WYP
News Guru
What are your thoughts on the UK's "addictive technologies inquiry"
Read more about the UK's "addictive technologies inquiry".
Read more about the UK's "addictive technologies inquiry".
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Should Gaming Be Regulated? Parliament Wants Your Thoughts
- Thread starter WYP
- Start date
Dicehunter
Resident Newb
Keep government out, Government already has way too much control of peoples lives within the UK and we are veering dangerously close to being a police state.
trawetSluaP
Member
No other form of entertain is so why should games? What a load of waffle...
Eddie long
Member
1984 Here we come
NickOmega
Member
Personally I think they should keep their noses out of gaming and worry about better serving the people rather than investigating ways to oppress them further down the line.
No part of gaming, to my mind, should be subject to government regulation; with the possible logical exception of purchasable lootboxes in games (gambling).
No part of gaming, to my mind, should be subject to government regulation; with the possible logical exception of purchasable lootboxes in games (gambling).
g0ggles1994
Active member
Both of these. The best option I see for this is that games with lootboxes and the like that use real currency be slapped with the Gambling label from Pegi and be handed an instant 18+ certification.
Also I'd limit what a microtransactions do depending on how much you pay for the game. A game that costs full price should not have any form of microtransaction at all.
I think when you look at mobile gaming and the way some of those "games" target kids then this could be seen as a good thing, along with areas with the lines between gambling & gaming become blurred, as gambling of course is regulated & age restricted for good reason.
"- Data security and infrastructure" is also an important part I think as many game companies now handle payments and all sorts of user data in various forms and again there's lots of regulations regarding private companies holding user data for important reasons & the game industry should be held to equal standards as any other.
"- The future of eSports in the UK" is quite a wild card, generally improved regulations & infrastructure helps with the validity & recognition of sports, and governments obviously have always invested in sports infrastructure & teams representing nations to a degree, but what exactly that means in this case has been left kinda vague.
"- Data security and infrastructure" is also an important part I think as many game companies now handle payments and all sorts of user data in various forms and again there's lots of regulations regarding private companies holding user data for important reasons & the game industry should be held to equal standards as any other.
"- The future of eSports in the UK" is quite a wild card, generally improved regulations & infrastructure helps with the validity & recognition of sports, and governments obviously have always invested in sports infrastructure & teams representing nations to a degree, but what exactly that means in this case has been left kinda vague.
Wraith
Bettyswollocks
Living with 4 boys ranging from 11 - 21 I'd say yes but not from a Government standpoint unless they clamp down on loot crates (gambling) I feel it rests solely on the parents to control what is played and for how long. We're already having issues with the youngest and what I deem to be "Gaming Addiction" when you can't put it down or get aggressive because you lose or have to stop playing then I see a problem which needs nipping in the bud.
Mobile gaming isn't really an issue in our household it's more Youtube/streamer addiction.
Mobile gaming isn't really an issue in our household it's more Youtube/streamer addiction.
trawetSluaP
Member
Don't think games with gambling need regulation. They just need the age restriction that gambling does.
Want loot boxes in your kids game? 18 certificate. Don't want the 18 certificate on your kids game? Remove the loot boxes.
Want loot boxes in your kids game? 18 certificate. Don't want the 18 certificate on your kids game? Remove the loot boxes.
Dark NighT
New member
And this will totally not work, so many parents buy their kids 18+ games already, gambling needs to be properly regulated, so many families have no friggin idea how bad the gaming industry really is, they rather give them the thing so they shut up and parents can do their own thing.
Yes the issue is parenting but as most clearly don't give a crap about proper parenting, the gov needs to step in and stop it.
All media and gambling is regulated in pretty much any country, and the UK is no difference. Certification & age restrictions are forms of regulation that have always applied to video games traditionally as the primary tool to enable parents & store clerks to monitor or restrict children's content consumption but that some modern platforms (App stores and such) circumvent by nature.
Regulation has never been about doing parenting for other people, it's about stopping vulnerable people from being exploited with a collection of systems that still allow a free media. Something that's unregulated is for all intents and purposes grey market in a modern western economy.
Regulation has never been about doing parenting for other people, it's about stopping vulnerable people from being exploited with a collection of systems that still allow a free media. Something that's unregulated is for all intents and purposes grey market in a modern western economy.
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demonking
New member
Yes there should be some form of regulation in regards to age restrictions and gambling. Loot boxes are a blight on the gaming industry but they should not get involved with how the people interact with it, it should be on the government to set rules that the industry needs to follow.
Can our government be trusted to make it work, I very much doubt it. We are more likely to see our government look at the best way to tax it apposed to resolving issues, just putting prices up.
Can our government be trusted to make it work, I very much doubt it. We are more likely to see our government look at the best way to tax it apposed to resolving issues, just putting prices up.
DwarfAdigginAhole
New member
No, not at all. The people claiming yes are the gateway for slow but steady stronger and stronger regulations that could collapse gaming. Focus on fixing the actual government before anything else, until the governments can fix their own internal problems they need to back off entertainment media.
WillSK
Active member
Yeah spot on.
The microtransaction model is absolutely fine in freemium gaming as long as it isn't pay 2 win.
ImprovizoR
Active member
I agree and disagree. I think video games with predatory gambling practices should simply be categorized as gambling and legally treated as such. There should be no confusion over what those "video games" truly are. The same regulatory body that oversees gambling should oversee those "video games". They should leave the rest of the gaming industry the f**c alone. Obviously, consumer protection laws should still apply, as they do for any product.
It's worth noting Britains game/developer industry has largely collapsed compared to other nations because consecutive governments have not been involved with the industry. Independent art & sports industries can benefit greatly from and often depend on greater government engagement/investment to stay alive & not collapse into a couple of big names. I wouldn't trust this government to do much good but the concept but it's worth noting this is mostly the work of civil servants and a couple of backbench MPs, and would likely continue under any power change in a similar way.
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