ELSPA to tackle negative press at LGF forum

ELSPA is to hold a forum at next month's London Games Festival to deal with the issues of negative press from a misinformed mainstream media.

By opening the debate up to a wider audience ELSPA also hopes to educate the industry on how it deals with the government when political and social studies name video gaming as part of a wider problem of societal breakdown.

"It's a chance to say to everyone that this is potentially the most damaging thing to affect our industry at the moment, but this is what we're doing about it, this why it came about and what do you think about it?" commented Phil Snape, political consultant for ELSPA.

"I think what happens is that the industry sees its being attacked again and feels that it's really unfair, and it's really a case of explaining why this is, how politics operates and why it comes down upon us," said Snape.

Although the videogames business comes under regular attacks from the church, politicians and the media, ELSPA wants to assure the industry that central government does support the market and is sensitive to the issues.

"Central government at the moment understands these issues and they understand the pressures we're under and they're very supportive of us.

"And yet the press is keen to blame someone for social ills and points the finger at games and we get associated with things like online pornography and paedophilia - these dreadful things. We have to keep going back the government and keep saying the same messages," said Snape.

It's ELSPA's job to continuously assure the government that the industry acts responsibly with issues such as age ratings, and the LGF Forum will be a chance for the games industry to discuss, debate and add opinion to the issues, which ELSPA can then relay back to the government.

"Games get blamed for a series of social ills from obesity to violence whereas in reality games are an easy target so it's really a case of educating and informing political stakeholders as to the realities of what's going on and making sure that the government knows we're behaving very responsibly," he said.

The forum will take place on October 22 at 11:30, with a venue yet to be confirmed.