IGEA COLLABORATIONS

eSafety

What is the eSafety Commissioner?

The eSafety Commissioner (eSafety) is an independent government agency that regulates online safety.

eSafety have powers under legislation that covers things like cyberbullying, image-based abuse and illegal online content. You can report things like cyberbullying or illegal content to eSafety: Report online harm | eSafety Commissioner

You can visit the eSafety Commissioner’s website at www.esafety.gov.au to learn more about its role and functions, and to access its online safety services and resources.

What are Industry Codes?

Under the Online Safety laws in Australia, the eSafety Commissioner can ask industry to create Industry Codes (i.e., rules) to ensure online safety is enacted in various industries.

Industry Codes are essentially a set of rules that are created by industry, and industry bodies (like IGEA). These Codes were created in a collaborative process, and for the Codes to be registered and therefore effective, they needed to be accepted by the eSafety Commissioner.

IGEA was involved in creating several codes that affect the video games industry, including the following which have been registered:

• Head Terms (the overarching rules)
• Apps Distribution Services Code
• Equipment Code

You can find more information, including copies of the Codes, here: https://onlinesafety.org.au/

What content to the Codes target?

These codes specifically ask parts of the industry to address Class 1 material which is made up of Class 1A and 1B material. These materials are part of the illegal and restricted online content that the eSafety commissioner regulates.

• Class 1A material includes child sexual exploitation, pro-terror and extreme crime and violence material.
• Class 1B material includes crime and violence, and drug-related material.

What does the Apps Distribution Services Code do?

This Code applies to ‘App Distributors’, like app stores. The Codes themselves include requirements for App Distributors including to make age/content ratings available, have certain safety staff available, and provide online safety information.

What does the Equipment Code do?

This Code applies to manufacturers and supplier of any equipment that connects to the internet, including gaming consoles. The Codes themselves are designed to assign certain obligations to certain devices, according to their risk. This includes things like ensuring there is a right to complain, ensuring there are tolls that reduce risk of harm to children, and including information about eSafety on packaging.

How do the Industry Codes keep players safe?

These codes help keep video game players safe by ensuring that the apps and equipment they use are free from harmful online content and that they have access to reporting and support mechanisms if they encounter such content.

They also help protect children from exposure to inappropriate online content and empower parents and guardians to manage their children’s online activities.

Are there any other codes?

Sort of! When the eSafety Commissioner does not register an Industry Code, they draft an alternative called an Industry Standard. eSafety is currently seeking feedback on two standards:

• The draft Online Safety (Relevant Electronic Services – Class 1A and 1B Material) Industry Standard 2024; and
• The draft Online Safety (Designated Internet Services – Class 1A and 1B Material) Industry Standard 2024.

In early 2024, we will hopefully have an idea of what these standards look like, and what they do.

Taming Gaming

IGEA is partnered with the independent Family Video Game Database (www.taminggaming.com) to ensure that Australian and New Zealand parents, caregivers and guardians have access to information to build a deeper understanding of the video games their children may want to play.

The Family Video Game Database provides detailed , independent and jargon-free information about games, and through our partnership with them the database will move towards including Australian and New Zealand classification ratings for popular games.

The database also offers hand-picked curated lists of useful information about games, including suitability by age group, educational theme, and even health concerns. Accessibility is also a major priority for the database, which provides recommendations of games to play based on a range of over 100 accessibility criteria.

Playing for the Planet Alliance

IGEA is associate member of the Playing for the Planet Alliance, a collective effort by the video games industry to reduce its carbon footprint and integrate environmental activations into their games.

Playing for the Planet was launched in 2019 by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), with the support of Playmob and GRID-Arendal, following the GRID-Arendal study Playing for the Planet, which outlined how the video games industry, which at the time reached 2.6 billion people globally and continues to rise, can support action on the environmental agenda.

As part of its commitment to the Alliance, IGEA will commence a range of initiatives within the next twelve months, including:

• Working with the environmental enterprise Fifteen Trees to fully offset IGEA’s carbon footprint by 2023.
• Working with an environmental consultant to minimise the carbon footprint of IGEA’s co-working space The Arcade and Game Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP) conference.
• Promoting environmentally conscious business practices within our membership by hosting an eco-focused webinar and creating an Eco Working Group.
• Facilitating the Australian component of the Alliance’s Green Game Jam.