16.6.2023
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
C 214/19 Wednesday 18 January 2023
W. whereas in 2019, 20 % of people employed by the video game industry were women; whereas the lack of representation of women is a well-known and systemic issue in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines, including in the video game sector, both in the industry itself and in the hyper-sexualised representation of many female characters in game design; whereas 37 % of girl gamers experience harassment as a result of their gender in online multiplayer games (26); whereas despite the efforts that have been made in terms of accurate, equal and non-stereotypical representation of women in video games, progress must continue and go hand in hand with the equal presence of women in all positions in the value chain, as well as with the fight against sexual abuse and discrimination; X. whereas in 2020, one fifth of the EU population was persons with disabilities; whereas the Union is committed to improving their social and economic situations, including online; whereas there are certain disabilities that can be particular challenging for online video games, like colour blindness, visual challenges or hand mobility impairments; whereas colour blindness affects 10 % of the male population;
Online video games in the EU 1.
Underlines the value of video games for both online and offline play as popular entertainment enjoyed by a significant number of Europeans across all ages and Member States and as pieces of cultural expression by their creators, individual players and wider gaming communities; 2.
Emphasises that video games are a highly innovative digital sector in the EU and that the sector is responsible for more than 90 000 direct jobs in Europe; underlines that the video game sector offers an increasing number of new job opportunities for many cultural creators, such as game developers, designers, writers, music producers and other artists, which any Union action in this field, especially funding activities, should take into consideration; stresses that video games straddle both the digital and cultural sectors, as video games also represent a crucial part of the cultural and creative ecosystem, making up over 50 % of the added value of the overall EU market for audiovisual content; 3.
Stresses the importance of the video game industry in bolstering innovation in Europe; stresses that the video game sector has contributed to the development of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and virtual and augmented reality technologies, among others; 4.
Recalls the importance of SMEs in the European video games value chain and the global prominence many European companies developing for console, PC and mobile gaming markets enjoy; expresses disappointment that such international success and cultural appeal is often overlooked when considering European leadership in digital technologies and services; 5.
Welcomes the launch of Parliament’s proposed pilot project entitled ‘Understanding the Value of a European Games Society’, which aims to gather comprehensive data to support policy-making that affects the sector; notes that some of the problems faced by the sector include talent development and retention, a complex and fragmented regulatory framework in a global marketplace, access to finance and the social and cultural impacts of video games;
Bolstering consumer protection in online video games 6.
Emphasises that consumer protection is essential to ensure a safe and trustworthy online environment for video games and gamers and that building confidence among consumers can boost the economic growth of the video game industry; believes, however, that consumer protection could be further improved; invites the Commission to take into account consumer protection issues in online video games as part of its ongoing fitness check on EU consumer law to ensure equal fairness online and offline; 7.
Acknowledges that the EU consumer law acquis provides for strong consumer protection, which is fully applicable to video games; notes the Commission notice of 29 December 2021 on unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the single market, which provides direction on the application of EU consumer law on in-game promotions and advertising, including to children, in-game purchases and the presence of paid random content; notes, however, the need for
(26)
Written evidence submitted by the Anti-Defamation League to the Joint Committee on the Draft Online Safety Bill of the UK Parliament (OSB0030), ‘How Algorithms Influence Harmful Online Conduct’, September 2021.