Ten years from now, the vast majority of gaming software will be bought via online transactions. This was projected by Sony Computer Entertainment UK boss Ray Maguire as he criticized the Tanya Byron report at the current ELSPA press conference.

While games are recorded media and we’ve something on a packet, the recommendations in the Byron Review are okay, comments Maguire. But ten years from now the ratio of games sales will have gone from 90 per cent in-store to 90 per cent online.”

The Sony boss said that this means retailers are currently responsible for the material that come out of their outlets, but once online game sales take over, the areas of responsibility are blurred. Selling games according to age groups will be a bigger challenge.

“This isn t merely a games industry issue,” he adds. “It s an issue for each industry with companies that have a website and when we look at user generated content, it s a people issue.

If Maguire’s projections come to pass, it will render a good part of the Byron report’s suggestions obsolete due to the difference in the nature of on the internet stores and brick-and-mortar retailers. Ratings issued by governing boards could be bypassed if transactions happen in the privacy of households, making it easy for kids to access content inappropriate for them.

For her part, author Dr. Tanya Byron explained that her recommendations did not delve into such a scenario because many key members of the games industry opted not to speak about the future of on the internet game sales with her as the report was being compiled.

source pc.qj.net

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This entry was posted on Saturday, April 12th, 2008 at 1:24 pm and is filed under Video Games. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.