EC call to protect children from violent video games
One of the latest games available involves a young girl being subjected to psychological and physical violence. Others, described as obscene and perverse, involve players shooting people walking along streets or children being bullied at school.
Despite studies indicating young people are becoming more aggressive after playing the games, they are freely available.
Commissioner Franco Frattini plans to organise a conference next year involving parents, video game makers and distributors and authorities from EU states to discuss the problems.
“There is an increase in the number of video and computer games that not just display but glorify violence.”
In Ireland, over €107 million was spent on consoles and video games last year.
Mr Frattini said violent games give bad examples to children who play them, suggesting that such behaviour is normal and can provoke and encourage them to be violent and bullying towards others.
He has written to the justice ministers of the 25 EU states suggesting that, in December, they discuss the issue including the labelling and sales of such games to young people. He also wants to involve relevant groups including parents and distributors, and proposes holding a conference in the new year to discuss a voluntary code of conduct for interactive games for children.
An authority on the matter, Professor Craig Anderson of Iowa State University in the US, said many teenagers, one-in-five of some youths, who played violent video games behaved more violently than those who did not.
Studies showed such games also led to an increase in aggressive thinking, even among young college students, caused them to retaliate aggressively when provoked and even led to a decrease in their willingness to help others.
Prof Anderson said it was a myth to suggest unrealistic, cartoon and fantasy violence was safer for children.
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