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Insafe Newsletter
Issue 35: May 2008, Games |
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Welcome to the Insafe Newsletter!
Playing games
In the same few weeks as we see the release of "Grand Theft Auto IV", and a press event during which details of the forthcoming "Gears of War 2" are given, we can reflect a little on how gaming might have taken over much or some of our lives.
Indeed, GTA is a part of the series which is given as an example of nearly all of the descriptors in the PEGI system: bad language, discrimination, drugs, sex, violence, gambling (but not fear). It is undoubtedly a violent and, to some, unsavoury game.
However this is not necessarily enough to call for it to be banned as long as those who choose to play it understand the kind of game it is. The original Gears of War was banned in Germany and its sequel is said by some to feature "even more explicit violence than its notoriously bloody predecessor" (1). As one gamer put it, however: "Gears of War has been banned from sale in Germany, and most Germans will have to import from Austria" (2) showing how a national ban may be quite ineffective in the free market.
Although some commentators will stress the importance of ratings systems, and whilst we can only applaud PEGI (3), it remains true that ratings tend to be voluntary. Indeed, few countries have made the carrying of these ratings enforceable by law. Not only that but only in a few countries of the EU is it illegal to supply games to under-age children (4).
Is enforcement the solution? This is another area of debate. As we can see, taking the Greek experience into account, having a ratings system is not a panacea. It is only the importance we give such a system that will pay dividends.
At this same time, research shows that "computer game addicts share some personality characteristics with people with Asperger's" (5). Although this does not mean that computer gaming will cause AS, it will undoubtedly be used as ammunition by the anti-gaming lobby as will the news that "Nintendo's exergame wrongly labels kids overweight" (6). The quick scan of articles such as these, which lend themselves to over dramatisation and misinterpretation will, on the one hand, fuel the distrust of a poorly understood technology and, on the other, put up barriers from the pro-gamers who will then distrust any information from sources outside their circle.
Also published at this time was a communication from the European Commission underlining the usefulness of the PEGI ratings whilst stressing the importance of making sure legislation is understood and consumers are made aware:
"Video games have become a strong pillar of Europe's content industry and are experiencing booming sales across Europe. This is welcome, but implies greater responsibility for the industry to ensure that parents know what kind of games their children play", said Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for the Information Society and Media. "PEGI, as an example of responsible industry self-regulation and the only such system with almost pan-European coverage, is certainly a very good first step. However, I believe it can be greatly improved, in Europe and beyond, by making the public more aware about its existence and fully implementing PEGI Online. I also call on Member States and the industry to govern the sale of video games in shops to respect the fundamental need to protect minors." (7)
The fact is that many people like destructive and violent games and will play out their fantasies perhaps in the safest way there is. There are double standards at work here, however: we rarely hear outcries about the destruction and violence inherent in chess, for example. As Keith Stuart of The Guardian puts it: "destruction is an intrinsic element of game design. We can't escape from it. No matter how much we'd like to transcend it, no matter how successful Nintendo is with its comfy cutesy family titles, a huge number of gamers just want to smash things, or shoot them, or smash them and then shoot them." (8) It is the realism of the games that upsets and that will only get more acute as game technology develops.
As it is so often the case with the areas of interest of Insafe, awareness has to be the key and our responsibility as a network is to share those practices that lead to the greatest, most effective rise in awareness.
And now, play on.
1. video games.yahoo.com
2. gearsforums.epicgames.com
3. www.pegi.info
4. en.wikipedia.org
5. www.bolton.ac.uk
6. videogames.yahoo.com
7. europa.eu
8. www.guardian.co.uk
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 Using film to understand young people’s online lives
In the past year the Swedish Media Council has increasingly worked with film as a means of communication with children and youths about their online lives – and to ultimately pass this information onto parents and teachers. The last project, My life 2.0, has already resulted in a number of digital stories produced by young people and published online, as well as screened at seminars and events.
Read more
 Parents proud of their “precocious” game-playing children
Gaming has become a part of our children’s lives. The market is overwhelmed with thousands of new titles which cover a wide spectrum of ages. To many parents, special occasions like holidays and birthdays are indissolubly connected with the process of buying the latest video games for their children. But do parents really know what exactly they’re giving their children? Read more
 Fairytale
Fairytale is a non-violent role playing adventure game for children which started life as a student project.
You play the game as a character called an Ump and you are placed in an imaginary world where your biggest goal is to help other creatures. One example of this is to climb a tall tree to save a squirrel that has eaten too much.
Read more
How resilient is your network?
The latest edition of ENISA's Quarterly Review (EQR), 1st Quarter 2008, is now available online from their website.
The theme for the review is resilience of communication networks.
Read more
Call for coalition to fight against child pornographyA report by the international law firm Allen & Overy on behalf of Missing Children Europe creates a framework for a coalition of privacy authorities, financial institutions and internet services to fight against child pornography.
Read more
 ‘Let’s Fight it together’:
Award-winning Cyberbullying film now available free
Childnet’s award-winning Cyberbullying film is now available as a DVD for schools in the United Kingdom to order free. ‘Let’s Fight it together’ is also available to an international audience by order through the digizen web site and to view online.
Read more
 "Twitter" springs Buck from Egyptian gaolUsing the Twitter service enabled James Karl Buck to get out of gaol by contacting all his contacts at once with the word: arrested.
This enabled his friends to rally around and get him a lawyer who finally convinced the authorities to let him go.
Read more
 INHOPE Newsletter
Just published - the second Inhope Newsletter.
The aim of INHOPE is to support and enhance the work of Internet Hotlines around the world ensuring swift action is taken in responding to illegal content to make the Internet safer.
Read it here
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 Discussing media literacy and youth protection in Stempenhof
The third meeting of the Youth Protection Roundtable, YPRT, kicked off on 14 May, in the blossoming periphery of Nuremberg, Germany, with an exhibition of winning Safer Internet Day 2008 projects created by national finalist teams from Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland and Slovenia.
Read more
Go to the YPRT podcasts
 Specialist course in understanding child sex offenders
2nd - 3rd July 2008 at The Hague
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) based in the UK will be running a specialist course in understanding child sex offenders. The course aims to provide attendees with a good understanding of sex offenders who abuse children, focusing on the importance of intelligence to inform effective practices when dealing with offenders. Read more
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 Gaming in the Czech Parliament
The article is not about Czech MPs playing games instead of discussing new laws of course. It is not even about games themselves. We would like to report, however, that the Czech Saferinternet project is trying to initiate a systematic dialogue with media, industry and politicians. Read more
Playing with children for a safer internet – offline
We often talk about interactive games. Does interactive really mean online only? Of course not – interactivity can be achieved without PCs, consoles, TV and other electronic gadgets. Although I may know this, a lot of children will not necessarily understand how that could be. That is why we, in the Insafe node Saferinternet.cz, are trying to address what we might call “traditionally designed activities” but yet making them relevant to our mission of raising awareness on online safety matters.
Read more
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Insafe is a European network of 23 nodes in 23 countries that are dedicated to raising awareness of internet safety. It is coordinated by the European Schoolnet and supported by the European Commission through the Safer Internet Programme.
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