EU to take UK lead on violent video games

John Reid says 'do as we say'

By Mark Ballard • Get more from this author

Posted in Music and Media, 8th December 2006 07:02 GMT

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Franco Frattini, the reactionary EU commissioner leading a campaign against violent and "perverse" video games, is expected to push for the UK's ratings laws to be applied across Europe.

Frattini wrote to the interior ministers of European member states last month calling for them to do something about violent video games after the release of 16-rated Rule of Rose in Italy, his home country, caused an outrage.

Frattini had said since Monday that he was using the UK as a model that would reassure parents across the continent that it would not be possible for people to sell adult-rated computer games to children without breaking the law, a source close to the meeting told The Register.

The European PEGI (Pan European Game Information) system for rating computer games does apply in Italy, but retailers can sell games to whoever they like without breaking the law. Retailers have only contributed to the debate over violent games by saying that everyone else should take responsibility.

In the UK, a retailer could face imprisonment if it sold Rule of Rose to a 10-year-old kid, UK interior minister John Reid said in a written response to Frattini's original letter.

"Take our example," the Home Office told us Reid had written, and Frattini did just that.

Frattini's office has been unable to provide any more information on this - we presume because it was so embarrassed at how the commissioner had spoken out of turn in the first place.®

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