Games and the Govt - Part Two

The key thing on the back of the ratings is how you do public information and get parents wising up a bit, so if it didn't go through it would be a problem. I'm pretty sure that whatever happens to the Digital Economy Bill, the ratings bit both parties really want to go through so they'll make sure it does.

But it's a little bit random towards the end of a parliament; we can't be certain but everyone's going to work on it to try and get it through.

My first computer was a ZX81, but I found real gaming through the Spectrum. I remember Manic Miner, and I used to go around to my friend's house - he had a bit more money and had a BBC Micro - and we'd play Defender on that.

These days I've got two kids so I'm afraid I'm strictly a Super Mario Kart boy, although I'm desperate for a PlayStation 3 down in London so I can play some harder core stuff. But it's quite hard to find time to do it.

Rarely. I practice a bit more than them - but we're still only three-fingered Guitar Hero players, we're still pretty rubbish. I'm just better than them.

Not at the minute. They're still a little young - my eldest is four-and-a-half so I will do it when he's older. He plays a bit of Super Mario Kart, he's got a DS, he plays a few of the CBeebies games, but he's not of an age where I need to worry about that. But sure, he will get rationed when he gets a bit older and I'm sure we'll have the usual dad-son conversation about that kind of thing.

Oh no, I think you work that out at your own pace. I do have a view of Nintendo DS games and the ratings there, because I've no idea what games he can and he can't play at that age. Which is why I think playability and usability is an issue the industry should look at a bit.

I'd like to see TIGA and ELSPA working collaboratively together - they did so over the ratings system. And I'd like to see them forming an idea about what a UK Games Council would look like. I think that's a real prize for them. I know it's fairly new and we've only just sketched it out as an idea, but if they could put some meat on the bone on this in the next few months they could really motor with this stuff.

It takes a little bit of thought. You have to make sure you get the right balance of interests around the table and that you get the definition right, but with the right intent you can get these things done pretty quickly. It would be good to get something in place before the general election; it would certainly be good to get both parties committed to that in the manifestos for the general election so they can move quite quickly after it.

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