MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Margaret Hodge, the UK minister for culture, creative industries and tourism, has called on the BBFC and the games industry to sensibly address the issue over the future classification of video games in a ‘grown up way’. Senior industry executives and the Government are currently discussing how games should best …
Read More »BBFC seeks compromise over ratings
The BBFC has responded to earlier ELSPA claims that it was incapable of properly working with the games industry – and said it ultimately wants to pursue a partnership with rival pan-Europe classification body PEGI. Speaking at today’s Westminster Media Forum on the games industry, the BBFC’s head of policy …
Read More »ELSPA tells Government: PEGI is the only option
The games industry’s future in online games means that PEGI is the only choice for games classification in the UK, ELSPA head Paul Jackson today told the Government. Speaking at a special games industry forum held at Westminster, Jackson compared and contrasted the opposing classification bodies – UK-only BBFC and …
Read More »The Byron Review Action Plan: Highlights
The UK Government has published its official action plan for video games classification changes following the recommendations made in the Byron Review earlier this year. You can find the full, in depth Action Plan here . When it comes to age classification changes, the ‘action points’ for the Department of …
Read More »PEGI vs BBFC consultation to begin in July
The UK Government has published its official action plan for video games classification changes following the recommendations made in March’s Byron Review . It pledges a four-month public consultation period will take place from July, in which publishers keen to argue the toss for a pan-European classification system will have …
Read More »Government snubs games with post-Byron funding
Gordon Brown’s Government is pumping 9 million into internet safety advertising for parents, following recommendations made in the Byron Review in March – but has yet again failed to promise that it will cough up for a similar campaign when it comes to violent video games. The news is included …
Read More »Byron Review cost Government £275,000
UK Minster Margeret Hodge has revealed that T anya Byron’s Review into the availability of inappropriate digital material to young people cost the UK Government 275,000. The Review, which was immediately backed by Government, recommended that BBFC ratings should appear on all games released in the UK – with anew …
Read More »Tanya Byron compares games to heroin addiction
Dr Tanya Byron may have became a ‘friend’ of the industry when conducting her six-month Government Review – but a new BBC TV show written and fronted by the child psychologist is unlikely to have been well received by the UK games business. Am I Normal?, screened at 9pm on …
Read More »The Guardian: Non-gaming kids are ‘deprived’
The Guardian newspaper has defended the video games industry on its opinion pages – in an article that suggests children whose parents stop them playing games are ‘deprived’. The piece, penned by games writer Naomi Alderman, begins with a reference to the banning of Eidos’ Kane & Lynch advertising by …
Read More »Reeves: Byron Review was too nice
SCEE president David Reeves has politely criticised recommendations made in the Byron Review, telling its author that she has been too nice” to the UK games industry. At a press conference attended by selected press last week, Reeves told Byron that he was in favour of PEGI becoming the only …
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