Tanya Byron Applauds PEGI Decision
Tanya Byron Applauds PEGI Decision
June 19, 2009
Dr. Tanya Byron has thrown her support behind the British Government's recent decision to award the U.K.'s game rating chores to PEGI over the BBFC.
MCVUK reports that Byron, who in 2008 completed a review of the role of video games and the Internet in the lives of British children, said:
Video games were the big issue in my review, specifically their classification system. I didn't have time to outline a new classification system entirely, but I did outline principles for how it should look.
My suggestions then went to consultation and the Government have this week made their decision, which is an enhanced PEGI system. My recommendations have been upheld and it's a really great decision which I thoroughly support.
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Posted 11/21/09 at 08:16am
ZippyDSMlee: Welcome and goodmorning its zippy in the AM....wat OMG its 8:50AM!!!!
ZippyDSMlee: Welcome and goodmorning its zippy in the AM....wat OMG its 8:50AM!!!!
Posted 11/20/09 at 05:42pm
ZippyDSMlee: oh may the cute stab out your eyes, http://www.youtube.com/user/simonscat
ZippyDSMlee: oh may the cute stab out your eyes, http://www.youtube.com/user/simonscat
Posted 11/20/09 at 05:17pm
JDKJ: O.K. Suit yourself. But when you're wearing Ray-Bans, sitting on a curb with a white cane and a cup of pencils, and doing Stevie Wonder impersonations, don't say I didn't warn you.
JDKJ: O.K. Suit yourself. But when you're wearing Ray-Bans, sitting on a curb with a white cane and a cup of pencils, and doing Stevie Wonder impersonations, don't say I didn't warn you.
Posted 11/20/09 at 05:10pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No thank you I don;t want your cooties...or STDs...
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No thank you I don;t want your cooties...or STDs...
Posted 11/20/09 at 05:01pm
JDKJ: Me. I'm rehearsing the role just in case I do get dubbed Zippy The Soecnda.
JDKJ: Me. I'm rehearsing the role just in case I do get dubbed Zippy The Soecnda.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:59pm
DarkSaber: Wait, is that meant to be Zippy, me or you?
DarkSaber: Wait, is that meant to be Zippy, me or you?
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:49pm
JDKJ: I cud caer lez. =^^= *wakes up in mid-afternoon after staying up until 3:00AM soldering resistors on to circuit boards, stumbles around in formerly white but now grey underwear, while simultaneously scratching groin with vigor and making coffee*
JDKJ: I cud caer lez. =^^= *wakes up in mid-afternoon after staying up until 3:00AM soldering resistors on to circuit boards, stumbles around in formerly white but now grey underwear, while simultaneously scratching groin with vigor and making coffee*
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:46pm
DarkSaber: knell? Don't you mean Neil? Anymore of tht and I'll dub thee Zippy The Soecnda
DarkSaber: knell? Don't you mean Neil? Anymore of tht and I'll dub thee Zippy The Soecnda
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:44pm
JDKJ: Now, now, Saber. Don't be salty. You weren't the first one to knell and bob and you ain't gonna be the last one, either.
JDKJ: Now, now, Saber. Don't be salty. You weren't the first one to knell and bob and you ain't gonna be the last one, either.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:42pm
DarkSaber: JD's feeling rather desperate it seems.
DarkSaber: JD's feeling rather desperate it seems.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:33pm
JDKJ: C'mon, Zip. You already touch yourself way too much. Spread the love. Before you go blind.
JDKJ: C'mon, Zip. You already touch yourself way too much. Spread the love. Before you go blind.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:27pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No and I ain't touching any part of you or your friends!! :P
ZippyDSMlee: JD:No and I ain't touching any part of you or your friends!! :P
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:25pm
JDKJ: @Zip: You know Lik Mitaint?
JDKJ: @Zip: You know Lik Mitaint?
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:18pm
ZippyDSMlee: neill and bob,oldest giveing head joke and most lamest...
ZippyDSMlee: neill and bob,oldest giveing head joke and most lamest...
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:18pm
JDKJ: But thanks for the memory. MIB's a classic. *sings* "Here come the Men in Black. Galaxy defenders. Here come the Men in Black. They won't let you remember."
JDKJ: But thanks for the memory. MIB's a classic. *sings* "Here come the Men in Black. Galaxy defenders. Here come the Men in Black. They won't let you remember."
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:18pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:for the record I told you you can suck your own dck.
ZippyDSMlee: JD:for the record I told you you can suck your own dck.
Posted 11/20/09 at 04:07pm
JDKJ: Naw, man. That's Mueedeegiaap and Bob. And you can stop bobbing. I got Zippy bobbing now, too.
JDKJ: Naw, man. That's Mueedeegiaap and Bob. And you can stop bobbing. I got Zippy bobbing now, too.
Posted 11/20/09 at 03:56pm
DarkSaber: OH I get it now! It's Men In Black quote! The twins that run the comm centre in HQ.
DarkSaber: OH I get it now! It's Men In Black quote! The twins that run the comm centre in HQ.
Posted 11/20/09 at 03:49pm
JDKJ: I'd like to introduce you to them. First, Neil. Then, Bob.
JDKJ: I'd like to introduce you to them. First, Neil. Then, Bob.
Posted 11/20/09 at 03:47pm
ZippyDSMlee: JD:I know they are intimate friends of yours...
ZippyDSMlee: JD:I know they are intimate friends of yours...
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Comments
Has the government been paying that much attention to Byron or her report since it didn't get them the results they wanted?
Why do you say that? The government is happily going with PEGI it seems.
BBFC != The UK government.
It's scary to think one person can have this much influence over other people's ability to speak without prior government approval (or, in this case, that of a third party appointed by the government).
Glad her report got soem good result for gaming.
http://www.magicinkgaming.com/
I'll say this much in support of Dr. Byron: she ain't bad-looking.
I'm with you on that one.
But the whole outcome of this thing wasn't a win for videogame publishers. The fact that there's another governmental committee that can override the PEGI rating makes it pretty toothless.
Heh. She's got nothing on Patricia Vance, though.
"De minimus non curat lex"
Oh God! I'm gonna be sick.
I didn't think her findings were that specific in regards to who she wanted to rate the games.
Now I get it. She's happy because they used her ideas apparantly. Not because the right people for the job won it, but because her ideas were involved.
...why wouldn't she have picked the people she thought were the right people for the job?
/b
How does she feel about video games still being able to be banned by the VSC??? Oh and if they are banned are the perminitly banned or can it be overturned???
IIRC, Tanya believed the ability to ban games should remain in law. Bans can still be overturned.
/b
The idea of the government banning artistic and commercial works would be the only reason I might decide not to move back to England from the USA (which I have always planned). The US Constitution's support for free expression is a quantum leap from the regressive British system in which works can be banned by governmental fiat. In most other respects the British system is the equivalent of the American one in terms of freedom and fair access to (and influence over) government, and in some areas it's better, but I think this single issue trumps everything and makes the US a freer nation overall.
In short, for a country to consider itself truly free, it can't allow its government to go around banning artistic and commercial works.
At least Britain's open about it, not like in America where all different excuses are given. It may be written into the constitution but it doesn't mean much, afterall seperation of state and church is in there but no one follows that one.
Yay the bans can be over turned. :D
Such games can be banned, as I believe that she even included that in her review as I read last year.
However I am thinking that she was thinking more on the lines of games containing Porn.
Yes, they should be banned from commercial stores, but at least allow the games containing Porn to be avaliable on the internet, because that is the only place they can go. And they are not really going to be making much money from it anyone.
I believe that any rating system needs to think about two things, the need to protect children and also the need to allow adults to buy what ever they want even though what they buy may not be suitable for children.
Also a rating system itself is not always able to protect kids from material that is not for them, but with parents being aware of the ratings and being parents, they should be the ones who protect their own kids until they grow to the age of 18.
Much information from the Byron Review pretty much told me that parents either don't know about the ratings, or that they just don't care. And no matter what you do, there is nothing more you can do other than help those who want to know more.
You can even put information on the internet, but that will be useless for those who can't even use the internet.
You can try to talk about those issues on the news to help people be aware of the ratings, except various news media companies only care about selling the news and while this information is helpful for parents, it does not really sell the news so it will be forgotten.
Lets face it, the real problem lies with the Daily Mail and the News on TV for not giving the parents the accurate information and on some politicians only wanting to score political votes.
There is nothing wrong with Videogames or the Industry itself, they are doing their best.
"Much information from the Byron Review pretty much told me that parents either don't know about the ratings, or that they just don't care."
Well, there is a third option - they know about them but find them unhelpful. Personally, I find these ratings systems completely unnecessary. I mean, the whole idea behind parenting is to take personal responsibility for one's kids. I think too many folks who rely on ratings are trying to avoid their parental responsibilities.
Besides, the ESRB is infamous for in effect banning nudity and sexual content while giving violent content a much easier time. The ratings system is half-arsed and topsy-turvy, and the ESRB is run by a bunch of prudish knee-jerk reactionaries. I doubt PEGI is much better. In my experience I'm better served when I take the time to actually sit down with my kid and play the games she plays so that I know first-hand what she's exposed to. More often than not, the games that the ESRB has rated above her age level are perfectly innocuous, while those the ESRB says are appropriate for her are way below her intelligence level.
Here we go about the argument that ratings should be done away with and that people should buy and play the games first before they decide to buy and play the games to see what the content is like. Illogical I know but that's the argument you make.