Tom Watson, MP for West Bromwich East and gaming advocate has spoken to NowGamer about his Facebook group Gamer's Voice, and the how the government perception of videogames needs to change...

It’s rare to hear a political voice, let alone an MP, speak out on the side of the games industry, so how have you got involved?
TW: Well, I love games and I’m inspired by the world of games that my kids are going to grow up in.
The debate in Westminster is skewed against gamers. They need their voice heard. That’s why I set up Gamers’ Voice.
 
You seem to feel strongly that videogames are being misrepresented in parliament. Why do you think that is?
TW: There’s a toxic mix of tabloid sensationalism and busy MPs who are too busy to plug in a console and enjoy themselves.
 
Are you an advocate of tax breaks and other economic support for British videogame developers?
TW: Yes, though I think more important for the industry is the formation of a UK Games Council along the lines of a UK film council. It will get the industry into the fabric of government and allow much closer strategic collaboration.
 
The gaming audience is getting older and the content of videogames seems to be following this trend by tackling darker and more adult topics, but in your opinion can a game go too far?
TW: It’s about choice. There are games that repulse me. And as a parent, there are games that I won’t let me kids get anywhere near. But as long as people know what the content is like, I don’t have a problem.
 
The interactivity of games is often felt to make the way in which adult content is experienced in them significantly different from when seen in films or on TV. Do you agree with this position?
TW: I’ve never wept or screwed up my eyes in fear at a videogame. I have for plenty of films. The people who make the argument that games are more immersive and therefore dangerous should calm down.
 
Are you concerned that the debate about videogame content is too polarised? Can the two sides be reconciled?
TW: I’m not sure. We created Gamers’ Voice to give a platform to ordinary gamers to explain why video games are part of their cultural lives. MPs, despite their bad press, usually do listen to rational argument.

I think MPs are legitimately concerned about the gory stuff getting into the hands of kids. There’s a role for more public information campaigns to ensure that parents understand the classification system. But I think the industry is aware of this.
 
Do gamers need to engage with the criticism of the industry more maturely than is commonly the case?
TW: Well, on the Gamers’ Voice facebook site the debate is generally very high brow – interspersed with the odd grumpy gamer moaning about Keith Vaz!
 
Do you think people take the ratings system for videogames seriously enough? How can we go about strengthening it?
TW: We’re strengthening the PEGI rating system in the Digital Economy Bill being discussed in Parliament. When this is done, the industry is pledged to run more public information campaigns about what the content warning symbols mean.

This sounds a bit left field but I would personally like a playability rating in addition to the PEGI rating.  I take the view that I can decide what kind of game my 4 year old plays. I just don’t know whether he has the dexterity to handle the complexity of a particular game.
 
How can we as gamers get more involved in these debates and help change the attitudes of our MPs?
TW: Join Gamers Voice.