News
October 24th, 2005, 11:22 PM
By Frank Ling, GN Writer
Monday, October 24, 2005
Last week, major game publishers and developers met in Tokyo to discuss the hottest topic concerning games – violence and its' effect upon children. Local officials and political representatives from throughout Japan hammered out details and plans to revise the current Japanese video game rating system. The officials will also consider new legislation on banning the sale of violent video games to minors.
Sony assured and emphasized its commitment to provide parental control functions in the PS3 - Sony’s new next generation game console, to be released sometime in 2006. Microsoft, also present at the conference, described the Xbox 360’s lockout feature which would enable parents to regulate and exclude certain games with content not suitable for minors. Parents could also restrict online usage to certain “Xbox Live” sites containing mature themes and content.
There were some cautious voices from those in attendance. Yoichi Wada, representing Square-Enix, publisher of the critically acclaimed Final Fantasy RPG franchise said, "It's necessary to verify whether or not youth crime and video games are connected." Namco, publisher of the popular Tekken fighting games, also agreed that more evidence was needed to determine the effect of violence in games on minors.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Last week, major game publishers and developers met in Tokyo to discuss the hottest topic concerning games – violence and its' effect upon children. Local officials and political representatives from throughout Japan hammered out details and plans to revise the current Japanese video game rating system. The officials will also consider new legislation on banning the sale of violent video games to minors.
Sony assured and emphasized its commitment to provide parental control functions in the PS3 - Sony’s new next generation game console, to be released sometime in 2006. Microsoft, also present at the conference, described the Xbox 360’s lockout feature which would enable parents to regulate and exclude certain games with content not suitable for minors. Parents could also restrict online usage to certain “Xbox Live” sites containing mature themes and content.
There were some cautious voices from those in attendance. Yoichi Wada, representing Square-Enix, publisher of the critically acclaimed Final Fantasy RPG franchise said, "It's necessary to verify whether or not youth crime and video games are connected." Namco, publisher of the popular Tekken fighting games, also agreed that more evidence was needed to determine the effect of violence in games on minors.