Videogame ratings update recommended

Today, the six-month long government-commissioned report into the effects of videogames and the Internet on children has been published.

Helmed by child psychologist and star of TV show The House of Tiny Tearaways Dr Tanya Byron, the 224-page report is now available to peruse in full online.

Byron's main recommendations that will affect the gaming industry centre on parental education, making the rating system clearer, and efforts to improve practice among retailers. In the report she calls for a high-profile campaign by the industry to not only educate parents to better understand the age ratings on videogames, but also how to use family friendly settings on consoles.

She also recommends that the two ratings systems currently used in the UK, those of the British Board of Film Classification and the Pan European Game Information system, be combined, with BBFC age-ratings on the front of games intended for older gamers, and expanded to include the 12 certificate, while PEGI ratings will be reserved for games targeted at younger children, using the existing 3+ and 7+ ratings.

She also wants console manufacturers to "work together to raise standards in parental controls on consoles", and retailers to make more "focused efforts" to make sure games aren't sold to minors, and that they provide better in-store information. Byron also wants the BBFC and PEGI to work together towards a single set of standards for managing the risks of online gaming.

Based on her research, Byron concludes that "the arousal brought on during some game play may have the same impact on children as high levels as stress", although "there is no clear evidence of desensitisation [to violence] in children".

Ed Balls, secretary of state for children, schools and families, welcomed the report, saying the "recommendations show a convincing analysis of how we can properly manage risk in a fast paced, fast changing new media environment". In a statement issued by his department, the government promised to "act immediately on taking forward her proposals".

Towards the end of her report, Byron also stated that she supported the ability of the BBFC to ban games as and when it saw fit -- the ratings body has only ever banned two titles in the UK and both bans were overturned on appeal.

She clarified, "At this moment in time, when parental awareness of the risks and use of the classification system needs improving, and given the lack of effective control of such games in many households, it is important to maintain the ability of the state to intervene in this way and promote the debate. This may be something that gets reviewed when we feel more confident about how parents are using the classification system."