Possible leak of Byron Review may indicate changing game regulations in UK

Scottish newspaper Scotland on Sunday has claimed that the British government is set to introduce stringent video game regulations based on the Byron Review, a study on the subject by Dr. Tanya Bryon. Contrary to the paper’s claim, the Department for Children, Schools & Families – the government department conducting the review – has denied any leak of the Byron Review.

The report claims that video games will be regulated just like movies using an age based rating system. Also, according to the British industry journal Market for Home Computing and Video Games (MCV), its anonymous source was present at a meeting, presided by Byron, to discuss the future course of action vis-à-vis video game regulation. The MCV confidant revealed that all parties concerned – publishers, retailers, parents and government representatives – agreed that there should be a single rating system as that would bode well for transparency.

By the looks of it, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) will be thrust with the job of rating the games under the new scheme if and when it comes to place. There are indications that the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will aggressively sell the new regulations to the media and the people as a fight against the industry, waged only for securing the children from the ills of gaming

Regulations and ratings are fine to the point they do not make a social chimera out of gaming. It wouldn’t be fair on Gordon Brown’s part to slander video gaming – assuming the leak is true. It will be a case of state sponsored defamation.

Read [The Scotsman] Also Read [MCV] via [Spong]