UK Government Video Game Review: Express Your Opinion
Time to make your voice heard
The UK Government review into violence in video games (and that Internet) is apparently ready to roll as of this afternoon - and you can make your voice heard.
Or rather you can't right now as the website is broken.
The review - lead by TV star, Tanya Byron (and therefore called 'The Byron Review') - seeks to achieve the following:
SPOnG headed off to the 'Respond On-Line" section of the Department for Education and Skills (Dfes) website to express ourselves. We registered our details - well, we plonked old-man Tim's details in as he's interested in government and that.
Thrilled with the ability to make our views known we clicked 'Next' and the website died.
Never mind, we'll sure it was probably something to do with The War On Terror or somesuch, and it'll all be fixed as soon as the Haliburton people are called in.
We'd suggest that you 'surf your way over' (as we're sure the review board will call it) to the website, which can be found here. Bear in mind that we're trying to inform the government that we're upstanding chaps, so posting messages such as "we pwn u lamerz govnmint noobs all Halo/Zelda/Warhawk rools and u will die!" is probably not a good idea.
Or rather you can't right now as the website is broken.
The review - lead by TV star, Tanya Byron (and therefore called 'The Byron Review') - seeks to achieve the following:
"To undertake a review of the evidence on risks to children’s safety and wellbeing of exposure to potentially harmful or inappropriate material on the internet and in video games.
"To assess the effectiveness and adequacy of existing measures to help prevent children from being exposed to such material and help parents understand and manage the risks of access to inappropriate content, and to make recommendations for improvements or additional action."
"To assess the effectiveness and adequacy of existing measures to help prevent children from being exposed to such material and help parents understand and manage the risks of access to inappropriate content, and to make recommendations for improvements or additional action."
SPOnG headed off to the 'Respond On-Line" section of the Department for Education and Skills (Dfes) website to express ourselves. We registered our details - well, we plonked old-man Tim's details in as he's interested in government and that.
Thrilled with the ability to make our views known we clicked 'Next' and the website died.
Never mind, we'll sure it was probably something to do with The War On Terror or somesuch, and it'll all be fixed as soon as the Haliburton people are called in.
We'd suggest that you 'surf your way over' (as we're sure the review board will call it) to the website, which can be found here. Bear in mind that we're trying to inform the government that we're upstanding chaps, so posting messages such as "we pwn u lamerz govnmint noobs all Halo/Zelda/Warhawk rools and u will die!" is probably not a good idea.
Comments
russ 10 Oct 2007 12:44
1/6
Thanks for bringing this to my attention, I am telling all my gamer friends about this. I know about the government campaign, but I didn't know about this questionaire. They ask the following:
"What do a) children and young people and b) parents think and feel about the potential and actual risks of playing video games? "
Risks? That's a pretty loaded question right there.
"What do a) children and young people and b) parents think and feel about the potential and actual risks of playing video games? "
Risks? That's a pretty loaded question right there.
tyrion 10 Oct 2007 13:04
2/6
russ wrote:
"What do a) children and young people and b) parents think and feel about the potential and actual risks of playing video games? "
Risks? That's a pretty loaded question right there.
Risks? That's a pretty loaded question right there.
Use an interview technique and turn an assumed negative into an apparent positive.
The risks associated with playing video games are that young children will gain more hand-eye coordination and problem solving skills. This will create a generation of people unsuited to performing menial tasks and society will collapse without these vitally important roles being filled.
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Agamer 10 Oct 2007 13:56
3/6
"Violent Computer Games create Violent People"
Really? How many computer geeks that spend 90% of their life infront of computer games (ie the biggest uses of all types of computer games including violent ones) are in Prison for Murder?
Now compare that number with the number of kids that, for arguments sake, are subjected to real life violence from their peers.
Look at the statistics and maybe just maybe dealing more harshly with violent crimes will reduce the number of violent role models that are on the streeets today. Look to work doens;t work with the current system before looking at what else you can mess with.
I for one use violent video games to relieve day to day stress and get rid of my more aggressive tendancies.
Really? How many computer geeks that spend 90% of their life infront of computer games (ie the biggest uses of all types of computer games including violent ones) are in Prison for Murder?
Now compare that number with the number of kids that, for arguments sake, are subjected to real life violence from their peers.
Look at the statistics and maybe just maybe dealing more harshly with violent crimes will reduce the number of violent role models that are on the streeets today. Look to work doens;t work with the current system before looking at what else you can mess with.
I for one use violent video games to relieve day to day stress and get rid of my more aggressive tendancies.
Moob 10 Oct 2007 23:22
4/6
They're asking about the effect of violent games _on children_, and censoring games _for children_, not grownups. And it's at least an attempt to look at the evidence, rather than make a decision based on nothing but "I like games" or "Violent games make me sick".
Btw, most of the convincing evidence I've seen suggests that violent and explicit games _do_ have an effect on behaviour, particularly if played by children. This effect is much more pronounced than the effect of watching violence, because the person is involved. The effect isn't necessarily to drive everyone to carry out a massacre however...
Btw, most of the convincing evidence I've seen suggests that violent and explicit games _do_ have an effect on behaviour, particularly if played by children. This effect is much more pronounced than the effect of watching violence, because the person is involved. The effect isn't necessarily to drive everyone to carry out a massacre however...
TimSpong 11 Oct 2007 09:21
5/6
It's good to read an opinion that isn't one-eyed "I love video games", however, I'm always troubled to read:
Moob wrote:
Btw, most of the convincing evidence I've seen suggests...
in any response. Here's why:
1) If it's convincing then it doesn't suggest - it convinces.
2) What is that evidence? Can you include the references to the research?
3) 'Most'? How much is that? And what about the research/evidence/reports that didn't convince?
4) Who commissioned the research?
Cheers
Tim
PreciousRoi 11 Oct 2007 11:09
6/6
I just had a vision of Kruschev pounding his shoe and shouting "HA! We pwn j00 capitalist bourgoise n00bz, Lenin r00lz, All Your Base R Belong to Us!" except the R would be backward, but the SPOnG forum can't handle the Cyrillic...