Photo:
Keith Vaz, one of the UK's leading anti-games campaigners and Labour MP for Leicester East, hs blamed games such as Call of Duty for the London bombings in 2005.
Vaz tabled an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons calling on the BBFC to tighten its rating restrictions for games.
He said: "That this House is deeply concerned about the recently released video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, in which players engage in gratuitous acts of violence against members of the public; notes in particular the harrowing scenes in which a London Underground train is bombed by terrorists, bearing a remarkable resemblance to the tragic events of 7 July 2005; further notes that there is increasing evidence of a link between perpetrators of violent crime and violent video games users; and calls on the British Board of Film Classification to take further precautions when allowing a game to be sold."
Tom Watson, pro-games campaigner and Labour MP for West Bromwich East, made the following amendment to the EDM, which read: "leave out from `House' to end and add `notes that the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) gave the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 an 18 classification, noting that `the game neither draws upon nor resembles real terrorist attacks on the underground'; further believes that the game has an excellent user interface and challenges the gamers' dexterity as well as collaborative skills in an outline setting; and encourages the BBFC to uphold the opinion of the public that whilst the content of video games may be unsettling or upsetting to some, adults should be free to choose their own entertainment in the absence of legal issues or material which raises a risk or harm.'."
Video games have always been an easy target for politicians looking for something to blame what they perceive to be a declining of society, and this attack, unfortunately, is nothing new.
Must-buy games for Christmas...
