2022/2014(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Role	Committee	Rapporteur	Shadows
Lead	IMCO	MALDONADO LÓPEZ Adriana ( S&D)	MANDERS Antonius ( EPP), CAÑAS Jordi ( Renew), VAN SPARRENTAK Kim ( Verts/ALE), CAMPOMENOSI Marco ( ID), ZŁOTOWSKI Kosma ( ECR), PELLETIER Anne-Sophie ( GUE/NGL)

Amendments	Dossier
257	2022/2014(INI) 2022/06/27 IMCO 257 amendments... Amendment 1 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Karen MELCHIOR, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Citation 2 — having regard to the Commission Communication of 22 April 2008 on the protection of consumers, in particular ~~minors~~children, in respect of the use of video games (COM(2008)0207), Amendment 10 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Citation 14 a (new) — having regard to the Council Conclusions on Building a European Strategy for the Cultural and Creative Industries Ecosystem published on 5 April 2022; Amendment 100 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Welcomes the development and implementation of parental-control tools that help to filter content and video games by age, monitor time spent playing games, disable or limit online spending and restrict communications with others or the viewing of content created by other players; notes, however, that parents may find it difficult to use such tools, which reduces their effectiveness; remember that the responsibility for the implementation of parental controls lies with both parents and the industry, which must develop systems that are easy to use, understandable and easy to set up; calls for mechanisms to be put in place to exercise stricter parental control over the amount of time and money children spend on games, among other things; Amendment 101 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Welcomes the development and implementation of parental-control tools that help to filter content and video games by age, monitor time spent playing games, disable or limit online spending and restrict communications with others or the viewing of content created by other players; notes, however, that parents may find it difficult to use such tools, which reduces their effectiveness; calls for mechanisms to be put in place to exercise stricter parental control over the amount of time and money children spend on games, among other thingsrecalls that platform-level parental controls are not the only method used by parents to monitor and manage access to content by their children; notes, however, that parents may find it difficult to use such tools and encourages platforms to simplify steps needed to use those tools where parents wish to do so; Amendment 102 # Jordi CAÑAS, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Sandro GOZI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Welcomes the development and implementation of parental-control tools that help to filter content and video games by age, monitor time spent playing games, disable or limit online spending and restrict communications with others or the viewing of content created by other players; notes, however, that parents may find it difficult to use such tools, which reduces their effectiveness; calls for mechanisms to be put in place to ~~exercise stricter parental control ove~~raise awareness on the usefulness of those tools in order to monitor the amount of time and money children spend on games, among other things; Amendment 103 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Welcomes the development and implementation of parental-control tools that help to filter content and video games by age, monitor time spent playing games, disable or limit online spending and restrict communications with others or the viewing of content created by other players; notes, however, that parents may ~~find it difficult to use~~not be aware of or have difficulty implementing such tools, which reduces their effectiveness; calls for ~~mechanisms to be put in place to exercise stricter parental control over the amount of time and money children spend on games, among other things;~~increased awareness-raising and information on how to use parental control tools, whilst respecting the rights and development of children Amendment 104 # Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Welcomes the development and implementation of parental-control tools that help to filter content and video games by age, monitor time spent playing games, disable or limit online spending and restrict communications with others or the viewing of content created by other players; notes, however, that parents may find it difficult to use such tools, which reduces their effectiveness; ~~calls for mechanisms to be put in place to exercise stricter parental control over the amount of time and money children spend on games, among other things~~stresses that instructions for effective use of parental control should be made user-friendly, accessible and clear; Amendment 105 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Welcomes the development and implementation of parental-control tools that help to filter content and video games by age, monitor time spent playing games, disable or limit online spending and restrict communications with others or the viewing of content created by other players; notes, however, that parents may find it difficult to use such tools, which reduces their effectiveness; calls for ~~mechanisms to be put in place to exercise stricter parental control over the amount of time and money children spend on games, amo~~public-private education and information campaigns in the Member States aimed at parents and guardians, providing them with details of available tools and encouraging otheir ~~things~~use; Amendment 106 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Calls to the Commission and the Member States to support the promotion of public and private education and information campaigns in Member States directed at parents and caretakers in order to inform them of the tools in place, such as the PEGI phone application, and to encourage their usage; Amendment 107 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution 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;~~ there are a variety of business models adopted in the video games sector; notes some video games operate on a free-to-play basis or with in- game purchases, including the option to obtain rewards through loot boxes; notes that games with an unfair pay-to-win model or which lock popular content behind paywalls have attracted negative reactions from gaming communities, leading to negative reviews and even changes to games prior or soon after their release; Amendment 108 # Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE Motion for a resolution 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~~buy in-game currencies and to obtain randomized rewards through loot boxes; stresses that the use of in-game currencies constitutes an additional transaction layer that abstracts the real-world cost of the virtual item; Amendment 109 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Points out that ~~som~~most online video games offer their users ~~the possibility to pay, sometimes even with real money~~in-game purchases using in-game currencies that can be either purchased with real money or earned in the game, in order to obtain ~~reward~~items through loot boxes; or shopping; Amendment 11 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas video games are played by all age groups in Europe, ~~in particular minors, 68-79% of whom play them~~with 50% of the European population between 6 to 64 years old playing videogames, with the largest age group being 45 to 64 years old; whereas videogames are popular with children, as in 2020 68% of 6 to 10 years old played a videogame once in the past month; Amendment 110 # Anne-Sophie PELLETIER Motion for a resolution 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 111 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution 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 or any other type of randomized in-game purchase; Amendment 112 # Carlo FIDANZA 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 boxe~~it is important for consumers and parents to be informed of the possible presence of optional in-game purchases, including loot boxes, advance purchases or downloads of free game apps; Amendment 113 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Highlights that some video games offer their users the possibility of paying, sometimes even with real money, in order to obtain rewards through loot boxes, which are mysterious boxes that contain random elements that the player cannot know before opening the box; points out that loot boxes can be of many different types depending on the eligibility conditions (waiting time, displaying ads, paying with real money), the reward, its transparency, the chances of getting the item, and the possibility of converting the item obtained in game currency or real money, among others; Amendment 114 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Stresses that in-game purchases have been present in video games for many years and the Guidance on the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive already bans their mandatory use; highlights that consumers and parents must be informed of the presence of in- game purchases prior to the purchase or download of the application; Amendment 115 # Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Observes that generally the ownership of in-game currencies does not guarantee the right of refund nor the right of withdrawal for consumers, notably given the complicated licensing agreements through which video games companies often grant themselves the power to unilaterally change contractual clauses; Amendment 116 # Petra KAMMEREVERT Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Acknowledges that it has not yet been clearly established whether loot boxes may be considered gambling in Europe; notes, however, that several Member States have considered loot boxes to be gambling and have adopted regulatory measures to ban them since all of the constitutive elements of gambling are present, namely game, wager, chance, win/loss; emphasises that games or gameplay elements have not been released since then in the Netherlands and Belgium, where loot boxes are already banned; believes that this illustrates the need for uniform European rules in relation to loot boxes in order to protect the European internal market; calls on the Commission to analyse and determine whether or not loot boxes can be considered to be a gambling activity and, if so, to take the necessary steps to bring about a ~~common European approach~~Europe- wide ban on loot boxes that can also be paid for with real money and have been classified as gambling; Amendment 117 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Acknowledges that it has not yet been clearly established whether loot boxes may be considered gambling in Europe; notes, however, that several Member States have considered loot boxes to be gambling and have adopted regulatory measures to ban them; calls on the Commission to analyse and determine whether or not loot boxes can be considered to be a gambling activity and, if so,calls on the Commission to take the necessary steps to bring about a common European approach; Amendment 118 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Acknowledges that ~~it has not yet been clearly established whether loot boxes may be considered gambling in Europe~~the European Parliament has commissioned a study on loot boxes and their effects on consumers, particularly young consumers8a, and has recommended that loot boxes be examined from the perspective of consumer protection legislation, but also in terms of the efficiency of industry measures; notes, however, that ~~several~~only one Member States haves considered loot boxes to be gambling and have adopted regulatory measures to ban them; calls on the Commission to analyse and determine whether or not loot boxes can be considered to be a gambling activity and, if so, to take the necessary steps to bring about a common European approach; ; welcomes, therefore, the recent adoption by the Commission of guidelines on the Directive on unfair commercial practices, which lays down harmonised rules governing in-game purchases of randomised items; _________________ 8a Loot boxes in online games and their effect on consumers, in particular young consumers, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/ etudes/STUD/2020/652727/IPOL_STU(20 20)652727_EN.pdf. Amendment 119 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Acknowledges that ~~it has not yet been clearly established~~the decision on whether loot boxes may be considered gambling in Europe~~; notes, however, that several~~ rests with national authorities, in line with the competences of the Member States; notes that one Member States ha~~ve consider~~s classified loot boxes ~~to be~~as gambling aund ~~have adopted regulatory measures to ban them;~~ er their national legislation; recalls on the ~~Commission to analyse and determine whether or not loot boxes can be considered to be a gambling activity and, if so, to take the necessary steps to bring about a common European approach~~conclusions of the European Parliament study which recommended to consider paid random content as a consumer protection issue and the parallel activities of the European Commission in connection with the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive Guidance and other initiatives particularly aimed at the protection of children on the internet in general; Amendment 12 # Petra KAMMEREVERT Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas video games are played by half of all Europeans and by all age groups in Europe, in particular minors~~, 68-79% of whom play them;~~: 73% of children aged 6-10, 84% aged 11- 14 and 74% of young people aged 15-24 play video games2a; _________________ 2a COM(2022)212. Amendment 120 # Brando BENIFEI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Acknowledges that the study commissioned by the European Parliament on loot boxes and their effect on consumers, in particular young consumers recommended to examine loot boxes from a consumer protection legislation perspective; notes that it has not yet been clearly established whether loot boxes may be considered gambling in Europe~~; notes, however, that several~~, although more than one Member States haves considered ~~loot boxes~~them to be gambling ~~and have adopted regulatory measures to ban them~~; calls on the Commission to analyse and determine whether or not loot boxes can be considered to be a gambling activity and, if so, to take the necessary steps to bring about a common European approach; Amendment 121 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Acknowledges that ~~it has not yet been clearly established whether loot boxes may be considered gambling in Europe; notes, however,~~ several reports and studies have shown the harmful effects and exploitative practices of loot boxes, especially forchildren1b notes, ,that several Member States have considered loot boxes to be gambling and have adopted regulatory measures to ban them; calls on the Commission to analyse ~~and determ~~the way ine wh~~ether or not loot boxes can be considered to be a gambling activity and, if so, to take the necessary steps to bring about a common European approach;~~ ich loot boxes are sold, to establish whether an EU-wide ban should be proposed, also to avoid fragmentation of the Single Market; _________________ 1b Insert Coin Report, Norwegian Consumer Council, 2022. https://fil.forbrukerradet.no/wp- content/uploads/2022/05/2022-05-31- insert-coin-publish.pdf Amendment 122 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Points out that the European Parliament commissioned a study on loot boxes and their effect on consumers, in particular young consumers1a , and recommended to examine loot boxes from a consumer protection legislation perspective but also to consider the efficiency of industry measures; _________________ 1a https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank /en/document/IPOL_STU(2020)652727 Amendment 123 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 b (new) 5b. Notes that it has not yet been clearly established whether loot boxes may be considered gambling in Europe1a; notes, however, that gambling law is national competence of Member States and that Belgium and the Netherlands have considered that loot boxes constitute gambling and have regulated them accordingly; _________________ 1a https://op.europa.eu/en/publication- detail/-/publication/f84fa393-0f01-11e4- a7d0-01aa75ed71a1/language-en Amendment 124 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 c (new) 5c. Welcomes the Commission recently adopted Guidance on the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, which establishes harmonised rules where paid random items are present in video games; calls for its compliance and swift implementation to ensure consumer protection in the Single Market, particularly for children; urges the Commission to further assess consumer protection in video games and take the necessary steps to bring about a common European approach on loot boxes and any other type of randomized in-game purchases; Amendment 125 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Points out that certain game designs used for in-game purchasing ~~systems can be particularly harmful when targeted at minors; calls for such advertising to be banned when targeted at minors~~are manipulative and exploitative by design, using aggressive commercial practices that significantly impair the consumer’s freedom of choice and motivating them to make financial decisions that they would not have taken otherwise; notes that such practices are clearly prohibited under Directive (EU) 2019/2161, calls on the Commission and CPC-Net to ensure consumer law is fully respected and enforced; Amendment 126 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Points out that certain game designs used for in-game purchasing systems such as viewing ads to get a particular reward in the game can be particularly harmful when targeted at minors; calls for such ~~advertising to be banned when targeted at minor~~practice to be banned when targeted at minors; calls in addition on video games developers and vendors to ensure games likely to be accessed by children respect children’s rights including a prohibition on targeted advertising and manipulative practices; Amendment 127 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Points out that certain game designs used for in-game purchasing systems can be particularly harmful when targeted at ~~minors; calls for such advertising to be banned when targeted at minors~~children; welcomes therefore the Guidance of the European Commission which underlines that existing law already can be used to tackle misleading practices, including in relation to in-game promotion and in-game purchases, the requirement to display prices in real- world currencies and advertising directed at children; Amendment 128 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Points out that certain game designs used for in-game purchasing systems can be particularly harmful ~~when targeted at minors; calls for such advertising to be banned when targeted at minors~~: stresses that they must also be compliant with the recently adopted Guidance on the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive to ensure that they do not result in harmful practices affecting consumers, especially children; Amendment 129 # Antonius MANDERS Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Points out that certain game designs used for in-game purchasing systems can be particularly harmful when targeted at ~~mino~~children; calls for considering a ban from using deceptive designs to exploit consumers;, calls for such advertising to be banned when targeted at minors; Amendment 13 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas video games are played by all age groups in Europe, in particular ~~minors~~children, 68-79% of whom play them; considering 44% of 9-16year olds play on a daily basis; 1a _________________ 1a EU Kids Online, 2020. https://www.eukidsonline.ch/files/Eu- kids-online-2020-international-report.pdf Amendment 130 # Anne-Sophie PELLETIER 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 131 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Points out that ~~certain game designs used for in-game purchasing systems can be particularly harmful when targeted at minors; calls for such advertising to be banned when targeted at~~in-game purchasing systems must comply with the Directive on unfair commercial practices and the recent guidelines to ensure that such practices are not harmful for minors; Amendment 132 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Notes that deceptive designs also occur in video games and can distort consumers’ behaviour when playing video games; calls on video games developers and vendors to ensure a ban on dark patterns, aggressive marketing practices pushing consumers to purchase loot boxes at every opportunity and misleading transparency disclosure about the likely- hood to win or lose; considers that more transparency is needed on the algorithms used for loot-boxes; Calls for in-game purchases and paid loot boxes features to be disabled by default; Amendment 133 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Notes that lack of correlation between the value of in-game currency such as coins, gems or silver to actual money appears to be designed to be misleading to consumers; recalls that such practices are clearly prohibited under Directive (EU) 2019/2161, takes note of the recent dialogue with TikTok increase transparency somewhat in this regard;1c _________________ 1c https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscor ner/detail/en/ip_22_3823 Amendment 134 # Anne-Sophie PELLETIER Motion for a resolution 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 135 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Stresses that online games that are likely to be accessible to children must take their 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, in accordance with the GDPR and the DSA and their particular provisions related to the data processing of children and the protection of their online privacy; Amendment 136 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI 7. Stresses that online games that are likely to be accessible to children must take their 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; calls that aspects such as the time limits of the game or stopwatches, should be taken into account during its design; Amendment 137 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Stresses that online games that are likely to be accessible to children must take their rights and vulnerabilities into account; ~~stress~~notes that ~~they must meet the highest possible standards by design and by default when it com~~PEGI age labels and content descriptors provide guidance to parents, helping them to determine which games are appropriate for which age; points out that the GDPR requires tohat spec~~urity and privacy~~ial attention be paid to the processing of children’s data; Amendment 138 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Stresses that developers of online games that are likely to be accessible to children must take their rights and vulnerabilities into account; stresses that they must meet the highest possible standards by design and by default when it comes to safety, security and privacy; Amendment 139 # Petra KAMMEREVERT Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Urges the video game industry and the licensors in the industry to introduce, as soon as possible, measures to improve consumer protection and protect children and young people, such as effective protection mechanisms for gambling addicts and vulnerable individuals and age verification mechanisms that ensure that minors cannot make payments for loot boxes and cannot perform micro- transactions if the games have not been approved for their age group according to the PEGI rating, as well as clear indicators showing the chances of winning when loot boxes are used and the introduction of daily and monthly deposit limits; Amendment 14 # Antonius MANDERS Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas video games are played by all age groups in Europe, in particular ~~minors~~children, 68-79% of whom play them; Amendment 140 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD 7a. Stresses that videogames are both tools for playing as well as art works with cultural value; points out that article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that all children have the right to play and to freely and fully experience cultural life and activities according to their age;1a _________________ 1a https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments- mechanisms/instruments/convention- rights-child Amendment 141 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Notes that, in addition to supplementing the standards by default, parents can play an important role in protecting minors in videogames; points out that, however, awareness campaigns and support through the use of appropriate tools and information on how to better protect their children should be carried out; Amendment 142 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Stresses that consumers should have all the necessary information about an online video game related to the presence of in-game purchases, loot boxes and other randomised in-game purchases, 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 such information should be clearly displayed and easily understandable for all consumers before the moment of purchase; notes that, when virtual currencies are used in online games, the value on real-world currency must always be provided alongside virtual currency; Amendment 143 # Antonius MANDERS Motion for a resolution 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; in particular, to better protect consumers (especially children) and help parents to understand and control their spending, all in-game purchases should also be denominated in a real-world currency next to any potential virtual currency; Amendment 144 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Stresses that consumers ~~should have all~~enjoy rights concerning pre-contractual information, and should therefore be able to access the necessary information about an online video game ~~before start~~prior to their initial purchase and ing t~~o play it, as well as during the game, in terms of the multiple options for possible purchases while playing and o~~he course of any in- game purchases while they play the game; welcomes the additional information provided under the PEGI system which provides content descriptors and age advisory notices to improve ther information ~~that may be considered to be of interest~~available to consumers at their time of purchase; Amendment 145 # Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE Motion for a resolution 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; observes in particular that clear information shall be provided to consumers in advertising materials on what to expect from in-game purchases and how they affect gameplay; Amendment 146 # Anne-Sophie PELLETIER Motion for a resolution 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 147 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution 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, total estimated or average financial or other investment needed to complete the game, and other information that may be considered to be of interest; Amendment 148 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution 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 interes~~, in relation to the possible presence of in-game purchases, before starting to play it; Amendment 149 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Stresses that consumers should have all the necessary information about an online video game before starting to play it and be aware of the type of content, 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; Amendment 15 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) Aa. whereas the European video games sector has become a leading cultural and creative industry (CCI), with an estimated European market size of EUR 23.3 billion in 2020; whereas this industry is the only CCI to have experienced turnover growth during the COVID-19 crisis1a and represents an important potential for growth and job creation in Europe’s Digital Single Market; _________________ 1a EY, Rebuilding Europe: the cultural and creative economy before and after the COVID-19 crisis, January 2021. Amendment 150 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 a (new) 8a. Welcomes that the Commission will examine auto-renewals for subscriptions and contracts in the upcoming fitness check of consumer protection legislation; points out that auto-renewals can be beneficial for both the user and the trader, improving convenience for users and limiting subscriber administration for the trader, but it can also be problematic if the auto- renewals continue indefinitely against the consumer's intentions; encourages the Commission and traders to take into account best-practices from Member states or companies that already have consumer-friendly auto-renewal policies in place; calls for the introduction of an obligation at EU level whereby traders must provide users with an opt-in proposal at purchase instead of having it as a default feature, to provide clear and easy-accessible information on how to cancel auto-renewals at anytime and to make the process of cancelling the auto- renewals simple and as easy as signing up; Amendment 151 # Anne-Sophie PELLETIER Motion for a resolution 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 152 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 a (new) 8a. Calls for transparency on the algorithms deployed in games, in particular in loot boxes, so that it can be established whether these algorithms are programmed to influence consumer behaviour, stresses that consumers should have a choice to disable these algorithms; Amendment 153 # Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 a (new) 8a. Points out that in cases where algorithmic decision-making is employed in video games, particularly when it aims at influencing user behaviour, consumers shall be explicitly informed; Amendment 154 # Anne-Sophie PELLETIER Motion for a resolution 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 155 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 b (new) 8b. Underlines that return and refund guarantee policies are a corner stone of the Union’s consumer rights, and consumers should experience the same rights for online gaming purchases and subscriptions as they would for in-person, psychical purchases; calls on traders to fully comply to EU consumer protection rules and relay information on how to request a refund or make use of the right of withdrawal transparently and reliably; Amendment 156 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 c (new) 8c. Stresses that persons with disabilities should be able to play all types of online video games; highlights that both technical and communicative features of all online video games and any relevant information related to playing or purchasing the game must be inclusive and accessible; calls on the Commission to propose an extension of the scope of the European Accessibility Act to online video games; encourages providers of online video games to make games accessible by applying the accessibility requirements of Annex I of Directive 2019/882; Amendment 157 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Points out that ~~once~~ an item that has been obtained in a video game~~, it can be exchanged for actual money~~ can only be used in that game and it is prohibited to exchange it outside the game-play environment; calls on national authorities to put an end to illegal practices organised by illegal third party sites, allowing to exchange, sell or bet on in-game sites; stresses that, above and beyond consumer protection issues, these services have 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 158 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Points out that once an item has been obtained in a video game, it cannot typically be exchanged for actual money~~; stresses that, above and beyond consumer protection issues, these services have led to money laundering;~~ within normal gameplay; regrets that third-party stores seek to trade in in-game items, which is contrary to terms and conditions applied by video game publishers; recalls on the ~~Commission to put an end to this practice; considers that the Digital Services Act may help mitigate this problem, in particul~~finding of the European Parliament study into loot boxes that regulators and the industry have been largely successful in tackling the issue of "skin gambling", while for other forms of illegal exchange, which run contrary t~~hrough the implementa~~o the terms and conditions of ~~the ‘know your business customer’ obligation~~publishers, legal actions are taken against third-party platforms who break those terms; Amendment 159 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Points out that ~~once~~ an item that has been obtained in a video game~~, it can be~~ can only be used within that video game and that it is forbidden to exchanged it for actual money; ~~stresses that, above and beyond consumer protection issues, these services have led to money laundering; calls on the Commission to put an end to this practice~~calls on the national authorities of the Member States to put an end to unlawful practices organised by illegal third-party sites enabling exchanging, selling or betting on in-game items; considers that the Digital Services Act may help mitigate this problem, in particular through the implementation of the ‘know your business customer’ obligations; Amendment 16 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) Aa. A) whereas the European video games industry directly employs 90 000 people in Europe and is the fastest growing cultural and creative sector, with significant potential to create new jobs within the European Digital Single Market; Amendment 160 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Points out that once an item has been obtained in a video game, it can ~~be exchanged~~, in certain cases, be exchanged within the game or through third-party websites for actual money; stresses that, above and beyond consumer protection issues, these services have 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 161 # Anne-Sophie PELLETIER Motion for a resolution 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 ~~have~~could 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 162 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Points out that once an item has been obtained in a video game, it can sometimes be exchanged for actual money; stresses that, above and beyond consumer protection issues, these services have 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 # Anne-Sophie PELLETIER Motion for a resolution 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 164 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Is concerned that gold farming may be connected with forced labour and exploitation in developing countries and with money laundering, and calls on the Commission to introduce specific due diligence provisions for the video games industry and assess the use of gold farming in connection with financial crimes; Amendment 165 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Calls on the Commission to make a legislative proposal on online video gaming to establish a European regulatory framework with the aim of harmonising rules between Member States and better protecting players, in particular minors;deleted Amendment 166 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Calls on the Commission to make a legislative proposal on online video gaming to establish a European regulatory framework with the aim of harmonising rules between Member States and better protecting players, in particular minorcontinue to monitor enforcement of existing consumer rules and to work together with national consumer protection authorities and collectively in the CPC format to better protecting players, in particular children, from unfair commercial practices and other infringements of their consumer rights; Amendment 167 # Andreas SCHWAB, Antonius MANDERS Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Calls on the Commission to ~~make a legislative proposal on online video gaming to establish a European regulatory framework with the aim of harmonising rules between Member States and~~study how existing consumer protection laws and widely used ratings systems such as PEGI can be applied and enforced more uniformly across the Digital Single Market with the aim of better protecting players, in particular minors; Amendment 168 # Antonius MANDERS Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Calls on the Commission to make a legislative proposal on online video gaming to establish a European regulatory framework with the aim of harmonising rules between Member States and better protecting players, in particular ~~minors~~children; Amendment 169 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Calls on the Commission to make a legislative proposal on online video gaming to establish a European regulatory framework with the aim of harmonising rules between Member States and better protecting players, in particular ~~minors~~children; Amendment 17 # Antonius MANDERS Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) Aa. whereas online video games companies are bigger than all music and movie companies combined in terms of worldwide turnover; Amendment 170 # Petra KAMMEREVERT Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 a (new) 10a. Calls on the Commission in this connection to propose rules for offering loot boxes that take adequate account of transparency, the protection of children and young people and the protection of all players against misleading game designs and economic exploitation; believes that even if loot boxes are paid for using a virtual in-game currency, the equivalent value in the real currency used by the player must be displayed for each purchase; Amendment 171 # Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 a (new) 10a. Stresses that, when adopting regulatory action, the Commission shall prioritize banning misleading designs, increasing minors protection and ensuring transactional transparency for in-game purchasing systems; Amendment 172 # Antonius MANDERS Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 a (new) 10a. Calls on the European Commission and the Network of Consumer Protection Authorities (CPC- Net), to ensure that consumer law is fully respected and enforced in the online video game sector; Amendment 173 # Petra KAMMEREVERT Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 b (new) 10b. Highlights the consumer benefits of cross-platform online games for the user experience by enabling players to interact easily across different platforms and for game developers, and calls on the video game industry to make every effort to make the fullest possible use of this feature; Amendment 174 # Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 b (new) 10b. Stresses that regulatory action shall provide a good balance between consumer protection and the development of strategic business models; underlines that although consumer protection is a shared competence, the video games sector requires cross-border protection because of its intrinsic nature; Amendment 175 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Emphasises the importance of mental health, particularly that of ~~minors~~children; stresses that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the situation, causing fear, isolation and a feeling of insecurity; recalls ~~for action to be taken by game developers to avoid problems~~ the positive role that online connectivity played in ensuring that Europeans could still communicate, interact and create together, including via online video games; reminds that gaming can provide also safe and interactive avenues for individuals who experience social disconnection or isolation in real-life environments; notes more generally the opportunities and new perspectives offered by access to crelat~~ed to addiction~~ive expression and cultural content, in particular for younger people; Amendment 176 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK 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 developers to avoid problems related to~~notes that excessive online video gaming can have a negative impact on social relations, work or school drop-out, physical and mental health problems and indebtedness, calls on game developers to avoid manipulative game design which can lead to gaming addiction; Amendment 177 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Emphasises the importance of mental health, particularly that of minors; ~~stresses that~~notes that video games provided relief during strict lockdown periods during the COVID-19 pandemic but also exacerbated the situation, causing fear, isolation and a feeling of insecurity; calls for action to be taken by all the actors involved, in particular game developers to avoid problems related to addiction; Amendment 178 # Anne-Sophie PELLETIER Motion for a resolution 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 de~~velopers~~signers, developers, distributors and the whole game industry to avoid problems related to addiction;, isolation and cyber- harassment. Amendment 179 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution 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 developers to avoid problems related to addiction~~video games provided relief in the periods of strict lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing citizens to connect with their family and friends, play together and use games for educational purposes; Amendment 18 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Recital A b (new) Ab. whereas the growing 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, for which any Union action in this field and especially funding activities should be taken into consideration; Amendment 180 # Antonius MANDERS Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Emphasises the importance of mental health, particularly that of ~~minors~~children; 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 developers to avoid problems related to addiction; Amendment 181 # Brando BENIFEI Motion for a resolution 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 developers to avoid problems related to addiction~~video games provided relief during lockdown periods during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing citizens to connect with family and friends, to play together and to use video games for educational purposes; Amendment 182 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 a (new) 11a. Stresses that adequate online connectivity is essential for equal access to cultural products and entertainment services across the single market; notes that citizens in many Member States report dissatisfaction with their connectivity and that a disparity remains between rural and urban populations in the connectivity that is available to them; calls on the European Commission to continue to act to improve Europe's digital infrastructure, which supports not only the creative industries developing high-quality content, but the access of European citizens to those culturally significant titles; Amendment 183 # Jordi CAÑAS, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 a (new) 11a. Notes that videogames can be interactive, highly social and have helped Europeans to find community and connection during a time of isolation, as well as to build communities and forge genuine, enduring friendships; notes that this has been particularly true for elderly people who are amongst those who have suffered the most isolation during these months; notes that the WHO believes online games can become a key instrument in nurturing our bonds to others1a and that research has found direct psychological and social benefits from gaming across all ages; _________________ 1a https://www.bloomberg.com/press- releases/2020-04-10/games-industry- unites-to-promote-world-health- organization-messages-against-covid-19- launch-playaparttogether-campaign Amendment 184 # Antonius MANDERS Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 a (new) 11a. Stresses that online video games are important for education, lifelong learning and helping elderly people to keep engaging with society; Amendment 185 # Antonius MANDERS Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 b (new) 11b. Proposes to organise a yearly EU online video game award in the European Parliament in Brussels, the 'Oscars of online video games', in order to highlight the importance for the European digital single market of companies producing online video games, many of which are SME's, in terms of jobs, growth and innovation; Amendment 186 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution 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;deleted Amendment 187 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. ~~Stresses~~Believes there is a risk 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, twhile research also shows that video ngame ~~but a few issues; calls for the strengthening of supervisory mechanisms for children and adolescent~~s may have a positive impact, thus emphasising the need to strike a healthy balance, as with all types of consumption; underlines the need for national authorities to support parents implement their own rules or to use parental control tools in order to agree and manage, with their child, their child's consumption of digital content, including video games; Amendment 188 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution 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~~public information campaigns on responsible gaming and parental control tools that enable parents to manage their children’s use of video games; encourages parents to join their children in their digital switchover; Amendment 189 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution 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~~public information campaigns about responsible game play and parental control tools allowing parents to manage children’s video game play; encourages parents to join children in their digital past time; Amendment 19 # Antonius MANDERS Motion for a resolution Recital A b (new) Ab. whereas video games are becoming increasingly important also in other sectors, such as education, marketing, VR/AR, and digital marketplaces linked to the Metaverse; Amendment 190 # Anne-Sophie PELLETIER Motion for a resolution 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 191 # Petra KAMMEREVERT Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Stresses that playing online video games excessively can in rare cases 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; Amendment 192 # Krzysztof HETMAN Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 a (new) 12a. Notes with concern the risks associated with the use of hate speech and cyberbullying on the online video game platforms, which is additionally reinforced by the players' sense of anonymity and is particularly dangerous when directed at the minors. Amendment 193 # Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 a (new) 12a. Recalls that children are less able to disentangle costs when presented with virtual currencies and may have problems understanding and taking probabilities into account particularly when it comes to randomized rewards; Amendment 194 # Petra KAMMEREVERT Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Stresses that video game addiction, also known as ‘gaming disorder’, is a problem for some players; notes th~~at the World Health Organisation has classified ‘gaming disorder’ as a form of addiction~~e link between problematic game design mechanisms and loot boxes on the one hand, in particular if players pay for them, and problematic gaming behaviour on the other hand; notes that the World Health Organisation has classified ‘gaming disorder’ as a form of addiction; notes in this connection that there is a need for more scientific research and case studies, and warns against stigmatising players and the video game industry; Amendment 195 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Stresses that video game addiction, also known as ‘gaming disorder’, is a problem for some players; notes that the World Health Organisation has classified ‘gaming disorder’ as a form of addiction; characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences1a _________________ 1a https://www.who.int/news- room/questions-and- answers/item/addictive-behaviours- gaming-disorder Amendment 196 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Stresses that ~~video game addiction, also known as~~the World Health Organisation has classified ‘gaming disorder’~~, i~~ as a ~~problem for some players; notes that the World Health Organisation has classified ‘~~behavioural disorder leading to a form of addiction, when certain criteria are met; emphasises that the WHO acknowledges that gaming disorder affects only a small percentage of those playing digital games9a; _________________ 9a when certain criteria are met; emphasises that the WHO acknowledges that gaming disorder’ a~~s a form of addiction;~~ ffects only a small percentage of those playing digital games; Amendment 197 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. ~~Stress~~Notes that ~~video game addiction, also known as~~the World Health Organisation has classified ‘gaming disorder’~~, i~~ as a ~~problem for some players; notes that th~~form of addiction; and globally it is estimated that3-4% of gamers suffer from it, 8,5% for children1d; notes that adolescents are Wmor~~ld Health Organisation has classified ‘gaming disorder’ as a form of addiction;~~ e at risk of developing addiction; _________________ 1d Global prevalence of gaming disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1 177/0004867420962851 Amendment 198 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. ~~Stress~~Notes that video game addiction, also known as ‘gaming disorder’, is a problem for ~~some~~a small proportion players; notes that the World Health Organisation has classified ‘gaming disorder’ as a form of addiction; Amendment 199 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 a (new) 13a. Stresses that loot boxes can be particularly harmful for children, by means of introducing them to mechanisms that can be linked to gambling; notes that after criticism, several game developers have removed loot boxes from their games; Amendment 2 # Petra KAMMEREVERT Motion for a resolution Citation 4 a (new) — having regard to the Commission communication of 11 May 2022 entitled ‘A Digital Decade for children and youth: the new European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+)’ (COM(2022)212), Amendment 20 # Carlo FIDANZA Ab. B) whereas the European video games industry is mainly made up of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); Amendment 200 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 b (new) 13b. Notes that the gaming industry processes behavioural data to infer sensitive and non-sensitive personal data concerning a user's biometrics-based data, age and gender, emotions, skills, interests, consumption habits, and personality traits, from millions of players which maybe used to create extensive user profiles that can be used for manipulative and discriminatory purposes, calls on competent authorities to ensure that relevant EU and national law is rigorously enforced; Amendment 201 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 c (new) 13c. Notes a lack of EU-wide disaggregated data on average time spent in games, average in-game spending, general gaming experience and consequent socio-psychological effects, calls on the Commission to collect this data on a yearly basis; Amendment 202 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 d (new) 13d. Welcomes the innovative EU Kids Online research project, which gathers high-quality data from across Europe on children’s perspectives of their online experience; calls for more frequent updates of this world-leading initiative; calls on the European Commission to fund this and similar initiatives in the future; Amendment 203 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution 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 developers and vendors to issue guidance and tools, as well as to work with stakeholders and agencies to help mitigate the risk of ‘gaming disorders’;deleted Amendment 204 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution 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 developers and vendors to issue guidance and tools, as well as to work with stakeholders and agencies to help mitigate the risk of ‘gaming disorders’;deleted Amendment 205 # Anne-Sophie PELLETIER Motion for a resolution 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 tool~~ensure 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 mitigat~~tackle the risk of ‘gaming disorders’; Amendment 206 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. REmphasizes that neither the video game industry nor users nor parents should underestimate the risks and effects due to 'gaming disorder'; 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 developers and vendors to issue guidance and tools, as well as to work with stakeholders and agencies to help mitigate the risk of ‘gaming disorders’; when developing new games; suggests that more awareness campaigns should be launched to ensure that parents and young gamers are aware of the risks related to 'gaming disorder'; Amendment 207 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution 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 for further collaborative work among video games developers ~~and vendors to issue guidance and tools, as well as to work with stakeholders and agencies~~, publishers, platforms and the wider stakeholder community, including national authorities and the European Commission, to help mitigate the risk of ‘gaming disorders’; Amendment 208 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 ~~15. Stresses that providers of online video games that are played by children should be required to conduct ex-ante child impact assessments based on the 4Cs framework for classifying risk;~~deleted Amendment 209 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 ~~15. Stresses that providers of online video games that are played by children should be required to conduct ex-ante child impact assessments based on the 4Cs framework for classifying risk;~~deleted Amendment 21 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Recital A c (new) Ac. C) whereas video games are complex original works, protected under Directive 2009/24/EC of 23 April 2009 on the legal protection of computer programs and Directive 2001/29/EC of 22 May 2001 on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society, and have a unique creative value recognised by the Court of Justice1a; _________________ 1a Judgment in Case C-355/12. Amendment 210 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 ~~15. Stresses that providers of online video games that are played by children should be required to conduct ex-ante child impact assessments based on the 4Cs framework for classifying risk;~~deleted Amendment 211 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. Stresses that providers of online video games that are played by children should be required to conduct ex-ante child impact assessments based on the 4Cs ~~framework for classifying risk~~(Content, Contact, Conduct, Contract) framework for classifying risk and effectively mitigate any identified risks to children's rights; Amendment 212 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. ~~Stre~~Considers that the European Commission should assess thate possibility of requiring providers of online video games ~~that are played by children should be required to conduct~~, directed towards children, the development of ex-ante child impact assessments based on the 4Cs framework for classifying risk; Amendment 213 # Anne-Sophie PELLETIER Motion for a resolution 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 214 # Krzysztof HETMAN Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 a (new) 15a. Points out that online video game platforms can be used by fraudsters for phishing; calls to conduct information campaigns in order to raise awareness, especially among minors, of the risks involved. Amendment 215 # Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 a (new) 15a. Stresses the importance of creating enforceable accessibility standards for consumers affected by disabilities, in particular when minors; Amendment 216 # Petra KAMMEREVERT Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) 16a. Believes that many people use video games not only as a leisure activity, but also to relax and to meet basic psychological needs, such as solving demanding tasks and puzzles, engaging in contests with other players that require a high level of concentration, and developing skills such as problem-solving, spatial and hand-eye coordination, teamwork as well as visual acuity and speed; Amendment 217 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI, Brando BENIFEI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) 16a. Underlines that the growing videogame 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 and especially funding activities should take into consideration; Amendment 218 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) 16a. Urges the industry, the European Commission and Member States develop an action plan to ensure gender balance in all facets of the online games industry; Amendment 219 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Notes that video games can be a useful tool during learning processes and that ~~certain~~many games are specifically designed for children's educational purposes~~; points out that video games are also used to develop critical thinking and stimulate creativity~~, to provoke debate about societal issues or to deepen understanding of historical or cultural events, among others; recalls that video games feature on national educational curricula; points out that video games are also used to develop critical thinking and stimulate creativity; stresses too that video games have continuing applications later in life, where they may offer mental stimulation and opportunities for connectivity for older persons; Amendment 22 # Antonius MANDERS Motion for a resolution Recital A c (new) Ac. whereas despite its central role in the European cultural and creative ecosystem, the online video games sector is still neglected in comparison to other media industries, especially movies and other audiovisual products, who generally receive more funding and are used as a model to shape regulation and policies around video games, an approach that does not consider the differences between them; Amendment 220 # Brando BENIFEI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Notes that video games can be a useful tool during learning processes and that certain games are specifically designed for educational purposes; notes that commercial video games are also used for educational purposes; points out that video games are also used to develop critical thinking and stimulate creativity; Amendment 221 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Notes that video games can be a useful tool during learning processes and that certain games are specifically designed for educational purposes; points out that video games are also used to develop critical thinking, skills and stimulate creativity; Amendment 222 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 a (new) 17a. Emphasizes that consumer protection is essential to ensure a safe and trustworthy online environment for gamers and that it can boost the economic growth of the video games industry; Amendment 223 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Welcomes industry-led initiatives such as Pan European Game Information (PEGI); considers that such a rating system ~~can be particularly beneficia~~performs well in providing information on the recommended ~~minimum age and protecting minors from inappropriate game c~~age for playing a game, helping parents to select appropriate game content for their children; underlines that the rating system forms one part of the overall PEGI Code of Conduct, which collectively aims at ensuring a safe environtment for gamers; welcomes the ~~function~~updated approach by PEGI which now informs consumers if a game includes paid 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~~content; underlines that the presence of in-game paid content, including paid random content, does not preclude parents from managing access to that type of content, while permitting a child to access the base game that they judge to be age-appropriate; notes that some countries have made the PEGI system legally enforceable in relation to the purchase of games, while others recommend its use recognising its position as the industry standard in this area; Amendment 224 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Welcomes industry-led initiatives such as Pan European Game Information (PEGI) that is used in 38 countries; considers that such a rating system ~~can be~~is particularly beneficial in providing information on the recommended ~~minimum age and protecting minors from inappropriat~~age for playing a game; welcomes the sector's longstanding safety by design commitment through the PEGI Code of Conduct provisions on safe online gameplay environments which were introduced in 2007, and the presence of parental control tools which are effective agameinst illegal and harmful content; welcomes the PEGI descriptor function which informs consumers if a game includes paid random ~~pay-to-play~~items 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; highlights that PEGI is a well- known and affordable system for consumers and companies that provides guidance for parents helping them to determinate which games are appropriate for which age; Amendment 225 # Anne-Sophie PELLETIER Motion for a resolution 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 226 # Antonius MANDERS Motion for a resolution 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~~children 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; Amendment 227 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution 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 may protect~~ing minors~~ children 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 lawnotes however that these forms of 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 lootbox mechanisms; Amendment 228 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 a (new) 18a. Calls on the Commission to assess further the implementation of the PEGI system across the EU and the possibility to make the PEGI system the harmonised mandatory age-rating system applicable to all videogames and online platforms, together with its Code of Conduct, in order to ensure the highest European standards of safety, privacy and security for all consumers in a uniform manner the EU, as well as to avoid fragmentation in the Single Market and provide legal certainty for the videogame industry; Amendment 229 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 a (new) 18a. calls on industry to avoid objectification of women and to avoid creating, repeating or exacerbating gender stereotypes; stresses that such far too common practices create a hostile environment for women and girls in online games; Amendment 23 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Recital A c (new) Ac. whereas the European video game industry is mainly made up of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups, which have an important role for the innovation and growth of this sector1a ; _________________ 1a https://digital- strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/value- european-video-games-society Amendment 230 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Encourages industry, independent expert partners, rating agencies and consumer associations to continue awareness-raising campaigns on the PEGI system and to remain responsive to adapt the rating system in response to developments in video games and their in- game content, to continue to facilitate parental choice; Amendment 231 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Encourages industry, independent expert partners, rating agencies and consumer associations to continue awareness-raising campaigns on the PEGI system so that more parents know about its existence, improve and to adapt the rating system to facilitate parental choice; Amendment 232 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Encourages industry, including games platforms, independent expert partners, and rating agencies ~~and consumer associations~~ to continue awareness-raising campaigns on the PEGI system and to adapt the ratings system to facilitate parental choice; Amendment 233 # Anne-Sophie PELLETIER Motion for a resolution 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 234 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI Motion for a resolution 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 used 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 235 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20. Calls on the Commission to assess how PEGI is~~ystems are~~ being implemented in the different types of games available on the EU market and ~~across the Union and~~ to propose concrete actions to ensure ~~they are being used effectively~~it is being used consistently and effectively for all online games, by developers, platforms and app stores; and stresses that PEGI and age rating should be consistent with privacy policies, data practices and terms of service; Amendment 236 # Andreas SCHWAB, Antonius MANDERS Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20. Calls on the Commission to assess how the PEGI system~~s are~~ is being implemented in the different types of games available on the market a~~nd across~~s well as across all gaming platforms accessible in the Union, and to ~~propos~~assess possible concrete actions to ensure the~~y are~~ PEGI system is being used effectively; Amendment 237 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution 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 effectivelyEncourages wider adoption of the PEGI system by those industry players who do not currently use it, in particular where information provided on their platforms to parents is less detailed than is offered under the PEGI system; Amendment 238 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20. Calls on ~~the Commission to assess how PEGI systems are being implemented in the different types of game~~industry stakeholders to adopt PEGI systems on all platforms available on the market and across the Union and to ~~propose concrete actions to ensure they are~~show that the system is being used effectively; Amendment 239 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 a (new) 20a. Underlines that the PEGI system offers a recommendation to consumers, in particular parents, prior to purchase of the video game and does not establish a legal minimum age for access to that cultural good, even in countries where the PEGI system is incorporated into domestic law; cautions strongly against any such system of age verification related to access to content, in particular due to concerns relating to user privacy and discriminatory treatment compared to other forms of entertainment which may also have an age recommendation; Amendment 24 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Recital A d (new) Ad. whereas video games are complex creative works protected both by the Computer Programs Directive 2009/24 and the Copyright Directive 2001/29 and have a unique and creative value as recognised by the Court of Justice of the EU;1a _________________ 1a Judgement of the CJEU Case C 355/12 Amendment 240 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 a (new) 20a. Recommends that providers of online video games that could be played by children should be required to conduct ex-ante child impact assessments, built on the 4Cs framework for classifying risk; recommends that such an impact assessment should be approved by an independent authority before placing video games on the EU Market; Amendment 241 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 b (new) 20b. Stresses that risk is not harm and the excessive avoidance of risk may itself be harmful to the development of children1e _________________ 1e Council of Europe CDMSI Committee, Best practices towards effective legal and procedural frameworks for self-regulatory and co-regulatory mechanisms of content moderation, 2021. https://rm.coe.int/content-moderation- en/1680a2cc18 Amendment 242 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 ~~21. Calls on the Commission to develop a unique identity verification system that allows a player’s age to be verifi~~deleted; Amendment 243 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 ~~21. Calls on the Commission to develop a unique identity verification system that allows a player’s age to be verifi~~deleted; Amendment 244 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI, Brando BENIFEI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Calls on the Commission to develop ~~a unique identity verification system that allows a player’s age to be verified;~~ minimum standards for privacy- preserving, secure and inclusive age assurance systems, and their use to ensure access to games is age-appropriate; calls for the swift adoption of the Amending Regulation (EU) 910/2014 as regards establishing a framework for a European Digital Identity; Amendment 245 # Anne-Sophie PELLETIER Motion for a resolution 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 246 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Calls on the ~~Commission to develop a unique identity verification~~industry to only permit gambling in online games through the use of payment systems that a~~llows a player’s age to be verified~~re not accessible to children; Amendment 247 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Calls on the Commission to develop and implement common labelling, harmonised across all EU countries, which sets out the necessary information for consumers in a transparent, understandable and accessible manner;deleted Amendment 248 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Calls on the Commission to develop and implement common labelling, harmonised across all EU countries, which sets out the necessary information for consumers in a transparent, understandable and accessible manner;deleted Amendment 249 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Calls on the Commission to develop and implement common labelling, harmonised across all EU countries, which sets out different recommended minimum age categories, video game theme, possibility of purchase during the game, the appearance of targeted ads and all the necessary information for consumers in a transparent, understandable and accessible manner; Amendment 25 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Recital A d (new) Ad. D) whereas the video games industry has a complete value chain based on innovation and creativity, encompassing a vast range of skills and know-how; Amendment 250 # Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 a (new) 22a. Calls on the Commission to take advantage of the fitness check to be conducted on digital fairness, as part of the New Consumer Agenda2020, to assess key concepts relevant for the protection of consumer in online video games as vulnerability, deceptive design and monetisation techniques; Amendment 251 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 23. Welcomes the recent political agreement reached on the Digital Services Act to update content moderation rules in Europe in order to better tackle illegal online content, including for video games; calls for it to be adopted and implemented swiftly;deleted Amendment 252 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 23. WStresses that online video games must provide a safe digital environment for users; welcomes the recent political agreement reached on the Digital Services Act to update content moderation rules in Europe in order to better tackle illegal online content, including for video games; calls for it to be adopted and implemented swiftly; Amendment 253 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution 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; 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;deleted Amendment 254 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution 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; ~~stresses that the video games industry must adopt appropriate measures and tools to protect all users from harmful content, in line with applicable~~recalls that evidence suggests this is a less frequent occurrence than on other types of platforms but nevertheless notes that platforms should adopt appropriate measures in order to comply with relevant national and EU legislation which addresses this risk; Amendment 255 # Anne-Sophie PELLETIER Motion for a resolution 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; Amendment 256 # Brando BENIFEI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 a (new) 24a. Acknowledges the sector’s longstanding safety by design commitment through the PEGI Code of Conduct provisions to address illegal and harmful content and to ensure a safe online gameplay environment; recommends however the promotion of information campaigns to educate parents and players about parental control tools and how to use reporting tools in the game; calls on the industry to further step up their efforts to ensure a safe online gameplay environment; Amendment 257 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 24 a (new) 24a. Calls on the European Commission and the Member states consumer protection authorities to ensure that consumer law is fully respected and enforced also in the video game sector by conducting sectorial SWEEPs or by launching a coordinated enforcement action, under Regulation (EU) 2017/2394 on cooperation between national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws, when necessary; Amendment 26 # Antonius MANDERS Motion for a resolution Recital A d (new) Ad. whereas technological developments in the online video games sector spill over to other sectors and industries like construction, design, retail, and online shopping; Amendment 27 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Recital A e (new) Ae. E) whereas a video game is first and foremost a work of intellectual property (IP) on which the value chain is based; Amendment 28 # Andreas SCHWAB, Antonius MANDERS Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas the video games industry employed 86 953 people in 2019, of whom around 20% were women; whereas the video games industry continues to grow rapidly in the entire Union, thereby contributing to Europe's Digital Single Market; Amendment 29 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas the video games industry employed 86 953 people in 2019, of whom around 20% were women; whereas children are increasingly commercially exploited as online game content creators; Amendment 3 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Citation 4 a (new) — Having regard to the Commission Fitness Check of EU consumer law on digital fairness, which opened with a Call for Evidence launched on 17 May 2022 Amendment 30 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas the video games industry employed 86 953 people in 2019, of whom around 20% were women; whereas some of the companies use content created by children; Amendment 31 # Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas the video games industry employed 86 953 people in 2019, of whom around 20% were women; 3a; _________________ 3a ISFE, Europe’s Video Games Industry, ISFE-EGDF Key Facts, 2021. Amendment 32 # Andreas SCHWAB, Antonius MANDERS Motion for a resolution Recital B a (new) Ba. whereas small and medium-sized enterprises account for a large number of the companies in the European video games sector; Amendment 33 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Recital C C. whereas video games are one of the most popular forms of entertainment in Europe ~~and can bring both risks and benefits for users~~; Amendment 34 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Recital C a (new) Ca. whereas online gaming is an important factor compared to other entertainment activities, as a Eurobarometer study from 2019 found 27% of Europeans play games online at least once per month compared to 48% who stream music and 47% who watch films or TV shows on online platforms. whereas those findings are relatively stable compared to results from 2015; whereas regular consumption of online games was skewed heavily towards young people, as 77% of 15-24 year olds are regular online gamers compared to 18% of over 55s; Amendment 35 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Recital C b (new) Cb. whereas online gaming functionalities rely on connectivity in order to provide a stable and high-quality experience; whereas respondents in countries such as Sweden, Poland and the Netherlands exceed 90% satisfaction with upload and download speeds of their internet connection, whereas for countries such as Germany, Romania and France more than 20% of respondents were unhappy with the speed of their service, while in Greece dissatisfaction exceeds 35%; whereas in rural areas dissatisfaction with internet service is 30% higher than in urban areas 1a _________________ 1a https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/ detail/2232 Amendment 36 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK D. whereas online video games can be played online on many different devices and can be enjoyed using a number of functionalities and tools, such as multiplayer, real-time voice chat systems, online shopping, augmented reality, virtual reality, downloadable content, season passes and loot boxes tohat can enhance the gaming experience for players; Amendment 37 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Recital D D. whereas video games can be played online on many different devices and can be enjoyed using a number of functionalities and tools~~, such as multiplayer, real-time voice chat systems, online shopping, augmented reality, virtual reality, downloadable content and loot boxes to enhance the gaming experience fo~~; whereas not all video games enable online interaction with other players; whereas parental control tools exist to disable any interaction with other players; Amendment 38 # Petra KAMMEREVERT Motion for a resolution Recital D a (new) Da. whereas so-called loot boxes containing random objects are becoming more common in video games and are usually accessible through the game or can be paid for with real money; whereas they can lead to problematic game designs, which could have negative psychological and financial consequences through unwanted or uncontrolled purchases, especially for children and young people; whereas loot boxes have previously been classified as gambling in Belgium, the Netherlands and Slovakia, and were banned in Belgium and the Netherlands2b; _________________ 2b Cerulli-Harms, A et al. (2020), Research for IMCO Committee - Loot boxes in online games and their effect on consumers, in particular young consumers, European Parliament, Policy Department for Economic, Scientific and Quality of Life Policies, Brussels. Amendment 39 # Antonius MANDERS Motion for a resolution Recital D a (new) Da. whereas many online video games aim to monetise their users through data collection and exposure to advertisements, creating an incentive to get users, including children, to spend as much time as possible on games; Amendment 4 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI, Brando BENIFEI Motion for a resolution Citation 8 — having regard to Directive (EU) 2019/2161 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 amending Council Directive 93/13/EEC and Directives 98/6/EC, 2005/29/EC and 2011/83/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the better enforcement and modernisation of Union consumer protection rules, Amendment 40 # Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON Motion for a resolution Recital D a (new) Da. whereas online video games present, by their very nature, important levels of criticalities especially when the gaming experience is compared to most traditional physical channels; Amendment 41 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Recital D a (new) Da. whereas the gaming industry has evolved over the past decades from an arcade and boxed revenue model to a now widely employed games-as-a-service, pay- to-win or freemium business model; Amendment 42 # Petra KAMMEREVERT Motion for a resolution Recital D b (new) Db. whereas there are no effective consumer protection mechanisms for users, minors and gambling addicts in respect of paid loot boxes, and players are often exposed to inappropriate content, commercial practices and gameplay elements without noticing; Amendment 43 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Recital D b (new) Db. whereas these business models are based on monetising users through data collection and exposure to advertisements, creating an important incentive to encourage users, including children, to spend as much time as possible on the games; Amendment 44 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution 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 minorthe WHO have identified ‘gaming disorder’ as a possible health condition, characterised by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences. whereas to qualify, the behaviour should be of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning and would normally have been evident for at least 12 months; whereas the WHO cites studies that suggest that gaming disorder affects only a small proportion of people who engage in digital- or video-gaming activities; Amendment 45 # Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE Motion for a resolution Recital E E. whereas spending excessive amounts of time playing online video games, in the absence of appropriate safeguards, can create addictions and lead to ‘gaming disorder’, and can also lead to consumer-protection related issues as well as mechanisms that can be reminiscent of electronic forms of gambling, in particular with regard to minors; Amendment 46 # Anne-Sophie PELLETIER Motion for a resolution 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 47 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Recital E E. whereas spending excessive amounts of time playing online video games, exacerbated by manipulative design, can create addictions and lead to ‘gaming disorder’, and can also lead to consumer-protection related issues, in particular with regard to ~~minors~~children; Amendment 48 # Antonius MANDERS Motion for a resolution 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~~children; Amendment 49 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Recital E a (new) Ea. whereas children have the right to participate in the digital world to the fullest extent possible; Amendment 5 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Citation 8 a (new) — having regard to the Commission Notice of 29 December 2021 – Guidance on the interpretation and application of Directive 2005/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market, Amendment 50 # Jordi CAÑAS, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Sandro GOZI Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas ~~40% of children have paid to open a loot box in an online game, 15% have used their parents’ money without permission to fund their loot box~~the vast majority of children (74%) do not spend money on in- game extras, where children are allowed to spend in the game (19%) and 75% of parents have agreements in place with their children regarding in-game spending1a; whereas it is fundamental to continue increasing awareness of in-game purchases, and 9% have borrowed money they could not afford to pay back to spend on loot boxes3 ; _________________ 3 https://www.rsph.org.uk/about- us/news/over-1-in-10-young-gamers-get- into-debt-because-of-loot-boxes.htmls a tool to reduce the risks associated to them, particularly for children; _________________ 1a Children’s in-game spending (isfe.eu): survey conducted in UK, France, Spain, Germany and Italy in 2020 with 2,300 respondents. Survey also conducted in 2018 and 2019 Amendment 51 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas a study of 600 children in the UK found that 36.40% of children have paid to open a loot box in an online game, 15% of those purchasing loot boxes, or around 5% of children, have used their parents’ money without permission to fund their loot box purchases, and 94% ~~have~~of children borrowed money they could not afford to pay back to spend on loot boxes3 ; _________________ 3 https://www.rsph.org.uk/about- us/news/over-1-in-10-young-gamers-get- into-debt-because-of-loot-boxes.html Amendment 52 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas ~~40%~~the majority of children have paid to open a loot box in an online game, 15% have used their parents’ money without permission to fund their loot box purchases, and 9% have borrowed money they could not afford to pay back to spend on loot boxes3; _________________ 3 https://www.rsph.org.uk/about- us/news/over-1-in-10-young-gamers-get- into-debt-because-of-loot-boxes.html(74%) spend no money on game extras and, in the cases where they do (19%), 75% of parents have agreements in place with their children for in-game purchases2a; _________________ 2a Children’s in-game spending (isfe.eu):survey conducted in the UK, France, Spain, Germany and Italy in 2020, with 2 300 participants, in 2019 and in 2018. Amendment 53 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Recital F a (new) Fa. whereas a study of 4,000 children from the United States found a wide range of purchasing habits amongst children surveyed on their relationship with video games; whereas amongst 13-14 year olds 48.5% reported that they played video games but did not purchase any loot boxes, 10.3% purchased 1-5 loot boxes, 4.0% purchased 6-10 loot boxes, 3.2% purchased 11-20 loot boxes, and 7.4% purchased more than 20 loot boxes in the past year; whereas amongst 16-17 year olds 43.0% reported that they played video games but did not purchase any loot boxes, 7.1% purchased 1-5 loot boxes, 2.8% purchased 6-10 loot boxes, 1.8% purchased 11-20 loot boxes, and 5.3% purchased more than 20 loot boxes in the past year; Amendment 54 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Recital F a (new) Fa. whereas gamers make in-game purchases in order to, for example, receive cosmetic items or content to give them advantage, to avoid aggressive advertising, to speed up the game or avoid excessive waiting times or ‘grinding’; Amendment 55 # Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE Motion for a resolution Recital F a (new) Fa. whereas monetized video games may have very few consumer protection guarantees, which could pose financial risks for users and, in the case of minors, parents and those legally responsible for their actions; Amendment 56 # Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE Motion for a resolution Recital F b (new) Fb. whereas the control and verification tools set up for accessing online video games may lack efficiency, particularly when it comes to verifying with absolute certainty players’ age; Amendment 57 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Recital G G. whereas 70%4 of parents use some form of parental control tool; whereas the majority of parents are concerned about the amount of time their children spends playing video games and the risks of exposure to harmful content, bullying, contact with adult strangers and in-game purchasesa study of parental attitudes towards media use by their children found that 97%4 of parents use some form of parental control in relation to their child's access to online content, including video games; whereas the study also found that almost six in ten were aware of parental controls built into the device by the manufacturer and 32% said they used them; whereas the majority of respondents also reported to have spoken to their children about staying safe online (79%), with almost half doing so at least once a month (44%); _________________ 4 https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pd f_file/002~~4/196413/concerns-and- experiences-online-harms-2020-chart- pack~~5/217825/children-and-parents- media-use-and-attitudes-report-2020- 21.pdf Amendment 58 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Recital G G. whereas 70%4 of parents use some form of parental control tool; whereas the majority of parents are concerned about the amount of time their children spend playing video games and the risks of exposure to harmful content, ~~bullying, contact with adult strangers~~and whereas video games are among the sources of potential risk least mentioned by adults (2%) and min~~-game purchases~~ors (3%); _________________ 4 https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pd f_file/0024/196413/concerns-and- experiences-online-harms-2020-chart- pack.pdf, page 78. Amendment 59 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Recital G a (new) Ga. whereas a study found that 75% of parents have an agreement with their child about in-game spending in relation to video games1a; _________________ 1a https://www.isfe.eu/wp- content/uploads/2021/12/GameTrack-In- Game-Spending-2020.pdf.pdf Amendment 6 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Citation 8 a (new) — having regard to the Commission Notice –Guidance on the interpretation and application of Directive 2005/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning unfair business-to- consumer commercial practices in the internal market; Amendment 60 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Recital H H. whereas 697% of parents in Europe are aware of the PEGI system ~~and 69~~, 78% of them find the PEGI label useful ~~in deciding whether or not to buy a game for their children5 ; _________________ 5 https://www.isfe.eu/wp- content/uploads/2021/10/2021-ISFE- EGDF-Key-Facts-European-video- games-sector-FINAL.pdf~~and 71% consider it to be trustworthy; whereas 73% of gamers in Europe are aware of the PEGI system, with 74% finding the label useful and 69% consider it to be trustworthy; whereas 87% of both parents and gamers find PEGI labels to be clear; Amendment 61 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Recital I I. whereas the time spent playing video games has increased, with Europeans spending on average 9.5 hours a week playing video games in 2020, compared to 8.6 hours in 2019, 8.8 hours in 2019 and 9.2 hours in 20176; whereas the time spent playing video games is still less than the screen time spent on other activities such as watching TV, which was 25 hours on average in 20207a; _________________ 6 https://www.isfe.eu/wp- content/uploads/2021/10/2021-ISFE- EGDF-Key-Facts-European-video-games- sector-FINAL.pdf. 7a European Audiovisual Observatory. Amendment 62 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA I. whereas the time spent playing video games has ~~increased~~not fundamentally changed in recent years, with Europeans spending on average 9.5 hours a week playing video games in 2020, compared to 8.6 hours in 2019; 8.8 hours in 2018 and 9.2 hours in 20176 , even accounting for the COVID-19 pandemic; _________________ 6 https://www.isfe.eu/wp- content/uploads/2021/10/2021-ISFE- EGDF-Key-Facts-European-video-games- sector-FINAL.pdf. Amendment 63 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Recital I I. whereas industry figures indicate that the time spent playing video games has increased, with Europeans spending on average 9.5 hours a week playing video games in 2020, compared to 8.6 hours in 2019; 8.8 hours in 2018 and 9.2 hours in 20176 ; _________________ 6 https://www.isfe.eu/wp- content/uploads/2021/10/2021-ISFE- EGDF-Key-Facts-European-video-games- sector-FINAL.pdf. Amendment 64 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Recital J J. whereas mental health and well- being are interrelated issues that need to be taken into account in all areas such as education, health, employment and social inclusion; whereas videogames can be important tools to deal with mental health and well-being and can be used to advance in these areas, as well as to help citizens to develop several skills which are essential in a digital society and for the building of the Digital Single Market; Amendment 65 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Recital J J. whereas health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well- being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity and mental health and well- being are interrelated issues that need to be taken into account in all areas such as education, health, employment and social inclusion; Amendment 66 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Recital J J. whereas video games can be important tools for dealing with mental health and well- being ~~are~~in an interrelated ~~issues that need to be taken into account in all~~manner, and are used to support areas such as education, health~~, employment~~ and social inclusion; Amendment 67 # Anne-Sophie PELLETIER Motion for a resolution 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 68 # Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE Motion for a resolution Recital J a (new) Ja. whereas, with regard to the psychosocial effects of certain reward mechanisms, children are more at risk to develop habits in response to certain stimuli; Amendment 69 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Recital J a (new) Ja. whereas 37% of girl gamers experience harassment as a result of their gender in online multiplayer games Amendment 7 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Citation 9 a (new) — having regard to European Commission’s Guidance 2021/C 525/01 on the interpretation and application of Directive2011/83/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on consumer rights Amendment 70 # Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE Motion for a resolution Recital K K. whereas the European video games industry represented a market size of EUR 23.3 billion in 2020 and is still growing8a; whereas, since 2015, digital revenues have increased threefold and account for more than half of European market revenues; _________________ 8a ISFE, Europe’s Video Games Industry, ISFE-EGDF Key Facts, 2021 Amendment 71 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Recital K K. whereas the European video games industry represented a market size of EUR 23.3 billion in 2020 ~~and is still growing~~; whereas, since 2015, digital revenues have increased threefold and account for more than half of European market revenues; Amendment 72 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Recital K a (new) Ka. Whereas in 2020 one-fifth of the EU population was expected to have a disability; whereas the Union is committed to improving social and economic situations of persons with disabilities; whereas social and economic situations online is an important aspect of life; whereas there are certain disabilities that can be particular disabling for online video games, like colour blindness, visual challenges or hand mobility impairments; whereas colour blindness affect 10 % of the male population; Amendment 73 # Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE Motion for a resolution Recital K a (new) Ka. whereas the industry has historically generated revenue from the sale of video games but has been rapidly shifting to purely digital services sold through online storefronts, leading the grounds for new and complex business models; whereas one of the currently predominant business models is represented by in-game purchases that unlock digital content in the video game environment; Amendment 74 # Anne-Sophie PELLETIER Motion for a resolution 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 75 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI, Brando BENIFEI Motion for a resolution Recital K a (new) Ka. whereas the European video games sector is responsible for 90,000 direct jobs in Europe, and is the fastest growing cultural and creative sector in Europe, representing an important potential for growth and job creation in Europe’s Digital Single Market; Amendment 76 # Anne-Sophie PELLETIER Motion for a resolution 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 77 # Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE Motion for a resolution Recital K b (new) Kb. whereas the video games industry represents an important and rapidly growing segment of the creativity sector in Europe, which has historically lagged behind in the emergence of 'European champions' within the global digital sector; Amendment 78 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI Motion for a resolution Recital K b (new) Kb. Whereas 37% of girl gamers experience harassment as a result of their gender in online multiplayer games1a; _________________ 1a https://committees.parliament.uk/writtene vidence/39113/pdf/ Amendment 79 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Subheading -1 (new) Online Video Games in the European Union Amendment 8 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI, Brando BENIFEI Motion for a resolution Citation 11 a (new) — having regard to the Guidance on the interpretation and application of Directive 2005/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market; Amendment 80 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Subheading 1 1a. Bolstering consumer protection in online video games Amendment 81 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph -1 (new) -1. Underlines the value of video games for both online and offline play as popular entertainment enjoyed by significant numbers of Europeans, across all ages and Member States, and as a cultural expression of its creators, individual players and wider gaming communities; Amendment 82 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph -1 a (new) -1a. Emphasises that video games are a highly innovative digital sector in the European Union and the sector is responsible for 90,000 direct jobs in Europe; underlines that video games straddle both digital and cultural sectors, as video games also represent a crucial part of the cultural and creative ecosystem with it making up over 50% of the added- value of the overall EU market for audio- visual content; Amendment 83 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph -1 b (new) -1b. 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; Amendment 84 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph -1 c (new) -1c. Welcomes the launch of the pilot project proposed by the European Parliament entitled "Understanding the Value of a European Games Society", which aims to gather comprehensive data to support policy making affecting the sector; notes that some of the problems faced by the sector include talent development and retention, the impact of regulation in a global marketplace, access to finance and the social and cultural impacts of video games; further notes that such work shall be completed in 2023; Amendment 85 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph -1 d (new) -1d. 1aa (new). Recalls that consumers of video games enjoy protections already under European consumer law, including under the existing Unfair Commercial Practices Directive; Welcomes the Commission's Guidance on the interpretation and application of Directive 2005/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market, which offers 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; Amendment 86 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Welcomes the measures taken to better protect consumers, in particular the Commission Notice of 29 December 2021 – Guidance on the interpretation and application of Directive 2005/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market (Text with EEA relevance); notes, however, the need for a single, coordinated approach between Member States in order to avoid fragmentation of the single market and to protect European consumers; Amendment 87 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Welcomes the measures taken to better protect consumers; notes, however, the need for a single, coordinated approach between Member States in order to avoid fragmentation of the single market and to protect European consumers; Acknowledges that the EU Consumer law acquis provides for a strong consumer protection, fully applicable in videogames, in particular the Commission Notice -Guidance on the interpretation and application of Directive 200/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market1a; notes, however, the need for a single, coordinated approach between Member States in order to avoid fragmentation of the single market and to protect European consumers; _________________ 1a Commission Notice – Guidance on the interpretation and application of Directive 2005/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices in the internal market Amendment 88 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. ~~Welcomes the measures taken to better protect consumers; n~~1. Acknowledges that the EU Consumer law acquis provides for strong consumer protection, fully applicable in video games. 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 in Europe; Amendment 89 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. ~~Welcomes the measures taken to better protect consu~~Acknowledges that the EU Consumer law acquis provides for a strong consumer protection, fully applicable in video gamers; 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 9 # Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Citation 14 a (new) — having regard to the Council Conclusions on building a European Strategy for the Cultural and Creative Industries Ecosystem, 13 April 2022, Amendment 90 # Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Welcomes the measures taken to better protect consumers; notes, however, the need for a ~~single, coordinated approach between Member States~~greater consistency between Member States in their enforcement of existing consumer law in order to avoid fragmentation of the single market and to protect European consumers; Amendment 91 # Anne-Sophie PELLETIER Motion for a resolution 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 92 # Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Welcomes the measures taken to better protect consumers; notes, however, the need for a ~~single,~~ coordinated approach between Member States in order to avoid fragmentation of the single market and to protect European consumers; Amendment 93 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 a (new) 1a. Notes the existence of online video game platforms that allow players, including children, to create their own games using the developer tools provided by them; calls on the Commission to adopt, if needed, regulatory measures in order to protect users against illegal practices caused by these platforms; Amendment 94 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 b (new) 1b. Urges the European Commission and the Network of Consumer Protection Authorities (CPC-Net) to ensure that European consumer law is fully respected and enforced in the video game sector; Amendment 95 # Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 c (new) 1c. Calls on the European Commission to put forward a European Video Game Strategy that unlocks the economic, social, educational, cultural and innovative potential of this sector to enable it to become a leader in the global video game market, as well as to ensure a high level of consumer protection in the Single Market and the protection of children's rights; Amendment 96 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Welcomes the fact that, from January 2022, the Directive on the supply of digital content and digital services will apply to video games, including free-to- play games, and thus provide additional protection for consumers; regrets, however, that some Member States have not yet transposed the directive and urges Member States to implement it without delay and to ensure greater consumer protection across the Union; calls on the Commission to closely monitor the transposition process of the directive, to maintain a close dialogue with late member states and to consider launching infringement procedures, where necessary. Amendment 97 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI, Brando BENIFEI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Welcomes the fact that, from January 2022, the Directive on(EU) 2019/770 on certain aspects concerning contracts for the supply of digital content and digital services will apply to video games, including free-to- play games, and thus provide additional protection for consumers; regrets, however, that some Member States have not yet transposed the directive and urges Member States to implement it without delay and to ensure greater consumer protection across the Union; Amendment 98 # Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. 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 the ongoing fitness check on EU consumer law to ensure Digital fairness; Amendment 99 # Kim VAN SPARRENTAK Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. Welcomes the announcement by the Commission in March 2022 of a ‘Fitness Check’ on existing consumer protection legislation in the EU, to ensure equal fairness online and offline; source: 734.245

Amendment 1 #

Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Karen MELCHIOR, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2

— having regard to the Commission Communication of 22 April 2008 on the protection of consumers, in particular ~~minors~~children, in respect of the use of video games (COM(2008)0207),

Amendment 10 #

Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 a (new)

— having regard to the Council Conclusions on Building a European Strategy for the Cultural and Creative Industries Ecosystem published on 5 April 2022;

Amendment 100 #

Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes the development and implementation of parental-control tools that help to filter content and video games by age, monitor time spent playing games, disable or limit online spending and restrict communications with others or the viewing of content created by other players; notes, however, that parents may find it difficult to use such tools, which reduces their effectiveness; remember that the responsibility for the implementation of parental controls lies with both parents and the industry, which must develop systems that are easy to use, understandable and easy to set up; calls for mechanisms to be put in place to exercise stricter parental control over the amount of time and money children spend on games, among other things;

Amendment 101 #

Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes the development and implementation of parental-control tools that help to filter content and video games by age, monitor time spent playing games, disable or limit online spending and restrict communications with others or the viewing of content created by other players; notes, however, that parents may find it difficult to use such tools, which reduces their effectiveness; calls for mechanisms to be put in place to exercise stricter parental control over the amount of time and money children spend on games, among other thingsrecalls that platform-level parental controls are not the only method used by parents to monitor and manage access to content by their children; notes, however, that parents may find it difficult to use such tools and encourages platforms to simplify steps needed to use those tools where parents wish to do so;

Amendment 102 #

Jordi CAÑAS, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Sandro GOZI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes the development and implementation of parental-control tools that help to filter content and video games by age, monitor time spent playing games, disable or limit online spending and restrict communications with others or the viewing of content created by other players; notes, however, that parents may find it difficult to use such tools, which reduces their effectiveness; calls for mechanisms to be put in place to ~~exercise stricter parental control ove~~raise awareness on the usefulness of those tools in order to monitor the amount of time and money children spend on games, among other things;

Amendment 103 #

Kim VAN SPARRENTAK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes the development and implementation of parental-control tools that help to filter content and video games by age, monitor time spent playing games, disable or limit online spending and restrict communications with others or the viewing of content created by other players; notes, however, that parents may ~~find it difficult to use~~not be aware of or have difficulty implementing such tools, which reduces their effectiveness; calls for ~~mechanisms to be put in place to exercise stricter parental control over the amount of time and money children spend on games, among other things;~~increased awareness-raising and information on how to use parental control tools, whilst respecting the rights and development of children

Amendment 104 #

Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes the development and implementation of parental-control tools that help to filter content and video games by age, monitor time spent playing games, disable or limit online spending and restrict communications with others or the viewing of content created by other players; notes, however, that parents may find it difficult to use such tools, which reduces their effectiveness; ~~calls for mechanisms to be put in place to exercise stricter parental control over the amount of time and money children spend on games, among other things~~stresses that instructions for effective use of parental control should be made user-friendly, accessible and clear;

Amendment 105 #

Carlo FIDANZA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes the development and implementation of parental-control tools that help to filter content and video games by age, monitor time spent playing games, disable or limit online spending and restrict communications with others or the viewing of content created by other players; notes, however, that parents may find it difficult to use such tools, which reduces their effectiveness; calls for ~~mechanisms to be put in place to exercise stricter parental control over the amount of time and money children spend on games, amo~~public-private education and information campaigns in the Member States aimed at parents and guardians, providing them with details of available tools and encouraging otheir ~~things~~use;

Amendment 106 #

Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Calls to the Commission and the Member States to support the promotion of public and private education and information campaigns in Member States directed at parents and caretakers in order to inform them of the tools in place, such as the PEGI phone application, and to encourage their usage;

Amendment 107 #

Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA

Motion for a resolution
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;~~ there are a variety of business models adopted in the video games sector; notes some video games operate on a free-to-play basis or with in- game purchases, including the option to obtain rewards through loot boxes; notes that games with an unfair pay-to-win model or which lock popular content behind paywalls have attracted negative reactions from gaming communities, leading to negative reviews and even changes to games prior or soon after their release;

Amendment 108 #

Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE

Motion for a resolution
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~~buy in-game currencies and to obtain randomized rewards through loot boxes; stresses that the use of in-game currencies constitutes an additional transaction layer that abstracts the real-world cost of the virtual item;

Amendment 109 #

Kim VAN SPARRENTAK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Points out that ~~som~~most online video games offer their users ~~the possibility to pay, sometimes even with real money~~in-game purchases using in-game currencies that can be either purchased with real money or earned in the game, in order to obtain ~~reward~~items through loot boxes; or shopping;

Amendment 11 #

Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas video games are played by all age groups in Europe, ~~in particular minors, 68-79% of whom play them~~with 50% of the European population between 6 to 64 years old playing videogames, with the largest age group being 45 to 64 years old; whereas videogames are popular with children, as in 2020 68% of 6 to 10 years old played a videogame once in the past month;

Amendment 110 #

Anne-Sophie PELLETIER

Motion for a resolution
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 111 #

Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Motion for a resolution
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 or any other type of randomized in-game purchase;

Amendment 112 #

Carlo FIDANZA

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 boxe~~it is important for consumers and parents to be informed of the possible presence of optional in-game purchases, including loot boxes, advance purchases or downloads of free game apps;

Amendment 113 #

Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Highlights that some video games offer their users the possibility of paying, sometimes even with real money, in order to obtain rewards through loot boxes, which are mysterious boxes that contain random elements that the player cannot know before opening the box; points out that loot boxes can be of many different types depending on the eligibility conditions (waiting time, displaying ads, paying with real money), the reward, its transparency, the chances of getting the item, and the possibility of converting the item obtained in game currency or real money, among others;

Amendment 114 #

Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Stresses that in-game purchases have been present in video games for many years and the Guidance on the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive already bans their mandatory use; highlights that consumers and parents must be informed of the presence of in- game purchases prior to the purchase or download of the application;

Amendment 115 #

Marco CAMPOMENOSI, Alessandra BASSO, Markus BUCHHEIT, Virginie JORON, Antonio Maria RINALDI, Isabella TOVAGLIERI, Jean-Lin LACAPELLE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Observes that generally the ownership of in-game currencies does not guarantee the right of refund nor the right of withdrawal for consumers, notably given the complicated licensing agreements through which video games companies often grant themselves the power to unilaterally change contractual clauses;

Amendment 116 #

Petra KAMMEREVERT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Acknowledges that it has not yet been clearly established whether loot boxes may be considered gambling in Europe; notes, however, that several Member States have considered loot boxes to be gambling and have adopted regulatory measures to ban them since all of the constitutive elements of gambling are present, namely game, wager, chance, win/loss; emphasises that games or gameplay elements have not been released since then in the Netherlands and Belgium, where loot boxes are already banned; believes that this illustrates the need for uniform European rules in relation to loot boxes in order to protect the European internal market; calls on the Commission to analyse and determine whether or not loot boxes can be considered to be a gambling activity and, if so, to take the necessary steps to bring about a ~~common European approach~~Europe- wide ban on loot boxes that can also be paid for with real money and have been classified as gambling;

Amendment 117 #

Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Acknowledges that it has not yet been clearly established whether loot boxes may be considered gambling in Europe; notes, however, that several Member States have considered loot boxes to be gambling and have adopted regulatory measures to ban them; calls on the Commission to analyse and determine whether or not loot boxes can be considered to be a gambling activity and, if so,calls on the Commission to take the necessary steps to bring about a common European approach;

Amendment 118 #

Carlo FIDANZA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Acknowledges that ~~it has not yet been clearly established whether loot boxes may be considered gambling in Europe~~the European Parliament has commissioned a study on loot boxes and their effects on consumers, particularly young consumers8a, and has recommended that loot boxes be examined from the perspective of consumer protection legislation, but also in terms of the efficiency of industry measures; notes, however, that ~~several~~only one Member States haves considered loot boxes to be gambling and have adopted regulatory measures to ban them; calls on the Commission to analyse and determine whether or not loot boxes can be considered to be a gambling activity and, if so, to take the necessary steps to bring about a common European approach; ; welcomes, therefore, the recent adoption by the Commission of guidelines on the Directive on unfair commercial practices, which lays down harmonised rules governing in-game purchases of randomised items; _________________ 8a Loot boxes in online games and their effect on consumers, in particular young consumers, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/ etudes/STUD/2020/652727/IPOL_STU(20 20)652727_EN.pdf.

Amendment 119 #

Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Acknowledges that ~~it has not yet been clearly established~~the decision on whether loot boxes may be considered gambling in Europe~~; notes, however, that several~~ rests with national authorities, in line with the competences of the Member States; notes that one Member States ha~~ve consider~~s classified loot boxes ~~to be~~as gambling aund ~~have adopted regulatory measures to ban them;~~ er their national legislation; recalls on the ~~Commission to analyse and determine whether or not loot boxes can be considered to be a gambling activity and, if so, to take the necessary steps to bring about a common European approach~~conclusions of the European Parliament study which recommended to consider paid random content as a consumer protection issue and the parallel activities of the European Commission in connection with the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive Guidance and other initiatives particularly aimed at the protection of children on the internet in general;

Amendment 12 #

Petra KAMMEREVERT

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas video games are played by half of all Europeans and by all age groups in Europe, in particular minors~~, 68-79% of whom play them;~~: 73% of children aged 6-10, 84% aged 11- 14 and 74% of young people aged 15-24 play video games2a; _________________ 2a COM(2022)212.

Amendment 120 #

Brando BENIFEI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Acknowledges that the study commissioned by the European Parliament on loot boxes and their effect on consumers, in particular young consumers recommended to examine loot boxes from a consumer protection legislation perspective; notes that it has not yet been clearly established whether loot boxes may be considered gambling in Europe~~; notes, however, that several~~, although more than one Member States haves considered ~~loot boxes~~them to be gambling ~~and have adopted regulatory measures to ban them~~; calls on the Commission to analyse and determine whether or not loot boxes can be considered to be a gambling activity and, if so, to take the necessary steps to bring about a common European approach;

Amendment 121 #

Kim VAN SPARRENTAK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Acknowledges that ~~it has not yet been clearly established whether loot boxes may be considered gambling in Europe; notes, however,~~ several reports and studies have shown the harmful effects and exploitative practices of loot boxes, especially forchildren1b notes, ,that several Member States have considered loot boxes to be gambling and have adopted regulatory measures to ban them; calls on the Commission to analyse ~~and determ~~the way ine wh~~ether or not loot boxes can be considered to be a gambling activity and, if so, to take the necessary steps to bring about a common European approach;~~ ich loot boxes are sold, to establish whether an EU-wide ban should be proposed, also to avoid fragmentation of the Single Market; _________________ 1b Insert Coin Report, Norwegian Consumer Council, 2022. https://fil.forbrukerradet.no/wp- content/uploads/2022/05/2022-05-31- insert-coin-publish.pdf

Amendment 122 #

Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Points out that the European Parliament commissioned a study on loot boxes and their effect on consumers, in particular young consumers1a , and recommended to examine loot boxes from a consumer protection legislation perspective but also to consider the efficiency of industry measures; _________________ 1a https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank /en/document/IPOL_STU(2020)652727

Amendment 123 #

Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5b. Notes that it has not yet been clearly established whether loot boxes may be considered gambling in Europe1a; notes, however, that gambling law is national competence of Member States and that Belgium and the Netherlands have considered that loot boxes constitute gambling and have regulated them accordingly; _________________ 1a https://op.europa.eu/en/publication- detail/-/publication/f84fa393-0f01-11e4- a7d0-01aa75ed71a1/language-en

Amendment 124 #

Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)

5c. Welcomes the Commission recently adopted Guidance on the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, which establishes harmonised rules where paid random items are present in video games; calls for its compliance and swift implementation to ensure consumer protection in the Single Market, particularly for children; urges the Commission to further assess consumer protection in video games and take the necessary steps to bring about a common European approach on loot boxes and any other type of randomized in-game purchases;

Amendment 125 #

Kim VAN SPARRENTAK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Points out that certain game designs used for in-game purchasing ~~systems can be particularly harmful when targeted at minors; calls for such advertising to be banned when targeted at minors~~are manipulative and exploitative by design, using aggressive commercial practices that significantly impair the consumer’s freedom of choice and motivating them to make financial decisions that they would not have taken otherwise; notes that such practices are clearly prohibited under Directive (EU) 2019/2161, calls on the Commission and CPC-Net to ensure consumer law is fully respected and enforced;

Amendment 126 #

Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Points out that certain game designs used for in-game purchasing systems such as viewing ads to get a particular reward in the game can be particularly harmful when targeted at minors; calls for such ~~advertising to be banned when targeted at minor~~practice to be banned when targeted at minors; calls in addition on video games developers and vendors to ensure games likely to be accessed by children respect children’s rights including a prohibition on targeted advertising and manipulative practices;

Amendment 127 #

Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Adam BIELAN, Beata MAZUREK, Eugen JURZYCA, Carlo FIDANZA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Points out that certain game designs used for in-game purchasing systems can be particularly harmful when targeted at ~~minors; calls for such advertising to be banned when targeted at minors~~children; welcomes therefore the Guidance of the European Commission which underlines that existing law already can be used to tackle misleading practices, including in relation to in-game promotion and in-game purchases, the requirement to display prices in real- world currencies and advertising directed at children;

Amendment 128 #

Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Points out that certain game designs used for in-game purchasing systems can be particularly harmful ~~when targeted at minors; calls for such advertising to be banned when targeted at minors~~: stresses that they must also be compliant with the recently adopted Guidance on the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive to ensure that they do not result in harmful practices affecting consumers, especially children;

Amendment 129 #

Antonius MANDERS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Points out that certain game designs used for in-game purchasing systems can be particularly harmful when targeted at ~~mino~~children; calls for considering a ban from using deceptive designs to exploit consumers;, calls for such advertising to be banned when targeted at minors;

Amendment 13 #

Kim VAN SPARRENTAK

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas video games are played by all age groups in Europe, in particular ~~minors~~children, 68-79% of whom play them; considering 44% of 9-16year olds play on a daily basis; 1a _________________ 1a EU Kids Online, 2020. https://www.eukidsonline.ch/files/Eu- kids-online-2020-international-report.pdf

Amendment 130 #

Anne-Sophie PELLETIER

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 131 #

Carlo FIDANZA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Points out that ~~certain game designs used for in-game purchasing systems can be particularly harmful when targeted at minors; calls for such advertising to be banned when targeted at~~in-game purchasing systems must comply with the Directive on unfair commercial practices and the recent guidelines to ensure that such practices are not harmful for minors;

Amendment 132 #

Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Notes that deceptive designs also occur in video games and can distort consumers’ behaviour when playing video games; calls on video games developers and vendors to ensure a ban on dark patterns, aggressive marketing practices pushing consumers to purchase loot boxes at every opportunity and misleading transparency disclosure about the likely- hood to win or lose; considers that more transparency is needed on the algorithms used for loot-boxes; Calls for in-game purchases and paid loot boxes features to be disabled by default;

Amendment 133 #

Kim VAN SPARRENTAK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Notes that lack of correlation between the value of in-game currency such as coins, gems or silver to actual money appears to be designed to be misleading to consumers; recalls that such practices are clearly prohibited under Directive (EU) 2019/2161, takes note of the recent dialogue with TikTok increase transparency somewhat in this regard;1c _________________ 1c https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscor ner/detail/en/ip_22_3823

Amendment 134 #

Anne-Sophie PELLETIER

Motion for a resolution
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 135 #

Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Stresses that online games that are likely to be accessible to children must take their 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, in accordance with the GDPR and the DSA and their particular provisions related to the data processing of children and the protection of their online privacy;

Amendment 136 #

Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI

7. Stresses that online games that are likely to be accessible to children must take their 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; calls that aspects such as the time limits of the game or stopwatches, should be taken into account during its design;

Amendment 137 #

Carlo FIDANZA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Stresses that online games that are likely to be accessible to children must take their rights and vulnerabilities into account; ~~stress~~notes that ~~they must meet the highest possible standards by design and by default when it com~~PEGI age labels and content descriptors provide guidance to parents, helping them to determine which games are appropriate for which age; points out that the GDPR requires tohat spec~~urity and privacy~~ial attention be paid to the processing of children’s data;

Amendment 138 #

Kim VAN SPARRENTAK

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Stresses that developers of online games that are likely to be accessible to children must take their rights and vulnerabilities into account; stresses that they must meet the highest possible standards by design and by default when it comes to safety, security and privacy;

Amendment 139 #

Petra KAMMEREVERT

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Urges the video game industry and the licensors in the industry to introduce, as soon as possible, measures to improve consumer protection and protect children and young people, such as effective protection mechanisms for gambling addicts and vulnerable individuals and age verification mechanisms that ensure that minors cannot make payments for loot boxes and cannot perform micro- transactions if the games have not been approved for their age group according to the PEGI rating, as well as clear indicators showing the chances of winning when loot boxes are used and the introduction of daily and monthly deposit limits;

Amendment 14 #

Antonius MANDERS

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas video games are played by all age groups in Europe, in particular ~~minors~~children, 68-79% of whom play them;

Amendment 140 #

Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD

7a. Stresses that videogames are both tools for playing as well as art works with cultural value; points out that article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that all children have the right to play and to freely and fully experience cultural life and activities according to their age;1a _________________ 1a https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments- mechanisms/instruments/convention- rights-child

Amendment 141 #

Adriana MALDONADO LÓPEZ, Biljana BORZAN, Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES, Andreas SCHIEDER, Clara AGUILERA, Maria GRAPINI, Marc TARABELLA, Christel SCHALDEMOSE, Miroslav ČÍŽ, Marc ANGEL, René REPASI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Notes that, in addition to supplementing the standards by default, parents can play an important role in protecting minors in videogames; points out that, however, awareness campaigns and support through the use of appropriate tools and information on how to better protect their children should be carried out;

Amendment 142 #

Jordi CAÑAS, Catharina RINZEMA, Stéphanie YON-COURTIN, Karen MELCHIOR, Sandro GOZI, Morten LØKKEGAARD