
Fulfilling a promise made by Prime Minister Tony Blair, Labour MP Keith Vaz, a frequent critic of the video game industry, was granted a meeting with British government officials to discuss concerns over violent game content.
Minister for Creative Industries Shaun Woodward, Minister for Industry Margaret Hodge and Vaz discussed violent games and their availability to children - specifically, according to Vaz, a pair of Rockstar titles,
Canis Canem Edit (known in the U.S. as
Bully)and
Manhunt. As reported by
MCV, Vaz said:
I am pleased that the Ministers agreed to meet with me and discuss this important issue. This is a good opportunity to raise concerns that many parents and I have on violent video games falling into the hands of young children. I do not believe that this is a question of censorship, but of protecting children.
Apparently, no representatives of the video game industry were present at the talks. The outcome of the meeting remains unknown. Currently, however, restricting the access of minors to violent game content is a
hot topic in Europe politics.
-Reporting from the U.K.,
GamePolitics correspondent Mark Kelly
Comments
Anyone who commits a crime because of game is unstable anyway, and we all know there have been violent sociopaths far before videogames, movies, and tv.
... (through censorship)
Vaz doesn't understand video games and has done no research into how they are handled. Hopefully this conversation has instilled some knowledge into him.
I'm going to have to email Mr. Vaz again, although I'm pretty sure I'll end up with the same futile argument that I had to wade through last time.
Yup, makes almost as much sense as having major surgery without any doctors or nurses in the operating room.
Yes, thats the way to do things!