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Byron report suggests film-style ratings for games
Author: Joe MartinPublished: 27th March 2008
Dr. Byron may have offered some good advice in her government report, but she still has her watch on backwards.
According to early reports the primary recommendation of the report is that a single, clearly outlined age based rating system needs to be introduced in the UK - one which would function similar to the way that films are rated. The report lends support to the BBFCs rating system, rather than the European PEGI rating systems preferred by some industry experts.
The report also suggests that games made for children over the age of 12 should be required to go through the rating system and that new guidelines need to be introduced regarding how games are advertised.
Dr. Byron also uses the report to suggest that game developers and publishers need to focus more resources on increasing parent awareness of the content included in their games and to make parental controls more accessible.
While we haven't yet looked over the report in full and in depth, other reports indicate that cigarette-style health warnings have been suggested too and that heftier fines and five-year prison sentences need to be considered for retailers selling inappropriate games to minors.
The report puts forward this advice on the belief that excessive exposure to some video games can desensitize children to violence and harm the development of their value systems. The suggestions aren't limited to just the games industry either and are intended to raise parental awareness about a number of online issues, such as pornography.
“Parents are afraid to let their children out,” Dr. Byron said. “So they keep them at home, but allow them to take risks online...You would not send your child to the pool without teaching them to swim, so why would you let them online without teaching them to manage the risks?”
How do you feel about the Byron report? Is the advice remarkably sensible and non-inflammatory or is it banal and utterly pointless? Let us know in the forums.
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Comments (24)
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Ok, so its aimed at computer/console games, but a games a game, and it wont take long for it to spread onto other game types, although, the current PEGI standard is easy to understand, i think it may actually be better if it was all one standard like the BBFC's standard. My thoughts on it though.
Sam
I'm not bothered about a film-style rating system, as long as the ratings office doesn't decide to ban something in game format, when it allows something just as bad (or worse) in a film. We just need a system that is enforceable, so a game rated 18 doesn't get into the hands of a 10-year-old... oh, wait, parents will buy those for their kids anyway.
Neither did I.
Hey, why don't we use a ratings system that's similar to films to rate computer games!? Hang on, don't we do almost exactly that already?
Exactly how many billions of pounds did that smirking airhead siphon off to do this? I'm reminded of a memorable screen in Scrubs wherein the estimable John C. McGinley, as acerbic doctor Perry Cox, inserts clearly audible quotation marks around the professional title of "Doctor" Molly Clock (Heather Graham) who is, but for the fair hair, playing an almost exact charicature of "Doctor" Tanya Byron.
at the end of the day people need to wise up and realise that at no matter what age i play manhunt i would never stab someone where as some people will (scally layabout sh!ts)
will it make a difference at the end of the day no.
+1 !!!;)
I thought that too, my copy of GTA:SA has an 18 in a circle, the writing on back of box says not to be supplied to any person under that age limit :?
Yes. But they need to continue making it an issue so now they're going to tell you the ratings they originally imposed were obtuse and hard to understand (Mature? Well, he's got armpit hair...) and foist an entirely new and probably more obfuscating system of ratings onto the industry so they can appear to be doing something about violence in videogames.
For the parents: it's your responsibility. Do some damn research before you hand your kid $50 to go down to EB.
WTH?
aye, more pics please.
Just it never works with games cos mummy and daddy help out!
Exactly - ratings are not obligatory in the UK. The BBFC just selects the OTT games and rates them.
Then there's online sales. Steam; will the UK ISPs be forced into banning access to Steam if they don't comply with some ridiculous UK rules?
XBLA and all smaller games.... Are games like N+ going to need to be put through the BBFC rating process???? Hell no they aren't, the BBFC charge a lot, for a small game that'll cut heftily into profits. That'll mean Microsoft will be forced into not selling those games in the UK.
Basically, stupid pretty woman "Dr"..... **** off. You have no idea what you are talking about.
The recent eventual 18 classification of "that game" shows the appeal system works as well, which is good for consumers, publishers and developers. It won't be easy to implement it to the recommended scale quickly, but I see no reason why they can't. And to be honest - if you don't like it (and the only people who seem to make a fuss are the young ones who can't buy an 18) then you have two options - get your parents to buy it (which should also be made illegal if it isn't) or take solace in the fact that the content isn't suitable for you or, a third actually, go somewhere else - you live in this country so you abide by its laws.
In this case, the parents have no one to blame but them selves if little timmy turns out to be mass murdering psychopath. The point of this exercise, imo, is raising awareness that rating exist and the reason for them, thus the TV personality and not a lord or some other government appointed body. Recent history has shown that the useless parents of this country are always looking for excuses, this removes one potential.
With all other age rated products you cannot sell if you know it's going to someone underage.