Videogame makers and shops have two years to come up with a widely accepted industry code of conduct to better protect children from violent images, the European Union's executive body said today.
"Creators have to enjoy freedom of expression but at the same time it's an industry that impacts society," EU Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding said.
Worldwide revenues from videogaming are expected to reach €30 billion within two years, of which the 27-nation EU will account for about one-third, Reding said.
Public concerns that videogames can cause aggressive behaviour have been heightened by school shootings such as that in Finland last November, and have led to several countries banning games such as "Manhunt 2", Reding added.
The EU executive has powers to propose legislation, but decided to give the sector two years to come up with a code of conduct that has wider industry backing than the current one. The industry is also being asked to spend more on advertising its symbols denoting the age suitability of games.
"When children go out to play today they enter the world of joysticks. We are not quite sure where they go and there is real anxiety from parents," EU Consumer Protection Commissioner Meglena Kuneva said.
The industry's age classification system - Pan European Games Information (PEGI) - is sponsored by more than 200 industry members and used in 20 of the 27 EU states. There is also an online version but with far fewer industry backers.
The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers' Association (ELSPA), a videogame industry lobby, said the PEGI age rating system was robust.
"Importantly, it protects children as games move increasingly online and therefore should be adopted by UK regulators. We look forward to discussing this at the forthcoming UK consultation," ELSPA's director general Paul Jackson said.
The European Commission wants PEGI's age symbols to become familiar to the public but it accepts there is no conclusive evidence that violent videogames influence children's behaviour.