UK to join EU crusade against violent video games

UK interior minister John Reid will throw Britain’s weight behind an EU crusade against violent computer games at meeting of Europe’s justice ministers next week.

The British home secretary will also urge the EU to do more to protect children from “inappropriate content”, child pornography and paedophiles.

Brussels has led demands for parental advisory warnings and age restrictions on the sale of “obscene and perverse” video and computer games.

Reid will back the campaign and call on other EU countries to follow British and Dutch legislation forbidding the sale of adult-rated games to minors.

While industry operates a self-regulation ratings system for video and computer games retailers in most EU countries are not legally obliged to restrict sale of adult classified products.

European justice commissioner Franco Frattini will back Reid’s call, indicate officials, after he wrote raising the issue to Europe’s capitals two weeks ago.

“We are not calling for censorship but the sales of cigarettes and alcohol is prohibited to minor why not violent games,” said a commission official.

Frattini will, at Monday’s meeting of EU justice ministers, go on to call for “common sense” on games he blames for violent or bullying behaviour among children.

Frattini has been particularly distressed by a Sony Playstation game, The rule of Rose, which “shocked… profoundly for its obscene cruelty and brutality”.

The computer game’s detractors claim involves inflicting psychological and physical violence on a young girl has hit the headlines in Frattini’s native Italy and in France.

The commissioner is seeking to drive a debate among EU governments, game manufacturers, NGOs and children on the violent content of games such as Grand Theft Auto and Bully.

But Frattini has faced opposition within the Brussels EU executive from his colleague Viviane Reding, Europe’s media commissioner.

She wrote an angry letter, leaked to the Register, criticising his November 15 letter to EU interior ministers.

“It is… very unfortunate that my services were not pre-consulted before your letter to the ministers of interior was sent out,” she wrote.

Reding is reminding Frattini of the PEGI ratings system, run by industry across the EU since 2003, that looks for “informed adult choice”.

“This is in line with the commission’s view that measures taken to protect minors and human dignity must be carefully balanced with the fundamental right to freedom of expression,” she said.

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