Simple solution for the industry: Don't use realistic graphics in any game that could be considered violent. Use cartoon-like GFX such as in Team Fortress 2 and the problem goes away.

:irritant?? are you being sarcastic, a cartoon GTA4, or a cartoon resident evil.

why not just make all horror and gangster films cartoons and ban them if they aren't cartoons, if your serious I suggest you go back to the daily mail forums.

Hopefully tanya won't go all self righteous and screw the videogames industry over by making it a scapegoat, if the UK is to become like germany with a ban on red blood and everything violoent then I predict a massive increase in importing and piracy, there is no way in hell i'm playing a watered down version of GTA4 or Resi 5.

It doesn't matter what the Byron report says or recommends, the government can bend the words to fit the pre-decided policy it wants to pursue.

One piece of supporting evidence that is dismissed in the summary can be leaked to the press and they can be expected to splash it all over the front pages, ignoring the conclusions of the report completely. Then the government releases a quiet disapproval statement that the findings are being ignored by the press, waits for the public outcry from Middle England and then cracks down on games because of the "concerns of the public".

And all the way through it, the government is seen as even-handed because it commissioned a report that was lauded by the trade body of the games industry.

So who thinks we arent going to see gta 4 released in the uk??? do you think his is going to lead to a ban on anything with the slightest violence?? if it does my 360 will not been seeing much action in the future as all well get is sports racing and kids games

If the recent advice from Mr Justice Mitting on the question of 'harm' is anything to go by, rendering all characters as stick figures with puppy faces won't be enough (scary image actually). It's the likelihood of 'potential harm' caused by playing this sick filth that's in question.

Also, cartoons get rated as well - see Crying Freeman from 1997(!) and its 18 rating.

Cheers

Tim