voice of stupidity that fails to recognise what games really are. The film industry occasionally gets criticized for censorship of films, but it does a good job (in fact the British censorship is often less harsh than it’s American cousin and Western European censorship is even less likely to censor films). To protect them, games need some form of control which will, in turn, give these parents and ‘concerned individuals’ less to complain about when looking at sex and violence in the content of the games their child may be playing.