The regulation of the videogame industry is largely ineffective, thanks to digitally convergent technologies
Above is a straightforward conclusion that you can use in pretty much any exam response on regulation, or media industries in general. It means that it is impossible to impose regulations, as digital technologies have made it so easy to sidestep regulations.
Can't get in to the cinema to watch an 18 rated film? Just watch it on Netflix, or (!!!) download it instead.
It's illegal for newspapers to harass people and publish material which may stir racial hatred. How do certain newspapers get away with it? By publishing online, where regulations are harder to impose, and letting the commentators say exactly what they really want to say instead!
Videogames are very much in the same ballpark. We have some of the strictest regulation of the videogame industry in the world, after a few notable examples such as Germany, and especially Australia. However, it is easy enough to circumvent regulation. If a game is banned or censored in the UK (for example Manhunt 2 on the Nintendo Wii), it can be imported from other countries like America, or even downloaded for free if we include piracy as an option.
Task: watch this video on the regulation of the videogame industry, making notes on how videogames are regulated, and the many problems with this regulation
As a bare minimum, you must know who regulates videogames in the UK and the rest of Europe, and Livingstone and Lunt's criticisms of this!
Preventing harm
We arguably need regulations and rules for two broad reasons:
To protect intellectual property or copyright
(to stop people from pinching your product and not paying you), and
To prevent harm
(to stop people from being mentally scarred after using your product)
We can also add in libel and defamation here, i.e deliberately damaging someone's reputation, but we don't need to think about this so much for the videogame industry.
Task - watch some of this gameplay footage from Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
No, you absolutely do not need to watch the full 90 minutes! In fact, skip backwards and forwards to get a good indication of the game's content. Then, answer the following questions as fully as possible:
- What material in this game is likely to harm or offend an audience?
- What age certificate does this game deserve?
- How have you reached this conclusion?
- How does being an interactive videogame affect the potential harm and distress this game may cause?
- In what ways does this game try to be inclusive and accessible to audiences?
- Who is the target audience for this game? Be very specific (age, gender, social class, etc!)