Mother launches attack on epilepsy inducing video games

[johnnymk]

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/06/epileptic_video_games/

Videogame developers may be forced to cut scenes from their offerings if tests show they could cause epileptic seizures, if a British mother's campaign for a change in the law is successful.

Somerset dentist Gaye Herford launched the campaign after her ten-year-old son suffered a seizure while playing Rayman Raving Rabbids on his Nintendo DS.

She's hoping to persuade parliament to introduce a law making it illegal for publishers to release a game without first testing them for sequences that could trigger epileptic attacks, such as strobe lighting.

While TV programmes and films must already be screened for such triggers, no such tests are mandated for video games.

Ubisoft, developer of Rayman Raving Rabbids, has now voluntarily chosen to test all its games.

Some 35 MPs are already thought to be backing the campaign, which was yesterday presented before the House of Commons as an Early Day Motion.

[Maarchk]

Odd but sounds like a good idea. Is it the frame rate? I guess i dont know how messy it would be to clean it up. But it seems like a nice good will thing for video game companies to do since they already get slammed for violence and sex scenes.
"but but, we help the kids. :)"

[gear02]

sigh...there are warnings in games that might cause epilepsy, so I wish she STFU. Isn't this the same as a diabetic ingesting a pound of skittles and then complaining that it shouldn't contain sugar?

[Jeffbx]

I can see where she's coming from, especially if TV shows are already required to meet whatever the standard is.

[Thesifer]

I guess I can see "Testing" them.. So there can be a Large Warning at the front, but I don't see the need to CUT the stuff from the games. Many things can trigger an Epi Seizure.

As long as the warning is there, they know not to play it. If they don't know they are susceptible yet, they will learn eventually anyways.