UK Government Video Game Action Plan

If, as ancient PM Harold Wilson said, a week is a long time in politics, then it's been an eon since the launch of the Byron Review into child safety on the Internet and in video games. But finally, the UK government has released its action plan.

The document is even called The Byron Review Action Plan. But before anything is will be actioned, "A full impact assessment will be undertaken which will assess the costs to industry of these (video game rating) reforms."

It's not lengthy (you can download it using the link at the bottom of this story) and it even contains timetables and costings. Well, it contains ballpark figures. Beware though because it also contains a heap of 'going forwards', 'key stakeholders' and 'potentially' - you have been warned.

In among the porn and the terror of the Internet filing our kids with evil, video games are given some very positive sounding promises. However, when it comes to game rating, it's "as you were" with both the BBFC and PEGI rating games.

"To achieve this the Review suggests a hybrid classification system in which BBFC logos appear on the front of all games (i.e. 18,15,12,PG and U) while PEGI continue to rate all 3+ and 7+ games. PEGI’s equivalent logos across all age ranges will appear on the back of all boxes", says the Action Plan.

Advertising of games is also getting a, well let's be to the point here, a damned good looking at with various politicians overlooking, "work by advertising and video games industries to produce clear and consistent guidance on the advertising of video games."

There's also a mention of 'giving funding' to Trading Standards (a government body anyway) for more under-age sting operations.

In case a Labour government is seen as doing something other than which has been run through several focus groups or leaked in advance, "The Government will launch a full public consultation shortly and will
carefully consider all the evidence presented, including that from children and parents, as well as from
the retail and games industries."

Here are the nuts and bolts:

* Engage with video games industry and classification bodies to ensure a communications campaign is delivered and support industry in reaching parents through the channels such as Parent Know How.

* Take forward changes to the classification system.

* Ensure retailer trade bodies align codes of practice and take forward recommendations relating to in-store information.

* Provide funding for periodic monitoring of video games sales to underage children by Trading Standards.

* Work with video games industry to ensure minimum standards for parental controls on gaming platforms.

* Ensure information and education strategy for the internet incorporates messages about online gaming.

* Support dialogue between the games industry and the education sector.

* Conduct further research on role of advertising in underage video game play.

* Oversee work by advertising and video games industries to produce clear and consistent guidance on the advertising of video games.

* The Government will look to work with industry and regulators in establishing a comprehensive public
awareness campaign once a new classification system has been published, following consultation. We
will then be in a position to establish the full cost of a campaign.

Right, so the timetable for all this?

* DCMS (Department of Culture Media and Sport) will launch a four month public consultation on reforming the video games classification system in July 2008;

* DCMS will publish its proposals for reforming the classification system by early 2009; and

* DCMS will work with the games regulators to agree a way forward for classifying online gaming.
This will be included in the overall classification consultation to enable the results to feed into
the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) sub-group which will be set up in autumn 2008.

* DCMS will work with key stakeholders on raising awareness about the importance of video games classification by autumn 2008;

* DCMS and Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) will take forward, with industry and regulators, proposals for a comprehensive awareness campaign of the new classification system and parental controls in early 2009;

* DCMS and BERR will work with the retail industry to work towards an agreed set of standards for in-store information with the aim of raising awareness of consumers and reduce access of video games to people below recommended ages by November 2008;

* DCMS and BERR will embark on a series of games industry meetings and agree to develop minimum standards for parental controls, potentially including helping parents manage the time children spend playing games, for all main gaming platforms by November 2008;

* Government will work with Trading Standards to scope the need for periodical monitoring by officers of underage games sales by autumn 2008;

* Over summer 2008, DCMS will be engaging the advertising regulators and video games industry in discussions about guidance on the advertising of video games. Guidelines will in place by spring 2009;

* The Committee on Advertising Practice and the Broadcast Committee on Advertising Practice will undertake a full review of all advertising codes, incorporating a review of the advertising of video games in 2008, which will be subject to consultation, with revised codes in place by spring 2009;

* The Advertising Standards Authority will begin an assessment of the compliance of video games advertisers within the current regulations by autumn 2008; and

* The Government will consider if further research is required in light of this assessment and the conclusion of the ‘assessment into the impact of the commercial world on children’s wellbeing’, in spring 2009.

Finally, see what UK trade body for games developers, Tiga, has to say on the matter, over to you Richard Wilson, CEO of Tiga.

"Society expects, the industry supports and parents deserve the provision of good quality information about video games. Tiga welcomes plans for a Government financed public information and awareness campaign, giving parents and children alike better information about video games and the internet.

“Tiga looks forward to contributing to the debate about the classification of video games, including online gaming. The potential increase in online gaming in the UK is considerable. The classification system needs to keep pace with developments in gaming."

We've had no word from ELSPA - which has been actively lobbying for a single game-rating system under the auspices of PEGI - on how it reacts to the Action Plan.

Read the whole thing right here.