While many have been quick to criticise and deride the lack of specific information and targets in the recently announced Digital Economy Bill, it seems that the UK's games publishing community is amongst the first to wholeheartedly applaud the government's latest moves.
While there are still doubts about whether the bill will survive a change in government, ELSPA (the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association) has voiced its approval of the Digital Economy Bill, as outlined in this week's Queen's Speech, which it clearly sees to be a step in the right direction for gaming in the UK.
ELSPA is delighted
"We are delighted with the commitment made today by the UK Government to tackle the widespread problem of online copyright infringement and intellectual property theft, through more effective legal action and consumer education," said Mike Rawlinson, Director General of ELSPA.
"We also fully support the promise to invest in next generation wireless and mobile broadband technologies.
"We would encourage the Government to commit to these plans at the earliest possible stage to ensure that the UK is a world-leader when it comes to the digital economy."
Ratings a bonus
ELSPA is also very closely aligned with the new official age-ratings body PEGI, so it is little surprise that the organisation fully supports the move to make age-ratings compulsory for all boxed video games for those over 12 years, to protect children and to offer more information to parents on video game content.
"ELSPA believes the proposed UK adoption of the Pan-European Games Information (PEGI) classification system to be an important step in ensuring child safety when gaming. The video games industry offers its full support to the Government in this," reads ELSPA's statement.
No word as yet from ousted ratings body the BBFC on the latest developments in games age-ratings...
