Thoughtful report on gaming comes out, newspapers panic.

Dr. Tanya Byron’s report was published today, and rather predictably the journalists/comment makers have started to froth. Shame really, as it seems that it’s a well thought through and balanced report from experts in the filed… perhaps that’s the problem. It’s not slammed computer games as satanic spawn corrupting the minds of the young, but - in the briefest of summaries - has come to the conclusion that they should be treated just like films, and the internet akin to going out to play.   So we should have just one system for age rating here in the UK, rather than the funny Euro/UK mish-mash that we’ve got at the moment.   (Full report).

I’ve a little smug moment here, back in December I wrote about the startling revelation that 43% of parents didn’t know there were age ratings on games which seems to be what the report is getting at. So to quote myself:

Here in the UK, a big green U for universal means its soft and cuddly; jam it in and let them play. A yellow PG (parental guidance) means play it before or with your kids. 12 means be 12 for rude words, 15 means lots of cleavage for mid-teens and 18 means too much blood ‘n guts. Stick to the numbers and you can’t go far wrong.

Perhaps the boys will get hold of a game that is above their age, like we did with the old VHS around Halloween; and yes, they well see something that freaks them out a bit, like we did with Mr F. Krugar (I went three days without sleep). I escaped fairly unharmed from my childhood viewing habits because I loved watching films with my folks. So with any luck my kids will love gaming and films with daddy; and with just us much fortune, they’ll still want to game/watch/go online with their old man as the years go by.

In the meantime I’m going to continue to tell them that PG is for Parent Gaming.

You want well rounded children, do two things. Love ‘em and play with ‘em.

tag... playpeople, play, gamer, philosophising