Activities of Anne-Sophie PELLETIER related to 2022/2014(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Consumer protection in online video games: a European Single Market approach (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on consumer protection in online video games: a European single market approach
Amendments (21)
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas spending excessive amounts of time playing online video games can create addictions and lead to ‘gaming disorder’, and can also lead to consumer-protection related issues, in particular with regard to minors; ; whereas many consumer-protection issues may occur when playing video games, in particular with regard to minors, regardless of the amount of time spent playing;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
Ja. Whereas the lack of representation of women is a well-known and systemic issue in the STEM disciplines and especially in the video game sector, both in the industry itself and in the hyper- sexualized representation that characterizes many female characters in game design; whereas a large majority of girls and female gamers say they experienced harassment as a result of their gender in online multiplayer games as well as on games streaming platforms; whereas all the above-mentioned issues directly contribute to widespread objectification of women, to reinforce and maintain the rape culture, to expose young boys to negative gender stereotypes, prevailing sexism in this environment;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
Ka. Whereas the development of e- sports and online competitions has brought a growing attention of viewers, advertisers and the video game industry, setting the path to the professionalisation of some players with preparation needs and short-careers akin to the ones of top-athletes;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K b (new)
Recital K b (new)
Kb. Whereas the development of e- sports and the growing economic interests around it stresses the need for a definition of e-sports based on non-discrimination between players and the refusal of unfair advantages to protect the integrity of competitions that should be accessible to all;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the measures taken to better protect consumers; notes, however, the need for a single, coordinated approach between Member States and consumer protection authorities in order to avoid fragmentation of the single market and to protect European consumers;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Points out that some video games offer their users the possibility to pay, sometimes even with real money, in order to obtain rewards through loot boxes; notes that such systems are not without consequences for consumers;
Amendment 130 #
6. Points out that certain game designs used for in-game purchasing systems can be particularly harmful when targeted at minors; calls for considering a ban from using deceptive designs to exploit consumers; calls for such advertising to be banned when targeted at minors;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses that online games that are likely to be accessible to children must take their age, rights and vulnerabilities into account; stresses that they must meet the highest possible standards by design and by default when it comes to security and privacy; and must therefore prohibit any harmful or violent content as well as any use of loot boxes, internal purchasing systems or anything that could harm children.
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses that consumers should have all the necessary information about an online video game before starting to play it, as well as during the game, in terms of the multiple options for possible purchases while playing and other information that may be considered to be of interest; stresses that these information has to be easily accessible and understandable to them, clearly stating what any in-game purchase would involve in real-world currency.
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Points out that online video games giving players the possibility to obtain an edge against payments in "pay to win" models must clearly warn players before they start to play; stresses that such "pay to win" models should not create a discrimination between players according to their means; calls therefore such models to provide a separate league/arena free of "pay to win" transactions that will ensure the same gaming experience to all players who do not to engage in such transactions;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Acknowledges the stability of game prices despite spiralling development costs; points out however to the growing use of games extensions to spread those costs overtime with the end cost for the full game experience possibly reaching multiples of the original price; calls therefore for a right to be created for players who already paid a defined amount on extensions on one game to have full access to the following extensions on the same game;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Points out that once an item has been obtained in a video game, it can be exchanged for actual money; stresses that, above and beyond consumer protection issues, these services havecould sometimes led to money laundering; calls on the Commission to put an end to this practice; considers that the Digital Services Act may help mitigate this problem, in particular through the implementation of the ‘know your business customer’ obligations;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Welcomes the increasing innovation in terms of game development and user experience. Encourages however the video game industry to improve some important issues in terms of consumer trust and protection, such as interoperability between the different games and games consoles, so that gaming possibilities are not strictly limited to one device.
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Emphasises the importance of mental health, particularly that of minors; stresses that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the situation, causing fear, isolation and a feeling of insecurity; calls for action to be taken by game developerssigners, developers, distributors and the whole game industry to avoid problems related to addiction;, isolation and cyber- harassment.
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Stresses that playing online video games excessively can have a negative impact on social relations, such as school drop-out, physical and mental health problems, and poor academic performance, to name but a few issues; calls for the strengthening of supervisory mechanisms for children and adolescents;, in particular to avoid the risk of circumvention of parental control.
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Recalls that scientific research has shown that puberty and adolescence are periods in life when people are most at risk of addictive behaviour; calls on video game designers, developers and vendors to issue guidance and toolensure games likely to be accessed by children respect children’s rights and the ban on the commercial exploitation of childhood. This should include a prohibition on targeted advertising and direct exhortations to children and a ban on dark patterns and design abuses; Also calls on video game industry to implement concrete and efficient solutions, as well as to work with stakeholders and agencies to help mitigattackle the risk of ‘gaming disorders’;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Stresses that players patterns analysis through the collection of data should not favour hooking technics of players but focus on enhancing the gaming experience; encourages developers to give consideration to game designs in chapters to favour breaks of attention where players have the possibility to disconnect;
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes industry-led initiatives such as Pan European Game Information (PEGI); considers that such a rating system can be particularly beneficial in providing information on the recommended minimum age and protecting minors from inappropriate game content; welcomes the function which informs consumers if a game includes random pay-to-play features; notes that some countries have made the PEGI system law and calls on the Commission to explore the possibilities for entrenching it in EU law; stresses however that industry led initiatives are not sufficient to ensure the highest level of consumer protection and to resolve the consumer law issues created by in game purchases and lootboxes mechanisms.
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on the Commission to assess how PEGI systems are being implemented in the different types of games available on the market and across the Union and to propose concrete actions to ensure they are being used effectively; consistently and effectively for all online games, by developers, platforms and app stores; Stresses that PEGI and age rating should be consistent with privacy policies, data practices and terms of service;
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on the Commission to develop a unique identity verification system that allows a player’s age to be verified;, in the respect of his or her personal data and privacy. This system has to be transparent and efficient, in order to avoid the risks of circumvention that may easily occur.
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Draws attention to the fact that, in addition to illegal content, harmful content can also be disseminated in video games through in-game communication features or gaming social media platforms; stresses that the video games industry must adopt appropriate measures and tools to protect all users from harmful content, in line with applicable national and EU legislation;