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EU Proposes Game-Crashing Red Button
Consoles and PC systems should feature a “red button” that would allow parents to control the flow of game content that their children consume.
This was one offering from a report adopted by the Euro Parliament Internal Market Committee.
The committee was quick to state that its intention was not to “demonise” games; one of its conclusions was that games are, on the whole, good for children. Yet the panel adds that it cannot rule out any possibilities on the harmful effects inappropriate games could have on children, and that a red button would help parents control the content their children consume.
“To help parents choose," the panel added "MEPs would like to see more public awareness of the content of video games, parental control options, and instruments such as the Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) age rating system.”
Currently the PEGI online ratings system has not cemented itself, so until it does the panel proposes “fitting consoles, computers or other game devices with a ‘red button’ to give parents the chance to disable a game or control access at certain times.”
The panel adds that it does not propose specific EU-wide legislation on the matter, stating that each nation “should ensure their national rating systems do not lead to market fragmentation.”
The logistical implementation of the red button was not proposed.
Source: Europarliament via GamePolitics
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Amd another thing...
wouldn't over annoyed siblings, that are annoyed that you pushed them of a console, just knock in the button, preventing you from playing a game?
They really should get a kid on their comitee -.-.
I thought the exact same thing while reading this crap.
Now that would be disastrous. Xbox would look terrible with a big red button >.<
And surely a parent wouldn't just walk in, see a bloody game, a smack this "big red button", expecting some type of man from the Harpic advert to spring into action, right?
And the red button will do what exactly? Summon Jack Thompson's ghost?
I propose we add a 'blue button' to all commitie members to make them shut the hell up.
If only we could install Big Red Buttons on parents which, when pressed, would force them to perform the basic parental function of educating their children in the responsible and safe use of mass media. You'd get a hell of a lot more mileage out of compelling parents to raise violence-, drug-, and sex-resistant children, as the benefits wouldn't be limited to the venue of video games. Alas, most parents are happy to delegate this role to the state and defer parental responsibility.
You read my mind. That might be the most intelligent/accurate posting i've read all week.
lol Brilliant :D
Great, they propose doing what most systems already allow informed parents to do. Nice job flogging an industry that has already responded to the 'threat' to children for some political posturing points, however. Maybe someday somewhere there will be a legislator who actually uses technology created in this century.
Well this is a redundant recomendation, that's what the power button is for, and providing more advice? That's what the rating label on the front is for.
Why are politicians so obsessed with giving the parents excuses for their inability to tell their child they've had enough time on the computer/console and insist making it other peoples problems?
The Apple OS has a feature where a parent can set up a User account for their child and then schedule between what times on each day that account is allowed to log on, with an added option to have a max amount of hours they're allowed to log on.
It think there may be a more general version of this available on the 360, but I really can't say for sure, as I haven't poked around much in the parental control features.
Like most governing bodies it sounds like they can use advice from outside sources, like from someone that understands technology/games and offer up a more intelligent and useful solution rather than a big "red button".
Vista has the same controls, even keeps a log of what your child has been up to to keep an eye out for suspect websites. The Wii and the 360 both also have parental controls, and I imagine the PS3 does as well.
And as other people have said, what they're describing is the power button, which has been on consoles forever, and with the PS3 and 360 it even comes on the remote so you can turn it off from the comfort of your chair. The PS3 can be done from another room because it's bluetooth!
This is just another attempt to remove the burden of parenting from parents.
This gives you an idea of what utter morons are functioning in the European Parliament.
It's some kind of hilarious/scary mix of 'Brazil' and '1984'.
Just one more reason to vote against the Lisbon treaty for the Irish (what is it, the third time they have a vote on it? I thought this was a democracy and 'no meant no?'): less morons in government positions.
Big Red Button??!! How about encouraging parents to start using the parental controls that are in built into most systems?
More awareness? That's true. Adult themed games are meant for a mature audience, I know it seem like the nanny state trying to restrict your entertainment. I personally don't think it is, they have been classified as such for a reason. However we already have ELSPA, PEGI and the BBFC all classifying and censoring games in the United Kingdom and Europe, do we really need another body of people to do a similar job. Why not have them all working together under one roof?
More education for the parent perspective would be a good idea.. How about encouraging parents to read the reviews first? so they have no illusions what their little darlings are getting. But even still, with all the controversy surround 15 and 18 classified games, you'll still see parents with young children at the queue in Game with a copy of Dead Space or GTA4 in their hands.
Perhaps I'm missing something, but isn't this what we'd call, oh I don't know, the 'power button'?