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UK MP Calls For Tough Game Ratings

Rob Crossley's picture

By Rob Crossley

March 5, 2009

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UK MP Keith Vaz spoke out against violent videogame content yesterday during Prime Minister’s Questions.

Opening the session, the Labour MP submitted his question to his party’s deputy leader, Harriet Harman, citing the recent BBFC-funded survey on violent game content.

"In a survey published last week, 74 percent of parents said that they were very concerned about the increasing level of violence in video games,” he said, though without clarifying that the survey does not mention an ‘increasing level’ of violent game content.

"Given the fact that there is increasing availability of these games on the internet exhibiting scenes of graphic and gratuitous violence, when is the government proposing to implement the Bryon Report in full?” he asked.

In regards to last year’s report conducted by Dr Tanya Bryon, MP Vaz called for the Government to enforce the proposals that all games should undergo observation and classification. Currently, video games are exempt from BBFC classification unless they are known to contain mature or adult material. All other games are voluntarily rated by PEGI, in which a classification is determined by a publisher questionnaire.

The report also coined the phrase "generational digital divide", meaning that parents and adults can be overprotective about game content due to not fully understanding it, though this was not a driving factor in Vaz's question.

The most recent episode of Prime Minister’s Questions can be found here [UK viewers only].

Edge's recent interview with UK Shadow Cabinet Minister for Culture Ed Vaizey, who criticises the Labour Government for not showing concerns for the games industry, can be found here.

Edge's interview with David Braben on the state of UK can be found here.

Barla Von's picture
On March 5th Barla Von said:

Interactive Entertainment aren't any worse than movies when it comes to graphic violence.

MP's like Keith Vaz should educate themselves on Videogames as they clearly know nothing about the medium. I suppose MP's are good at having a say on subjects they know zero about.

Over time, Keith Vaz's generation will die out and be overtaken by a younger generation in office and when that happens it'll be better for everyone concerned.

MP's just make mountains out of molehills.

Leo_Walsh's picture
On March 5th Leo_Walsh said:

I think our rating system is fine. It's very sad that the politicians in our country only wish to censor the games industry. They don't mind taking the high taxes that the developers pay, but want to put up as many barriers as possible to them.

More to the point, where is the BBFC going to get the infrastructure to age rate every game that is released in the UK, they just aren't large enough. I also find it funny that he mentions violent games on the internet, because these games cannot be compulsarily rated, only boxed copies legally need a rating. Although the console manufacturer's require age ratings.

Perhaps instead of changing the rating, the goverment should educate parents about the current rating system.