Europe Needs Better Game Rules

By DT Staff Published October 25, 2009

Europe Needs Better Game Rules The countries of the European Union are in disarray. Not politically, but in the way they rate games. According to a new survey showing how Pan European GameInformation (Pegi) is used across the continent, only two countries – Germany and Lithuania – have laws about the way games are sold. 15 others ban harmful games being sold to minors,one has broader laws, and four – Cyprus, Romania, Slovenia and Luxembourg – actually have no laws restricting game sales. Pegi rates games by describing their content and alsogiving information about violence, bad language, drug use and sexual content. The survey has left the European Commission suggesting a code of conduct for games sales across Europe, and for countriesto implement the Pegi system. It would also like an age verification system for those buying games. Meglena Kuneva, the EU consumer commissioner, said, "Our clear message today isthat industry and national authorities must go further to ensure that all parents have the power to make the right decisions for themselves and their child."

Digital Trends has a simple mission: to help readers easily understand how tech affects the way they live. We are your…

Topics

QuickCharge: This Week in EV

Gaming

Sony’s new PS5 Prism Collection gives a beautiful retro makeover to your console and controller

The new collection lets you peek inside your PS5 and DualSense controller with a glossy transparent design.

sony-prism-collection-ps5

Remember when transparent gadgets were the coolest things you could own? Sony is bringing that late '90s aesthetic back with its new PS5 Prism Collection. The gorgeous lineup gives your DualSense controller and PS5 console a glossy, see-through makeover in three eye-catching colors.

https://twitter.com/PlayStation/status/2115459064981512662?s=19

Gaming

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s Stranded mission had me hooked for hours, yet left me wanting more

I spent hours sneaking through North Korea, scavenging supplies, and clearing outposts, and I’d happily do it all again.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Stranded mission gameplay

For years, Call of Duty’s campaign mode has used big, scripted set pieces to tell the overarching story amid all the adrenaline-pumping action. The 2023 Modern Warfare 3 tried to shake up the established formula by introducing a handful of short open combat missions, and I genuinely liked the idea, but the game's overall negative reception seeped into how those missions were received.

I feared the next iteration might abandon the idea because of the backlash, but I am glad it didn't. MW4’s “Stranded” mission uses the same approach, but instead of fragmenting it across the campaign, it puts it all in a single large-scale open-world mission.

Computing

The $1300 Acer Predator Atlas 8 handheld is finally US-bound, and its pre-orders are already sold out

Acer’s first gaming handheld to launch in the US arrives November 1 with Intel Arc G3 Extreme hardware.

Intel Arc G3 Extreme Hands On with Acer Predator Atlas 8

Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.

Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.