This morning sees the publication of Dr Tanya Byron's investigation into issues surrounding the protection of children from adult material in videogames and the internet. And while there are some good recommendations it already sounds a bit of a mess, because once again non-gamers have made major assumtions about those who enjoy this particular medium.

But first let's look at the reports major recommendations:

• The creation of a unified game rating system rather than the current UK dual BBFC/PEGI system.
• The creation of a website for parents where they can find our more information about online safety.
• A comprehensive public information and awareness campaign on child internet safety.
• Clear and consistent guidance for industry on how games should be advertised.
• High profile efforts to increase parents understanding of age ratings and improved parental controls.

I think the first and last items are the ones we should look at in details. Currently games a covered by an age voluntary system called PEGI which puts age recommendations and content details on game boxes. Certain games also have to be rated by the British Board of Film Classification due to their stronger content.

The practical upshot of this is that you can't buy a game in the UK without clear age guidence labelling on it. Now I do agree to some extent with Byron's report suggesting just one labelling system should be used - but I do think this is getting away from the real issue here.

The issue being the stupidity of parents.

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I know I said we'd be launching soon, but there's the small matter of my wedding in three and a half weeks time. It makes more sense to actually get the site going once we've returned from honeymoon. So stay tuned.

There may be the odd update before then, but the site proper won't start until later April.

As you can see the site software is up and running. But it will be a few weeks before there's much content on here. The aim is to run the site for a month or so after that before the official grand opening.

So please do bookmark us and come back in a few weeks when we're sure to have something interesting for you to read.

Does God hate games?

Well maybe you might think he does, maybe not, or maybe you think he just hates games journalists¹.

As videogames become much of a part of our generation's leisure time as cinema and TV for the last there's an increasing focus on the morality of games.

Mostly this comes in the form of criticism from the older generation who don't understand the medium, figures like Jack Thompson and Keith Vaz would have in the past have been attacking rock and roll, jazz, the hula hoop or short skirts.

Today though we need a more broader look at the place of videogames as an art form. An art form that looks here to stay. And like all forms of media/art it can be the conduit of good and bad.

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This is a repost of a story that first appeared back when this site was called grumpygamer.biz. I thought it was worth saving for posterity. I've reposted it here in its entirety on the correct date, and will also add comments received too.

I've had a rather odd afternoon today. Jack Thompson has been pestering me. Normally he pesters the Florida Bar, videogame publishers and websites that give money to charity because he's to cheap to keep his promises. But today I was the target of his anger. Why should this be so?

Well, you see last week I played Canis Canem Edit, a game otherwise known as Bully. Rockstar Games had invited me over to take a look at the game and having played the PS2 title in question I wrote up my impressions of the game here at Boomtown.net.

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