Should Gaming Be Regulated? Parliament Wants Your Thoughts

While most Government ministers are focused on Brexit, the good people of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sports Committee (DCMS) have been able to look past those squabbles to push forward with other government business, hoping to move forward with their “addictive technologies inquiry“, which launched in December.    

This enquiry will help the government judge the impact that technology has on the lives of British people, ranging from Virtual reality to eSport while also tackling subjects like “the links between gaming and gambling” and the “gamification” of people’s lives.  

When the enquiry launched, it was noted that spending on gaming in the UK has increased by 12% in the past year, hitting a record £5.11 billion in revenue, with the eSports industry continuing to grow worldwide it alongside it. The DCMS’ enquiry will also investigate potential regulations for the eSports industry, as well as ways to build links between traditional sports and their electronic counterparts.

Now the government has called upon the UK’s “gamers, game designers and experts” to ask “should gaming be regulated”, allowing written submissions to be sent to the enquirers provided that they are written in the correct form and address the topics at hand. The enquiry covers the following topics. 

– The immersive media industry
– The future of eSports in the UK
– The wider uses of “gamification” and VR/AR
– Tackling digital and gaming addiction
– The links between gaming and gambling
– Data security and infrastructure

This enquiry comes as a result of increased international scrutiny of the video game industry, honing in on their addictive properties and how they can be exploited for the monetary gain of their developers and publishers. Many gamers will know these criticisms as the “loot box” controversy. 

More information about the DCMS’ “Immersive and addictive technologies inquiry” on the UK’s Parliament website.

You can join the discussion on the UK government’s “immersive and addictive technologies inquiry” on the OC3D Forums.