It is rare to see the three main manufacturers in the video game industry hand in hand. The last time was at the Game Awards 2018, to give a good image of solidarity between the three manufacturers. There was Shawn Layden of PlayStation, Reggie Fils Aimé of Nintendo and Phil Spencer of Microsoft on stage. Two of them have since left their posts (namely Shawn Layden and Reggie Fils-Aimé) but Phil Spencer is still in place. Following this happening, we told ourselves that we would never see these three video game mastodons again supporting each other. Big mistake since Xbox, Nintendo and PlayStation have unveiled a joint press release to discuss their major common measures to ensure the safety of players. This program is divided into three main areas: prevention, partnership and responsibility which are detailed below.
Prevention: We empower players and parents to better understand and fully control gaming experiences.
- We offer controls that allow players to personalize their gaming experience. We support parents with the tools and information needed to create appropriate gaming experiences for their children.
- We recognize that security features need to be easy to use to be useful. We will promote the availability of our security tools through our platforms, support chains, services, on our websites and in retail stores to reach more players and parents.
- We continually educate parents and gamers through our codes of conduct, terms of service and best practices.
- We invest in technology to help eliminate inappropriate conduct and content before it can put a player’s safety at risk.
Partnership: We are committed to teaming up with industry, regulators, law enforcement agencies and our communities to promote user safety.
- Industry commitment to safety is paramount. We believe we have an opportunity to work together in a way that will benefit the video game industry and all gamers to provide a safe gaming experience.
- We work with industry trade organizations, members of the industry, regulators, law enforcement agencies and specialists to develop and improve online safety initiatives.
- We are committed to shared research for the benefit of industry.
- We believe that hatred and harassment or exploitation of young gamers in any way has no place in the video game industry. We team up with our community to promote safe and respectful gambling behaviors, and encourage the use of reporting tools to speak out against wrongdoing.
- We work with rating agencies like ESRB and PEGI to make sure our games are directed to the right audience.
Responsibility: We hold ourselves accountable for making our platforms as secure as possible for all players.
- We make it easy for players to report violations of our Code of Conduct, and in addition to removing content, we impose appropriate penalties for violations, including preventing players from using our services for improper purposes.
- We comply with all local laws and will respond to all legal requests from law enforcement. We promptly notify law enforcement if we observe illegal behavior or if we believe that a player is at risk of imminent harm.
- We publish our rules and requirements, and make sure that players who have been flagged understand the requirements for continued engagement with our platforms.
