It makes me uncomfortable to read comments by politicians and journalists that seek to lay the blame for unacceptable behaviour at the door of parties who at worst have sought to turn a profit from glamourising violence, whether it be rappers, film makers or, in this case, software developers.

To imply that someone behaves violently simply because they have watched/listened to/played material containing a representation of violence is irresponsible and dangerous.

The source of violent behaviour is internal - children and young people derive their morality largely from their home environment - if they have good examples of how to to discern fantasy from reality, to manage their emotions and to take responsibility for their actions they can play violent games without seeking to replicate the violence they see on screen.

adam, Papeete, French Polynesia

I disagree with the gamers, I think it would be a great thing to educate the parents on violent video games. ALl of parents now a days have left there kids to run a muck. And do not give them then time or the education on violence and that is why there is no much violence in our society. I am not competly blaming the games, because it is the parents job to train there child but some dont. SO becaue of that they should make restrictions. Every person child and even adults,react differently to stress and frustration. So I would rather be safe then sorry. I dont see it such a big deal you can still buy your games, just like you can still buy cigaretts if you want to!!!!

ely, SF, USA

There is no evidence to suggest that violent video games negatively affect the youth who play them. I just with people would stop pretending that there is. I do play video games frequently and am yet to go on a violent killing spree. I know many people older than me who have been playing video games for many years and have never behaved in a violent fashion against another human being.
They say it's to protect the children, but really it's just another way for governments to control their citizens.

Nathan, Newark, Ohio

I am a gamer, have been for many years, at the age of 29 i would like to think that i am capable of playing a violent video game and going out in the world and not repeating the violence (the same as any sane person)
should games recieve certifications? yes
should the controls on content be tightened? no the reverse infact, go on, show me a game as violent as the film saw? or hostel?
Consoles should have the ability to disable the use of certain age games (i think the 360 might have but dont quote me on that)
18 cert games should have the same restrictions and alowences as 18 cert films, parents should know by now that you dont allow a child to watch an 18cert film and it should fall logicly that you do not allow them to play 18 cert games

so many media articles are very bias and feed the idea that games are evil and inspire violence, this simply is not true. The public needs to be educated to realise that games are no more harmful then films

david eastwick, NORWICH, norfolk

Absolutely ridiculous. I've played games since I was young yet have received no ill effects. The one thing I hated about smoking packets was the massive "SMOKING KILLS" and "SMOKING DECREASES SPERM" slogans toted on packets.

So what now;

"GAMING MAY KILL!" "GAMING MAY RUIN YOUR BRAIN!" or "VIDEO GAMES CAN GIVE YOU CANCER"

Are these sorts of nonsense slogans going to be plastered all over game packaging? Or are we going to have an "18" logo the size of the sun on the box now?
As a gamer I am not amused. If parents cannot be bothered to read the labelling and make intelligent decisions then fine the parents. Parents are too quick to blame outside stimulus to avoid their bad parenting coming under fire.

I expected better from Dr. Tanya Byron, I can see my expectations were wasted. She's on the usual band wagon that blames; even if she's calling for parent education surely that would be enough?

G, London,

While we're putting in place all these new rules and regulations, why don't we set up a new government branch responsible for controlling the use of video-games. It could be called, the Thought Police.

Jonathan, Berlin, Germany

I have a copy of Command and Conquer 3, which has a BBFC rating on the front of the box of PG. Now, as any CnC fan or player would know, it's not exactly a childs game, especially a game that themes around war and a dystopian planet. So how was it rated PG?!

Even if this new rating group comes around, the ratings group can still mess up with their judgement. I believe that PEGI should be kept and parents should always check if the content of a game before buying. If parents are too busy to see if their kids are playing violent games, they should let their kids play outside or read a book instead.

David O'C, Galway, Ireland

Woohoo, a MASSIVE CAMPAIGN! You've just gotta love MASSIVE CAMPAIGNs. Is there anything MASSIVE CAMPAIGNs can't solve?

Pete, London,

I don't understand why we wants consoles to have a blocvking system that allows parents preventing their children playing certain gamessience I know that on both the Xbox 360, Vindows Vista and Windows XP they are in place. Many people don't know about these and a campaign to raise awareness abot this issue can only be good thing :)

As for the whole ratings things about them the ratings being displayed prominently on the front and the back og the box, such is are the PEGI ratings displayed. I have no problems with that. It is just informing the public...

As far only 2-3 percent of the games rated by the BBFC carrying an 18+ rating, maybe, just maybe it could be that there are not that many games that deserve the 18+ rating ?
I mean the hit games right now are 'the sims' games...

Karsten Aaen, Kolding , Denmark

If we were just simply to chop childrens hands off at birth. That way we don't have to worry about these evil games and them shovelling fast food into their mouths... problem solved

Stuart, London,

Blaming violent behaviour on computer games just goes to show how mis-informed these people really are. Does playing Super Mario give me an urge to jump on mushroom shaped people? No.

To be honest i think there would be less youth violence if we stopped kids from getting hold of knives, guns, alcohol and drugs instead of what is essentially an interactive form of entertainment.

Gordon Brown is pathetically trying to give off an appearance of activeness - to hide the fact that he hasnt done anything of real importance since he arrived at number 10. Thats why such attention is being drawn to these minor issues that would otherwise remain insignificnt.

Sweep, London, London

Perhaps parents should actually look at the rating on the box and control the money children spend on the game. Games aren't cheap (at least 50 dollars for a game and I am sure it is higher in England) unless on sale. So the children had best justify spending the money unless they earn it.

The point of ratings is to inform parents. It is not to remove the responsibility for parents to watch their children.

Here are the ESRB ratings, which probably should be universal. How hard is this?
E= everyone
T= teen (pg-13)
M= mature (R)
AO= Adults only (AO)

Sad thing is games get rated worse than equivalent movies. Too many double standards with No Country for Old Men gets less flack than Grand Theft Auto.

I find it funny that a study found children are more traumatized by the news than they are by games, yet no one says to ban the news. The reason is because children understand the news is real and games aren't.

Ronald, College Station TX, USA

Hey .What I meant was if one has a tendency for violence, these games aren't good. Am not blaming the mental illness of the school shootings on the games. Those kids all had problems and there were beaucoup warning signs, McLean, and Tennessee. Perhaps if everyone wasn't sitting like a zombie in front of their computers they would have noticed.

And shootings before Pong? Not that many, luv. And were you even born then?

Devon McCluskie, Arlington, VA, USA

The nanny state represents the most naive view that can be held on the life of a teenager. Virtually every teenager my age looks at pornography and plays incredibly violent video games, the government thinks that because we are mere 15 year olds that we cannot possibly use the internet responsibly, i have been using MSN and what-not for many a year and i have not been abducted, and yet the government still insists that MSN is the devils work.

And for the record I accidentally killed some one by jumping on their heads because i mistook them for a goomba after playing a mario game

Stephen D, Wallasey, England

“You would not send your child to the pool without teaching them to swim, so why would you let them online without teaching them to manage the risks?”

Worst. Analogy. Ever. Can a child drown in a minute just by sitting them down in front of a computer unaided? Will the computer blow up and incinerate them? Um, no. There is no comparison between dumping a child who can't swim in the water and sitting them down in front of a machine that won't immediately cause them physical harm.

Throwing a nonswimming child in the water and walking away means more certain death even than handing a child a loaded gun to play with. I cannot believe someone would compare either one with letting a kid use a computer!

James Deppeler, Jr., Brielle, New Jersey, USA

The ESRB is good for only offline games.
I play online military games (Insurgency mod-PC, cod4-ps3, conuter-strike:source-PC) and if you have voice chat on the rating is almost ALWAYS M+.

People, mainly younger punks who are jerks in real life (<- understatement) almost ALWAYS carry it on into the game. For instance trash talking. It is frequent and always filled with constant f-bombs, and racial slurs. PC games that allow custom content can sometimes have pornographic content even if the ESRB doesn't say it does. For instance, in counter-strike source, you can upload an image and use it as a 'spray'. Most of the time they are funny images, or something someone made in photoshop, but many times it is a pornographic image, or a gorey one. There is a way to protect your child and have him play the game, there is a command you put into the 'console' so that no sprays are loaded at all.

Also, very few games, which all reside on the PC, have realism enough to actually teach your kid combat skills of any kind. Games like halo, cod4, amd counter-strike are not realistic at all. They let you take way too many shots and things like that.

HugoDePayenz, cincinnati, ohio

I do beleve that videogames should have a more clearer and promptue display of the rating on casings. I do not beleve that the BBFC and the PEGI are capable of bringing around a proper ratings system, BBFC because of the recent Manhunt Scandal and PEGI because of their lack to actually rate other than define content.

The UK and EU need an organisation like the ESRB in the states. Retailers do need to be more resonsible for selling products to underage consumers, but that wont stop parents buying it for their children and then their children sharing with others.

Dr. Nicholas Lee, I dont quite get your reply as, you want tight control and stop certain games being made or from getting into the hands of minors. Eventhough your intentions are great, if you were to want certain games to stop manufacture, why say this for games alone and not movies and books and art? Videogames to me are an artform, a ventricle for expression and a labor of love.

M Loughlin, Belfast, N.Ire UK

It is very, very simple. These games are not for, or aimed at, your children. They are aimed at young males in their teens and twenties.
You shouldn't need a great big danger sign on the front, in the same way you don't need one on an adult video. Just the red circle with eighteen written on it.
A change in signage isn;t needed. A change in our attitude is.

John, Manchester, UK

Like all things its a case where do you draw the line. paedophilic computer games? why not ? they are not real, they don't harm anyone, some people like that type of thing, so why don't we have them. Holocaust games where people are gassed, that would be fun, it's not real, everyone knows that its not real, do you really think they would cause a return to fascism? it's just harmless fun, how dare you tell me I can't role play my favourite SS officer or perv?
I guess it’s just a matter of time before the next taboo is broken and the thrill seekers demand their rights to do what they want but I just hope the ‘games’ won’t be for sale in my local toy shop, they would really put me off the latest mad axe-man high shool massacer role playing game.

Jason White, Paris,

Ah yes. Another barrier to entry to the market for low volume games -- having to pay for the ratings should safely remove profitability from anyone but EA.

Nicely done.

Katie Lucas, Cambridge, UK

"Yes parents are partly to blame for allowing their children to have access to these violent games..."

Partly?! Full responsibility resides with the parents.

Allan, Phoenix, Arizona

Whatever happened to parents doing their job?

Peter Fitzwell, Owings Mills, Maryland

I had a house-mate who read "The Art of War" by Sun-Tzu and he claimed this help him play a world of warcraft style game. However, perhaps it was just a placebo effect?

James Williamson, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA

I'm 27 and have played my share of games and still do. There has indeed been a revolution of games that have gone insanely violent...really crossing the line. I've NEVER been a fan of censoring games but some newer titles are getting wild with it. Grand Theft Auto, it started a cheeky 2D carjacking game where you could hit pixelated pedestrians. It still is that same silly kind of game really, no big deal. It still is very much a game about just mayhem...now there are some other games that just cross the line in a lot of ways. I do think they are rare and that they should have a decently strict rating process similar to movies. For goodness sakes parents need to be the final word here...I hate that we expect the govt to rise our children, teach them everything and then make it easy for them to get a job. Parents wake up and stop being idiots.

I light of this...my 9yr old nephew plays games and then watches the 5oclock news for 5 FLIPPING MINUTES and says "Hey mom, whats Rape?

Steve, Portland, OR

i read the times and am most angry about how rockstar games are the ones that get the blame. sure they make violent games but since when was bully more violent then resi 4. bully is not about a schoolboy who terrorises other students but who helps them. there is never a prank where you dump someones head down a toilet. the worst it ever comes to is firing a catapult to knock them down. despite what the times says, the only people you prey on in the game are the bullys themselves. i would like to point it out and would like to see how sticking up for other people is classified as bullying!! so i would say that bully is far from the worst. but i do think its a good idea to put a warning tag on sadistic games such as manhunt which does have sadistic scenes of dr daniel lamb torturing and killing other people but the sad truth is that these games are usually good (in my view)

ewan , nottingham, UK

As a daily gamer, I don't necessary disagree with anything this article is saying. They are not trying to ban these games or infringe on sales or distribution in any way. If any of you would have actually READ the article, you would notice that they are not picking on the ESRB, which is the American game rating system. The ESRB is effective. They are picking on other countries rating systems, and advocating a universal system akin to the ESRB.
I think most people would agree that Rated M, 18+... (whatever) adult games should NOT be sold to minors. I don't care one way or the other if they stick a surgeon generals warning on games, except for the fact that it diminishes the American ESRB, which provides more accurate information about the contents of a game. I think it would be a greater effort to air more public service ads about the ESRB, instead of demonizing games.

Rather than the poor choice of images at the top, this article actually does not convey gaming negatively.
Chill out.

Jess, Doylestown PA,

Halleluah ... its a little too late you are all fools if you think children playing these violent games won't have some repercussions ... just look at society today. If adverts work why do you think violent games and films won't have an influence on children. Yes parents are partly to blame for allowing their children to have access to these violent games but I wonder about the people who created these awful games in the first place. And no I am not some old person .. I am a 28 peace loving human being that thinks we should treasure children's minds and experiences more than we do so. peace, Sarah

Sarah, London,

Yes! Call on Momma Government to "do something!" Why expect parents to actually do their job? Let Government do it. We parents are far too busy taking scuba lessons and riding motorcycles to do any parenting.

CK, Hurst, Texas

I think it's the daily news that desensitizes me to violence and death...

Scott, Syracuse, New York

Hm, this is just like the speeding/camera thing! everyone jumps to defend their 'right' to do what they like. I believe that video games are very sad, for very sad people, to see kids and adults alike playing these pathetic things you have to wonder why? along with the collapse in standards in the film, video, Dvd and TV industry where nowadays everything is considered as entertainment. It is just another nail in the coffin of society and its decline in moral and ethical standards, and anything apart from banning will not stop kids from watching or playing this drivel. Another innovation of an idea from the incumbant band of morons still ruining the country and like all they touch will not work! Better they concentrated on the things that they need to address like crime, NHS, immigration, EU, etc, the list is endless.

John Korn, North Bay, Canada

"That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves."
Thomas Jefferson

The quote above is how I and, I'm sure, many others feel about government over stepping it's bounds. Why should, so called, "Free" people have to rely on the government to tell them what's right and wrong. I have the Bible to do that. Truly free people have respect for others and can decide for themselves what their family should and should not be exposed to. This notion that the government can manage the affairs of the private citizen, when we all know they can't even manage affairs of state, is ridiculous.

Al-in-Indy, Indianapolis, USA

Will casinos get warnings too? A compulsory large neon «Casinos ruin lives» or «our roulette is more russian»? Soon, cars will come with warnings all around...

Warnings result from a very paternalistic government view of citizens. Governments should treat grouwn-ups like grown-ups. Most people know what smoking, drinking beer, playing computer games or gambling away his wife in a casino entails. They know what they are doing and most people don't need the government to have the dangers of tabacco, cannabis or cofee written on the pack: For those who do need the «health warnings», those warnings are probably not enough anyway.

Governments must familiarize with the idea that people don't all think the same way. The world can not be shaped to the personal preferences of any prime-minister. If some day I, or you, get a vegetarian prime-minister, will meat be persecuted just like tabacco is being?

Rui, Lisbon, Were Nicotin learned to smoke

I agree that there should be better labelling. Look at this label on Grand Theft Auto IV:

'BBFC Rating: 18. Suitable for 18 years and over. Suitable for 18 years and over. Not for sale to persons under age 18. By placing an order for this product, you declare that you are 18 years of age or over.'

It's baffling. It's like it's written in Sanskrit. Is this game suitable for my nine year old nephew or not?

Steve Jeffers, Glasgow, UK

Devon, there were school bombings and killings long before Pong. I agree, there is nothing wrong with warning labels but already there is a system in place - T for Teen, etc. I would think reading the packaging would be clue enough for parents. It is for me. I'm a parent.

Thomas, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA

What the Government (and some people here) seem to forget is that games are not just for children! A huge amount of game players are adults and have the rights to have access to these games, just as we have the right to read books written for adults and films made for us. There is already an age rating on the boxes, and, as people have pointed out, the problem is idiots buying unsuitable games for children. You wouldn't buy your 10 year old a copy of the film Saw (I hope), so why would you buy them Manhunt 2?

Sara, Surrey,

At the end of the eighteenth century there was a moral panic over newspapers and novels. In the sixteenth century it had been "blotterature" (cheap printed pamphlets), and plays. Every new medium creates this effect.

Malcolm McLean, Bradford, UK

Computer Games are only inspiring a small percentage of children to turn to violence. There large populace of children play violent games toget it out of there system, instead of going out and brawling with one another. Most of the Hoody culture are not avid gamers yet those teens are repsonsible for the majority of teenage crime. Those who play online games for example are sterotypically nerdy lads who are using violence in a manner to channel rage. Even if cigarette style warnings are put on games, just like decidated smokers they wont care and will ignore them. I certainly wont let a white sticker inhinbit him from slaying the odd orc, alien or virtual scum.

Robert Viggers, Kent, UK

Y'know, it's not irresponsible for parents to buy their children games like that. I buy my kids whatever games they want WHEN I finally buy one and they are perfectly happy normal children.Of course, I also spend time with my kids and talk to them like they have intelligence. Kids aren't stupid, adults just insist on acting like they are.

Responsible parenting is being there and doing your job. My job is to teach my children. So, I teach them, I don't hide things from them. I have teenagers to toddlers and this has not done me wrong yet.

Jalestra, USA,

I have been verbally abused and threatened with violence by parents who I would not sell a game title to as I knew it was for their under-age child. Oh the irony.

Bob, Brighton, UK

I look back fondly on my weekends spent playing Chucky Eggs in the 80s. Why does everything have to be so extreme these days?

Sarah, Adelaide, Australia

Psychologists and the media are going after video games because every school shooter in the US was on anti-depressants. Psychologists are diverting attention away from the fact that medication severely screws people up so they can keep making their money.

Tim W, Bath, PA

Don't miss the bigger picture here. This is how governments chip away at your liberty. Government take little nibbles here and there and looks for the wedge issues to divide the people.

Certainly there is a case to be made on either side of the issue. This is true with all wedge issues. The problem is, the government will always make a decision that takes power out of the hands of the people. Restated, the government preys on social issues like this to increase its own power.

Forget the studies by the experts. Demand a vote. If the majority of the people decide that video games cause violence then the people should fund further research into the subject via the government. You see the government takes the liberty to create this moral position. The people have yet to be given a voice in this issue and the news media is complicit because they only server to pacify the masses.

Ranting your position on a media site makes you feel good, but your voice is only heard by voting.

John in USA, Tampa, Florida

I have to say...I've been watching Bugs Bunny since the early 1970's and I can't tell you how many anvil's I've dropped on people, nor can I count anymore the number of exploding cigars I've offered to people. I am pleased that Tanya Byron's report confirms what we all knew. Video games, violent cartoons, Heavy Metal and Rap music..., BAD BAD BAD.

Jimmy, Bronx, New York, US of A

You're a fool if you think the Virginia Tech massacre had anything to do with video games. As I understand it, the shooter had mental health problems unrelated to any video game. The same goes for Columbine too, those boys had a history of mental health problems and were in treatment. Games mirror reality not the other way around.

Brian, McLean, Virginia, USA

A PTSD heath warning label might have saved this poor Marine's life.

http://news.filefront.com/missing-marine-found-dead-possible-victim-of-cod4-induced-combat-flashback/

Justina , Columbus, Ohio

"She also wants all games consoles to contain blocking mechanisms that would enable parents to prevent children playing unsuitable games on them. "

Fortunately for her, all current generation game consoles (Xbox360, PS3, Wii and I -think- even the PSP and DS) feature such controls, as do last gen consoles (Xbox, PS2, Gamecube).

J W, New York, NY

If videogames had the ability to make people do things they didn't want to do and brain wash people - do you not think Mr Brown would be insisting they are used in schools as part of the curriculum?!

Fact is some videogames like some books, dvd's, movies, board games aren't actually suitable for Children... who'd have thought! Next they'll be telling us some guns arn't suitable for Children

Stuart, London,

So she's spent these months researching what? All consoles this generation have parental controls.

Do we really need a nanny state? Is that what everyone wants? Why does everyone feel the goverment should regulate what their children see and do? It's absolutely ridiculous. It's time to grow up and take responsibility. After all you have children now.

Ross, Bracknell, Berkshire

Utter nonsense.

When I was a boy of 12 I do not recall Grand Theft Auto (the original game in the series also released to global furore) making me want to leave my home and murder innocent people anymore than after playing that wonderful strategy game, Civilization, being inspired with visions of world conquest and the resurrection of the Roman Empire.

This is nothing more than a textbook example of a moral panic.

As one of the other commentators has already mentioned in regard to the frequent violence throughout Shakespeare's works; it is impossible to imagine the same controversy over a child having access to 'unsuitable' reading matter.

Daniel, Belfast,

Get real....those hideous video games help spread a proclivity for violence and tolerance of evil, as do many films. There should be ratings. Let children be children.

Yes, some children can watch them and not be affected. However, look at the massacre at Va. Tech. What do you think happened there? And Columbine? On and on ad nauseum.

And....a lot of parents are too busy to monitor their children. They park them in front of the computer.

Somewhere, some place, one has to set standards, and stop the worship of violence and pornography. It harms more than helps and does nothing to make the world a better place.

Devon McCluskie, Arlington, Virginia, USA

I agree with Stuart. The bad parenting is permitting violent video games in their homes. I remember when I was a kid and we watched the "Super Heroes" on TV, we mimicked them afterward jumping from bed to bed, etc. Kids are natural imitators as they are learning and they will find the violence in these games acceptable in their lives.

Norb, Cleveland, OH USA

I really don't understand the meaning of this. They want ratings, there already is a system that does ratings (ESRB). They want to label what type of content is in the game, there again is already that (ESRB once again). They don't want minors to buy violent games, well guess what it's either the stores selling the product or it's the parents that figure "Ah, what the hell. It's only a game after all." They want parental control on games, well there once again already is that on the XBox 360 gaming system and I'm quite sure it's on other systems as well.

This is stupid and a waste of time and money. If the parents were good parents they'd educate themselves on what their child is being exposed to and how they can control it, rather than bitch and moan all the time and blame the companies. If anything they're the ones to blame.

Travis, Calgary,

There are clearly age restrictions on video games.
If parents don't want their 10 year old exposed to violent video games then don't buy them games with an 18 restriction on them.
It really is as simple as that.

Video games are a highly entertaining form of media and also the fastest growing media industry in the UK. A violent film will not get these warnings, so why should a game?
Maybe if these so called experts on digital media psychologists actually sat down and played a deep game such as Bioshock, they would realise it is brilliantly immersive and very, very fun.

It seems video games are too easily being branded as the reason children could resort to violence or bad behavior, and this is a massive misunderstanding of the games industry.

William Kennard, Solihull, UK

It is not often that I feel a surge of enthusiasm for government-sponsored reports, but this one addresses an issue that has been shamefully neglected. I shall never forget the feeling of shock when I first saw some of the violent and quite sick video games that are out there on the open market. In the turbulent world that we live in, they can only have a thoroughly pernicious effect on young minds by selling them the message that extreme and vicious violence is the norm in society. They need tight control, and it is a scandal that they have been allowed to flourish unchecked for so long.

Dr. Nicholas Lee, Windsor, UK

All good comments, aside from "patricia"

It seems like an age gap problem, when Grand theft auto was first released it got lots of over-hyped shock and fear, as if little timmy would play it for an hour, then go and shoot some policemen, invariably he didn't.

Now the papers (or at least the decent ones) seem to realise that it's actually an entertaining and essentially harmless game.

20 years ago it was "video nasties" and now no-one worries about films, things like "hostel" and "saw" don't get villified.

If people are so easy to persuade to be violent there's a lot of shakespeare to ban, but that's been around for a long time, and is accepted by people as being OK.

Fear of the youth/unknown is what seems to generate this sort of confusion. The idea that the new entertainment is worse than the old types is silly, kids always played cops and robbers, now they play cops and robbers in a game.....

alex cummings, bristol, UK

Was it not this Goverment that took us into war in Iraq.What effect do the images of real violence on our TV screens have on our children.

Lynn, Rushden,

J. Wilkes, Gloucester:-

£250,000 was allocated to the Byron Report but that figure was not final.

Source: Official Report Question 164862

John, Cambridge, UK

As a long time video game player myself, I must say it makes me so angry that video games are constantly used as a crutch for bad parenting.

There is no equality as far as films and games are concerned. It's perfectly fine for kids to watch Die Hard 4.0 or War of the Worlds, where an entire planet is massacred, with images from the Holocaust and 9/11, but a puff of blood and a bit of bad language in a video game and parents do a collective back flip.

Manhunt 2 has been used as a scapegoat because of its developer Rockstar, who also create and are bashed for, Grand Theft Auto. You want to see a really violent game? Go look up the Condemned series, yet nobody has battered an eye lid over those games.

Also, a new moral panic recently came up about the game "Bully" on the Xbox 360. Despite the fact that it was released 2 years ago on the PS2 under the name "Canis Canim Edit".

Video games are the best excuse for bad parenting, and the modern media knows it.

Stuart, Manchester,

All they want is more control over the general population. It's called a nanny government. You, as an individual, have no clue what things are good for you and your family. Luckily the government is there to help all of the misguided, uninformed, uneducated masses. It is no longer the parents responsibility to decide if something is good for their child. In the US we have the same issue. All of our governments have been given too much control over, what should be, day to day events.

"If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law."
Winston Churchill

Al-in-Indy, Indianapolis, USA

If a kid gets hold of an 18 rated video game, it's the parent's responsibility to confiscate it and yell at them for getting it in the first place. Then they need to go scream at the game store for not asking for ID when the kid bought the game. Of course, if the parents buy the game for the child, that's the parent's fault. Parents need to be better regulated, not the games. They also need to teach their kids to distinguish between fantasy and reality. And have you noticed that every time the powers that be need something to blame for the degeneration of today's society, they fall back on video games or rock music? Well, I've been a fan of both since the age of 12 and I haven't murdered anyone or felt an overwhelming urge to buy a gun. And I was playing 18-rated games at age 14 (I'm 27 now) and I am perfectly normal. Educate the parents, don't ruin everyone else's fun just because a few incompetent adults don't know how to set their kids boundaries.

Victoria, Guildford.,

My son has played these games since an early age. When talking to him, as remarkable as this may seem, he has always seen them as being fantasy. This is not surprising as the graphics are not real.
On the other hand, shows like Top Gear do reflect adult fantasies around driving real cars fast as demonstrated by real presenters. And in the process frequently doing real harm to real people and certainly encouraging the breaking off real laws. .
Can we have a health warning on Top Gear as well? Thought not. Yet more ridiculous adult posturing.

Eddie Reader, birmingham, england

If people have trouble realising that an 18 certificate means "suitable only for over 18s" then what good will more warnings do?

The fact is that a large number of parents don't care because the state allows them to abdicate their responsibility and pays them for the privilege.

We should be told the cost of this review.

J. Wilkes, Gloucester,

And another thing, children must be screened regularly to determine if they need medication.

Tim W, Bath, PA

Games already have age restrictions. All Computers have Security Settings where you can set parameters for what is allowed to be accessed. There are also applications like Net Nanny. The Child Psychiatrist isn't apparently computer literate or aware of the age restrictions on games.
Why do the Government pay thousands of £££'s to non experts to pontificate about things ? I got my first PC only 4 years ago, and frequently buy Games for my teenage grandsons. This pensioner could do with the money Brown. At least I know what I'm talking about, and would be cheaper than your experts, so why not ask me what I think about anything from the EEC, ID cards, games, PC's etc.? At least I have had some experience of real life, which beats book learning from other "experts".
I don't like the violence in games, but would rather my grandsons expended aggression in game play rather than in real life. I don't like the swearing but 9 year olds on the school bus are just as bad.

Beryl, Windsor, England

If this report prevents the upcoming release of GTA IV, I am going to kill someone!

Nick Ferguson, London, UK

Good to see that the subsidies (working tax credits, child benefit) that parents get from the rest of us are being spent wisely.

Just goes to show that wealth redistribution is unnecessary and wrong when people get benefits but spend them on games, tvs and consoles for their kids and then don't supervise them.

As for more censorship, it only works if it's enforced at the point of use and this requires decent parents, no going to happen then is it.

Russ holmes, Aberdeen,

What the hell does Iraq have to do with government warnings on video games and the internet.......honestly some people will turn anything round back onto Iraq....... the price of eggs are going up........ ITS BECAUSE OF IRAQ!!!!!!!

Steve Williamson, Manchester, UK

This article seems to be rather sensationalist - it makes a big comparison with cigarettes for almost no reason. Why not just say the new rating system would be identical to that of films?

The report is very sensible but this article seems to follow the current media trend of whipping up hysteria over video games. The fact is that parents are not taking enough control over what their children see and that is not the games industry's fault.

bibalasvegas, lausanne, switzerland

As a parent of three schoolboys I must take heed of the warning, but beware of the hypocracy; I was brought up on Tales of the Riverbank and Andy Pandy and my subsequent warped perception of life resulted in my voting labour.

Mike L, Chippenham, Wilts

To the people who are saying games should be banned. No they shouldn't. I'm 22, have had an upbringing with games like Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario Bros, but I'm not running around bashing my head against bricks or collecting gold rings as fast as I can, am I? No.

To the person who commented about kids getting hold of games when they shouldn't etc being a badge of honour: It's true. When I was 11, the original Grand Theft Auto came out. I let my parents play a demo of it and they made the choice that I was balanced enough to play it, despite having a large "18" rating on the front (Yes, like films do). I played the game, and distinguished the difference between that and reality. However, most parents won't play a demo, they'll just buy whatever their 'little angels' want and not care about the content. You only have to go online in a multiplayer game and hear the profanity coming from young children to realise this. The fault lies with lazy parents. Stop using games as a scapegoat.

Ben, Lincoln,

What about the pathetic soap operas and big brother reality shows? Or violence on the news? They have no rating at all. Games are an easy scapegoat. It seems that if you kill someone you can just blame computer games and get away with it. People need to stop thinking of games as kid's toys. They have matured to include adults as well - just like every other medium of entertainment.

Ash, Sheffield,

Shoudn't the NHS under Labour also carry a health warning with the number of deaths from C-diff, MRSA and incompetent consultants maiming their patients?

Rod Ballard, Leicester,

Perhaps not invading Iraq and providing help to Darfur so we didn't have to watch such depressing and horrific real-life scenes on the news would be a better way of protecting our children. Although I would like to see warning labels on churches, mosques, etc...

Charlie, Munich,

Yawn! it is entirely boring reading about what the idiots behind the scenes in parliament waste there time on.
There is a certificate on video games much like a DVD film so in terms of protection from these harmful, desensitising, mind controlling blah blah blah I don't think you could do anymore.
If it is online content then rolling out this type of caution will be as much use as a chocolate toaster because like every child on this planet and possibly the universe the sole purpose of the internet is unrestricted pornography, pirate music and video games.
If fact what I would propose is two things.
Drag out the parents who cannot be bothered spending time raising their children and see the internet and video games as the best way to entertain their kids and horse whip them in public
second a public warning tattooed on the forehands of the perpetual letdowns who's only speciality is dragging a new level of amateurism in to the halls of the government. and wasting tax payers cash!!

Steve Williamson, Manchester, UK

A cartoon style warning will have to be developed as from watching many of the teenagers - and older -who seem to be affected by this problem they cannot actually read.

John, Adelaide, South Australia

Sometimes the "Nanny State" is needed. As far as I can tell there are so many uneducated adults in the UK who are absolutely terrible parents. They are also bad citizens.

Some of these games are horrific to point that they are disturbing. It is surely obvious that we don't want children playing games where they are a serial killer and the sole aim of their role is to kill as many people as possible.

Jamie, Cornwall,

Agreeing with the rest of the voices of sanity on this page. If anything, this latest piece of news just adds further weight to the notion that we live in a 'Nanny State'.

If we weren't crippling ourselves with war debt, perhaps we could have put a little more money into the education system and focus on the types of kids who are becoming parents before they reach adult maturity. They are multiplying and the standards of modern society seem to be dropping.

The decline of standards and rise of anti-social behaviour is not about computer games, its about the failure of Government policy over a generation. Putting stickers on boxes will not solve the problems.

Then again, we are talking about a Government that don't see a problem with allowing adverts for gambling to be screened on the TV regularly.

Rod Sandcones, Bath, Somerset.

I love how they say the rating system in not effective enough. Its the same system used by the Film industry, why should games have tougher rules when films also depict the same if not high level of violence?

I do agree that retailers shouldnt sell games to minors, but parents are so ignorant that they are going out and purchasing 18 games and movies for their kids. Its not the kids fault(they will always try and break the rules when they get to teenage years, it what they do!), but the parents should spend some time with their kids, and get involved with their hobbies/past times!!!

Darren, Plymouth, UK

Some of those who have commented seem to think that these proposals spring from Labour's so-called "nanny-state" instincts. But the proposal comes from an independent academic and is likely to win cross-party support. It is a logical extension of the mandatory classification of video tapes etc - which was introduced by Thatcher's government.

Thankfully the BBFC is not as censorious as it used to be, and if it tries to overstep its authority, it is liable to be overruled by the Video Appeals Committee - as in the MH2 case.

Richard, Banbury,

How about stopping parents from buying 15 and 18 rated games for their children who are under age?

I've seen children as young as 13 use their grandparents to great use for this purpose:

Child walks in with grandparent, child picks out new violent game usually the likes of Grand Theft Auto or similar. Then grandparent walks up to the till, game in hand buys the game then gives it to the child once outside.

You can't blame the games industry for not doing enough compared to this irresponsibility. It's up there with buying alcohol and cigarettes for minors.

For the record, me and many of mates play computer games, often the 'violent' ones like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty and so far none of us have turned into killers

J, Wells, Somerset

I got into Video Games rather late in life having discovered the ultra non violent Tetris. It occurs to me that many games continue to require the Gamer to adopt the roll as a Killer .This is not new, it was the same 10 or even 20 years ago. What is different is the advent of near photo realistic graphics and the industry's obsession with First Person Shooters.
These technical "advances" are often putting the player in the role of a mass slaughterer . I am over simplifying of course, but I do not believe that those of you who dismiss censorship as being part of a "Brave New World" have quite understood the plot.
I guess we can look forward to ASBO's being issued to over pestered Parents.

Roger, Branthwaite, Cumbria

I once knew a girl who's only idea of the difference between fantasy and reality was one was a cartoon and one wasn't.....she was raised on Disney cartoons, no regular tv, books heavily monitored, no friends....she tried to move out and go to college, but the outside world was so scary she moved back in with the mom she hated....

Yeah, it's video games....

Jalestra, USA,

In my view it's the parents who are the problem - many of my ten year old's friends are allowed to play these violent, crime-based 18 classification games and I have constant battles with him about why I won't allow it. For older teenagers, it's fine, and adults can make up their own mind, but younger children do need protecting from the very worst of these games-it DOES skew their morals and behaviour.

eliza, Cambridgeshire,

If these changes go ahead it will make no difference what so ever.

John, Cambridge, UK

Why is the current system confusing? If a game carries an 18 rating, the parent should be able to make a fairly rapid judgement on whether it would be suitable for a 12 year old! Regarding the "blocking mechanisms", these already exist on certain consoles, but this does not negate the fact that it is still the duty of the parent to supervise their child's time playing computer games.

K, Basingstoke,

God forbid parents have to do their job and look further than the front of the box.
Here I will show you an example. I have just picked up Smash Bros Brawl for the Wii.
On the front: 'T: Teen' (that's the ESRB Rating).
Now, if I flip it over and actually look at the back....
'Teen
Cartoon Violence
Crude Humour
esrb.com'

Crikey, that was hard.

Pugh, Shepshed,

Its well and good but can you explain to me how a child gets hold of these games which are oftern forty or fifty quid.

Wake up , the television is the nations babysiter, enforce the law upon the parents who buy these games then let their kids escape to another place in the comfort of their bedroom.

A warning isn't a deterant to young people, conversly if the game is an 18 title then kids are more likely to play it. I shouldn't have watched Terminator, Rambo or Die Hard as a kid but the excitement of getting our hands on a copy was like striking gold. Nothing has changed 20 years later, the films may be slightly better or in this case the games might be, but a young persons desire to watch or play what your told not to shows no signs in deminishing.

Do your ad campagin, do your warnings but it will be nothing more than a big waste of time, kids are kids and if the product wasn't so heavily marketed and weren't so slick then perhaps we wouldn't be having this pointless rant

Ben, Manly, Aus

this is pathetic, so im going to grow up to be a murderer?, what about violent books or movies? why don't the government put a special warning label on them also?

Addnan, London,

Come on people, it's not totaly a video games fault because 1 or 2 people are influenced by it.
Maybe the person had prior mental issues and got influenced by the game?

Ciaran, Ireland,

"These so-called 'games' should not be allowed and those people who produce them should be taken off the streets."

Patricia, once you have banned video games where to next? a trip to the bookshop with a can of petrol and box of matches?. And once you take these people off the streets where are you gonna put them? have you a solution?

This story is not a surprise and nor should it be to anyone who has witnessed this Labour Government single handily destroy any notion of people taking personal responsibility for their own children and their own actions. They just will not stop interfering.

They have no right to tell people how to live their lives and raise their children, it is getting beyond a joke now, It really is. Once you take the responsibility from parents hands it is impossible to give it back, even a new Government will struggle to fix the mess that Labour have created. Britain is going to be in serious trouble in 20 years time. Get out now while you still can.

GM, Brisbane,

So a Government who is engaged in a very dubious war to help the US secure an oil supplier that has seen 90,000 documented civilian deaths and 4,312 Coalition soldiers deaths is proposing these measures because children play games that "desensitise them to violence".

Can this Government get any more pathetic?

GM, Brisbane,

@Patricia, Ipswich

They are 'off our streets' - in offices, earning money, being productive and paying taxes. Far better than the real street crooks.

jeff, Manchester,

I demand similar warnings on Benny Hill reruns! Those shows are even more horrendous than any video games ever made!

Ron, Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA

Video Games have many medical uses. http://medicalvideogames.com is a good source of such information. The good far out weights the bad.

Richard Horowitz, Santa Monica, CA / USA

So it was the growing moral panic which persuaded Mr Brown to commision this report! What moral panic? how many normal people, not the 'Mrs Whithouse' types, do-gooders or so-called experts, have actually made reference to video games? Dr Byrons report, if this article is anything to go by, is merely pampering to the governments 'nanny-state euphoria', parents are mostly aware of what games their offspring are playing as they buy them! Whilst adding an age appropriate banding to games may make it easier for parents to choose, adding a blocking system to consoles is useless, most children will circumvent it. As for desensitising children to violence, I have yet to meet a child or an adult who does not know the difference between a game and reality! whilst surely moral values and belief systems are instilled by the parent(s), but of course I am only a normal 'parent', and unlike Mrs Byron, who is a 'parenting-guru', probably know nothing about raising a child in the normal world!

Leslie Corrin, Southport, England.

ROLL ON THE ELECTIONS

HeatherbellH, Fife,

Edwin, I'm certain thousands upon thousands feel the way you do, be it in the UK or USA or wherever such things occur. What we must remember is it is the common man that must stand against tyranny, because no one with power will take measures to limit their own power. You and I are the people who are going to stop them. If we don't, no one else will. Everyone's waiting for someone to come make the major change, but the populus has forgotten that it is them that has the true power. Government is set up and authorized by the people, whether you like it or not, and even in this day, they are still accountable to their subjects.

People should not fear their government, government should fear its people.

Anthony, Utah, USA

These so-called 'games' should not be allowed and those people who produce them should be taken off the streets.

Patricia, Ipswich, England

I have to say I agree. Video games are incredibly realistic to the point that they can alter your perception of reality, and of course this will affect children more than adults. After a couple of years making Lara Croft crawl doggie style and swim underwater with the most outrageously wide breaststoke legs I now expect all girls I go out with these days to be dressed in hot pants and a tight tight tshirt stretched to breaking point across bountiful breasts, and to have a plummy English Accent. Not to mention packing pistols in hip accentuating holsters, fighting with mummies and doing backflips out of danger. Luckily I've found one to marry. I just wish she'd turn the bathroom light on instead of throwing those flares around.

Tim, Singapore, Singapore

Do DVD movies, Television, and Music CDs all carry this same type of 'cigarette label' warning in the UK?

There still hasn't been a single study that has shown that "violent games" has any more effect on children than the cartoons they watch on the telly.

Philip, Madison, USA

relax people, with marriage at an all time low and abortions at an all time high, its not like there are going to be any children left to "protect" within 50 years anyway........quite a utopia

Brian, Washington, DC

"The report, commissioned by the Prime Minister in response to a growing moral panic about video games, will conclude that they can harm the development of children’s beliefs and value systems and de-sensitise them to violence"

This isn't just 'nanny state', this is George Orwell amd any other author you care to mention.

Labour has completely lost the plot. Who would dare disagree with this conclusion?

Are they Brown's children or British Subjects - the choice will be apparent soon.

Edwin, Bucharest,

Does the nanny state really think it can protect us from the cradle to the grave? If the state feels this way about video games, then the same "psychological health" warning should be shown at the start of 18 rated films. Attitudes and behaviour are developed in the home and on the playground, not by playing games or watching films. The state must really believe that this is a dysfunctional society and that parental care and responsibility are non-existent and obsolete. If it is going to act in locum parentis in all such matters, our society will soon resemble a Huxleyesque "Brave New World", in which children will be categorized into Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon groupings, where each level represents a greater intrusion by the state into domestic affairs for the protection of the child. The state should realize that in trying to achieve Utopia, the outcome would be the exact opposite: such is human nature.

Dwight Vandryver, Scholar Green, Cheshire, UK

My God, thes people 'in government ' represent the starkest and most deep threat that Britain has face in 2000 years. Someone PLEASE STOP THEM!

Edwin, Bucharest,