Prime Minister Blair Defends UK Games Makers
As the parliamentary select committee on videogames reconvenes, Tony Blair goes into bat for videogames makers.
Take that, political dilettante!
British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, took time out from finding ways to support untenable foreign excursions to defend the UK videogames industry from a lackluster backbench attack.
Speaking in response to yet another savaging of a soft target – in this case MP, Keith’s Vaz’s continued ‘crusade’ against Rockstar’s Canis Canem Edit (the game formerly known as Bully) – Blair offered glowing tribute to UK games-makers.
Vaz, the Labour MP for Leicester East, asked the George Dubya supporting PM, “Last Thursday the British Board of Film Classification gave a 15 certificate to a videogame formerly called Bully. This game contains scenes of violence, including players terrorising teachers and students, teachers being headbutted, and the aggressive use of baseball bats. Currys has banned this game.
“Given the link between videogames and their propensity to encourage violence that has been demonstrated in some research, will the Prime Minister convene a meeting of the stakeholders, including the industry and parents' groups, to discuss this issue?"
SPOnG will, in the interests of brevity, not pursue the obvious point that ‘some’ research has also shown there to be more of a link with kids and violence due to poor diet, poverty and a hideously under-funded educational system as there is with videogames. If ‘some’ research is good enough for Keith, then so be it.
Unbowed by his own lack of clarity, Vaz continued his counterblast with some double-speak, "And will he accept this is not about adult censorship, this is about protecting children?"
Blair, who has obviously been spending his spare time playing, Fighting Falcon: Back to Baghdad responded with his usual insouciant charm, claiming, “I haven't seen the game myself."
Realising this true, but essentially pointless, response would merely draw more barks from the bulldog Vaz, the PM gave some context and praised the business we love to call ‘games’, "It's obviously an important issue. I know there's a lot of concern about it. It is, I think, right to say that the videogames industry, or certainly a very substantial section of it, have made significant strides and advances over the last few years, but he's quite right, it's important that's maintained."
The exchange comes as Vaz’s constituents wonder why on earth he’s wasting his time on videogames when – for example - the decline of the textile industry due to jobs being sent out to underpaid Chinese kids is probably more of concern to Leicester East.
The exchange of views came in the same week as the sixth evidence session of the Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport’s Enquiry into New Media and the creative Industries.
The committee resided to discuss a number of issues relating to the games industry and the governments role with the developing industry. Discussions began on the subject of competition for the UK industry with emerging expansion from the Far East and new media platforms.
“The committee moved on to discuss the topic, hot in the media, of violence in videogames. The point of getting videogames, or videogame technology into schools was also brought up.
Product Acquisition Director for EIDOS, Livingstone was quick to answer this stating that videogames are largely misunderstood, that a very small number of games produced in the UK each year have violent content, he said, “if you judge the whole of the computer games industry on the back of a game like Grand Theft Auto, it's like judging the whole of the film industry on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”.
He also pointed out that the average age of the gaming audience is mid 20’s and that there are age regulations placed upon the games to restrict unsuitable content reaching those who are deemed too young.
Speaking in response to yet another savaging of a soft target – in this case MP, Keith’s Vaz’s continued ‘crusade’ against Rockstar’s Canis Canem Edit (the game formerly known as Bully) – Blair offered glowing tribute to UK games-makers.
Vaz, the Labour MP for Leicester East, asked the George Dubya supporting PM, “Last Thursday the British Board of Film Classification gave a 15 certificate to a videogame formerly called Bully. This game contains scenes of violence, including players terrorising teachers and students, teachers being headbutted, and the aggressive use of baseball bats. Currys has banned this game.
“Given the link between videogames and their propensity to encourage violence that has been demonstrated in some research, will the Prime Minister convene a meeting of the stakeholders, including the industry and parents' groups, to discuss this issue?"
SPOnG will, in the interests of brevity, not pursue the obvious point that ‘some’ research has also shown there to be more of a link with kids and violence due to poor diet, poverty and a hideously under-funded educational system as there is with videogames. If ‘some’ research is good enough for Keith, then so be it.
Unbowed by his own lack of clarity, Vaz continued his counterblast with some double-speak, "And will he accept this is not about adult censorship, this is about protecting children?"
Blair, who has obviously been spending his spare time playing, Fighting Falcon: Back to Baghdad responded with his usual insouciant charm, claiming, “I haven't seen the game myself."
Realising this true, but essentially pointless, response would merely draw more barks from the bulldog Vaz, the PM gave some context and praised the business we love to call ‘games’, "It's obviously an important issue. I know there's a lot of concern about it. It is, I think, right to say that the videogames industry, or certainly a very substantial section of it, have made significant strides and advances over the last few years, but he's quite right, it's important that's maintained."
The exchange comes as Vaz’s constituents wonder why on earth he’s wasting his time on videogames when – for example - the decline of the textile industry due to jobs being sent out to underpaid Chinese kids is probably more of concern to Leicester East.
The exchange of views came in the same week as the sixth evidence session of the Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport’s Enquiry into New Media and the creative Industries.
The committee resided to discuss a number of issues relating to the games industry and the governments role with the developing industry. Discussions began on the subject of competition for the UK industry with emerging expansion from the Far East and new media platforms.
“The committee moved on to discuss the topic, hot in the media, of violence in videogames. The point of getting videogames, or videogame technology into schools was also brought up.
Product Acquisition Director for EIDOS, Livingstone was quick to answer this stating that videogames are largely misunderstood, that a very small number of games produced in the UK each year have violent content, he said, “if you judge the whole of the computer games industry on the back of a game like Grand Theft Auto, it's like judging the whole of the film industry on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”.
He also pointed out that the average age of the gaming audience is mid 20’s and that there are age regulations placed upon the games to restrict unsuitable content reaching those who are deemed too young.
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Comments
Joji 19 Oct 2006 15:23
1/1
Bravo, Mr Blair, seems you are good for something.