Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce legislation to protect consumers from the practice of some video game companies that allows games to become unplayable after the development cycle has ended.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is aware of concerns relating to the life-span of licensed, online-only video games and appreciates the frustrations of players of some games that have been discontinued. The Government has responded to a petition on this issue.
There are no plans to amend existing consumer law on disabling video games. Those selling games must comply with existing requirements in consumer law, and we will continue to monitor this issue.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the practice by video game publishers of remotely disabling access to games that consumers have legally purchased on consumer rights.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is aware of concerns relating to the continued access to video games, including licensed, online-only video games, and we appreciate the frustrations of players of some games that have been discontinued. The Government has responded to a recent petition on this issue.
There are no plans to amend existing consumer law on disabling video games. Those selling games must comply with existing requirements in consumer law, including the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) and Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs), giving clear advice to consumers. Video game sellers must not omit or hide material information, or provide it in an unclear, unintelligible, ambiguous or untimely manner.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing legislation protecting the operability of purchased video games.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is aware of concerns relating to the operability of video games including the life-span of licensed, online-only video games. We appreciate the frustrations of players of some games that have been discontinued. The Government has responded to a petition on this issue.
There are no plans to amend existing consumer law on disabling video games. Those selling games must comply with existing requirements in consumer law, including the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) and Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs). We will continue to monitor this issue.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Games Growth Package on the games sector in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has made an internal assessment which shows an expected positive impact of the Games Growth Package. This was based on an independent evaluation of the UK Games Fund between 2022-2025, which will be published shortly, as well as information provided by Games London, industry reports and material gathered from stakeholder engagement.
A full, independent evaluation to assess the impact of the package will be commissioned in 2026/27, following the launch of this new funding.
Asked by: Maya Ellis (Labour - Ribble Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to provide financial support to professionals in the creative sector.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The government provides financial support to creative professionals through DCMS funding programmes, grants from arm’s length bodies and wider government support, including through InnovateUK.
The Creative Industries Sector Plan sets out an ambitious target to increase annual investment in the Creative Industries from £17 billion to £31 billion by 2035 and delivers £380 million of targeted spending in the sector over the next Spending Review. This builds on the £40 million in funding announced earlier this year, supporting cross-sector initiatives plus programmes in music, video games, film and TV.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support innovation in the gaming industry.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government has recently published the Creative Industries Sector Plan which will make the UK the number one place for creativity and innovation by 2035.
The plan includes a commitment that UKRI will lead efforts to increase public funding for the creative industries.
The plan identifies video games as a priority growth sector, with a new Games Growth Package worth £30 million over three years.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will support initiatives to connect books with (a) TV, (b) film and (c) gaming franchises to engage children and young people with reading.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The government recognises the importance of reading for children’s development and of reading for pleasure. All children should have the opportunity to access books and other resources to support their learning and enjoyment. Many recognisable British stories start out as books before finding new audiences told through film, TV and video games adaptations, with production supported by the Government’s stable, efficient and reliable creative tax reliefs. The government is always supportive of the creative industries working together to enhance access of children to reading and literacy.
Arts Council England provides funding to literature organisations, writers, and independent publishers through National Portfolio funding and project grants. This includes grants for literary festivals, and support for organisations like BookTrust, which in addition to getting millions of children reading each year, works with school children until the age of 13 to showcase the very best in children’s literature. Moreover, Into Film and their partners have developed a course “Teaching Literacy through Film” which supports the use of film in classroom settings to improve speaking, listening, comprehension, and writing attainment. Many resources are provided from Oliver Twist to How to Train Your Dragon which combine the best of film and literature to provide excellent learning outcomes.
The government has also established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review seeks to deliver an excellent foundation in the core subjects of reading, writing and maths, and a rich and broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. This includes creative subjects such as art and design, music and drama. The Review Group has now published a well-evidenced, clear interim report, which highlights the successes of the current system, making clear that the most trusted and valued aspects of our system will remain, whilst setting a positive vision for the future. The government will respond to the final recommendations in autumn.
In addition to the role that industry can play, public libraries are an important resource for teachers, parents and children to engage children and young people with reading.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure mobile gaming operators disclose the (a) presence of loot boxes and (b) probabilities of obtaining rewards.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We are committed to ensuring all video games are enjoyed safely and responsibly by everyone and that, where they contain loot boxes, appropriate protections are in place for players of all ages, including children. In 2020, the previous Government ran a call for evidence on loot boxes which found an association between purchasing loot boxes and problem gambling behaviours, although research has not established whether a causal link exists.
In response, DCMS convened a Technical Working Group of video game representatives which developed new industry-led guidance, published in July 2023, to improve player protections. Measures include disclosing the presence of loot boxes prior to purchase, and giving clear probability disclosures so players can easily access clear and simple information to inform their decision to purchase.
The Government has urged all video games companies to adopt the guidance in full and we have commissioned independent academic research to assess its effectiveness.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent loot boxes from appearing in video games designed for children.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This Government recognises that gambling advertising can have a disproportionate impact on particular groups, such as children and vulnerable people. This is why there are robust rules on content, tone and placement enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Gambling operators must ensure that their advertising is not targeted at children and must not appear in media created for children or for which children make up 25% or more of the audience, including video games. Operators must also ensure that they take all reasonable steps to use data available to exclude individuals on the basis of their age or other relevant criteria. Compliance with these rules is required as part of the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). The ASA continues to closely monitor and enforce compliance but, if needed, can refer gambling operators’ advertising to the Gambling Commission which can and does take action.
The Department has not had any recent conversations with Apple regarding gambling advertising. However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely.
We are committed to ensuring video games are enjoyed safely and responsibly by everyone and that, where they contain loot boxes, appropriate protections are in place for players of all ages, including children. In 2020, the previous Government ran a call for evidence on loot boxes which found an association between purchasing loot boxes and problem gambling behaviours, although research has not established whether a causal link exists.
In response, DCMS convened a Technical Working Group of video game representatives which developed new industry-led guidance, published in July 2023, to improve player protections, including making the purchase of loot boxes unavailable to children unless enabled by a parent or guardian. The Government has urged all video games companies to adopt the guidance in full and we have commissioned independent academic research to assess its effectiveness.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of gambling advertising on children and young people.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This Government recognises that gambling advertising can have a disproportionate impact on particular groups, such as children and vulnerable people. This is why there are robust rules on content, tone and placement enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Gambling operators must ensure that their advertising is not targeted at children and must not appear in media created for children or for which children make up 25% or more of the audience, including video games. Operators must also ensure that they take all reasonable steps to use data available to exclude individuals on the basis of their age or other relevant criteria. Compliance with these rules is required as part of the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). The ASA continues to closely monitor and enforce compliance but, if needed, can refer gambling operators’ advertising to the Gambling Commission which can and does take action.
The Department has not had any recent conversations with Apple regarding gambling advertising. However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely.
We are committed to ensuring video games are enjoyed safely and responsibly by everyone and that, where they contain loot boxes, appropriate protections are in place for players of all ages, including children. In 2020, the previous Government ran a call for evidence on loot boxes which found an association between purchasing loot boxes and problem gambling behaviours, although research has not established whether a causal link exists.
In response, DCMS convened a Technical Working Group of video game representatives which developed new industry-led guidance, published in July 2023, to improve player protections, including making the purchase of loot boxes unavailable to children unless enabled by a parent or guardian. The Government has urged all video games companies to adopt the guidance in full and we have commissioned independent academic research to assess its effectiveness.