January 16, 2008
On Monday, GamePolitics reported that Prime Minister Gordon Brown (he's the one on the left) had loosely associated a recent spate of knife assaults with violent video games. In an interview with The Sun the PM stressed that, while no one wants censorship, the video game industry must exercise some degree of social responsibility.
Sounds like a prelude to pending game legislation, doesn’t it?
Perhaps that’s why the ELSPA (the British version of the ESA) was quick to downplay the idea of government video game regulation. Said ELSPA director general Paul Jackson:
We were obviously concerned by the Prime Minister's comments yesterday on knife crime and computer games. Since this time we have been reassured... that the government's position in this area has not altered; the Prime Minister remains concerned about the protection of children from access to certain new technologies which is why the government commissioned the Byron Review.
We have been further reassured that there will be no changes to government policy in this area until Dr Byron publishes her findings at the end of March.
Via: GamesIndustry.biz
-Reporting from San Diego, GP Correspondent Andrew Eisen
Comments
Re: British PM: No Change in Games Policy Despite Knife Concerns
I'm from america (please no jearing, hissing or boos) so i only know about this knife ban stuff from the mainstream media. Can you guys really not carry any kind of knifes at all? what if you take your lunch to work and want to peal an apple or cut a porkchop? what if you are in a car accident and need to cut your seat belt to get out?
I'm also recently hearing talk about not being alowed to even have kitchen knives at home. is this "a modest proposal" part 2 or is it for real?
what are average people's feelings about this kind of thing?
I tend carry an kife every day i use it all the time (to open packages, cut fruit, trim threads off my clothes) to be honest most people i know carry a pocket knife or a letherman multi tool just out of utility. Knives are mainly tools and used every day by people as such.
Brown can't change anything without going through a big appeal process in the house of commons... which is staffed by old men primarily... who view gaming as a child's thing... oh crap!
Thats the bit that stands out for me.
What else could they say? The Byron review is to see whether policy needs changing (money-saving tip: no) so things could happen then.