We've done our job - now it's time for parents to do theirs

August 6th, 2012, 20:44 Posted By: wraggster

PEGI age ratings have been law in the UK for a whole week now. But the battle is only just beginning.
The successful introduction of a single, legally enforceable age ratings system for video games software is a tremendous victory for a games industry that is still fighting those who perceive it to be irresponsibly peddling violent content to minors.
But with ‘our’ side of the bargain fulfilled, the time has come to turn our attentions to the public. Specifically, to parents, who must play their part in ensuring that their kids aren’t accessing inappropriate material.
“I completely agree with you. I completely and utterly agree with you,” Dr Tanya Byron, author of the Byron Report that ultimately lead to a change in the UK’s games classification system, said in response to a Metro question claiming that parents have to now take a leading role.
“When I did the review in 2008 I didn’t see a cynical industry that was there to create games just to exploit and make money. The industry has always been very clear with me, in a very genuine way, that adult content is created for adults – it’s not created for kids.
“The gaming industry is fully supporting and enabling parents to get access to information wherever they can about these issues so fundamentally then it is all about the parents.
“And I completely agree with you: we cannot subcontract responsibility for how children play games to the industry, but I think now the industry has got a much clearer system what we see is an industry that’s being absolutely transparent about what they’re producing and how parents should be thinking about it when their kids are playing and now its fundamentally about educating and empowering parents because that’s where the regulation really lies when it comes to children and gaming.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/we-ve...theirs/0100764

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