Sony Playstation's The Rule of Rose has shocked Europe's justice commissioner

The "obscene cruelty" of a psychological horror computer game has sparked calls for an EU-wide crackdown to safeguard children.

Sony Playstation's The Rule of Rose has so shocked Europe's justice commissioner Franco Frattini that he has written to all EU governments urging action to tighten controls on "dreadful" games which show and glorify violence.

He is demanding talks on the issue when Home Affairs ministers meet in Brussels next month.

He said: "An increasing number of such games display and even glorify violence, sometimes extreme violence."

"In particular one of the latest games (The Rule of Rose) relates to a young girl who becomes submitted to psychological and physical violence.

"This has shocked me profoundly for its obscene cruelty and brutality."

The Rule of Rose is a horror game involving a girl kidnapped by a secret society of orphans. The game has already caused controversy in Mr Frattini's native Italy, where the Mayor of Rome has vowed to have it banned.

Mr Frattini said: "Games where you are supposed to shoot down ordinary people walking on the streets or where you have to bully children at schools are other examples of obscene and perverse games.

"These types of games are dreadful examples for our children and may provoke or encourage violence or bully behaviour by children, or suggest this is a normal behaviour."

The Commissioner adds: "It is first and foremost the responsibility of the parents to protect children from such games, but I nevertheless think that we at member state and European level also have to take responsibility to protect children's rights."

Last July the Commission published its ideas for an "EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child".

Now Mr Frattini wants the Home Affairs ministers meeting on December 5 to take a first look at how to increase awareness of the potential risks of violent computer games with tougher labelling and restrictions on sales to youngsters.

He is suggesting a follow-up conference early next year to consider a new voluntary code of conduct on the production of interactive games for children.

He said: "We could focus on the relationship between our children and the interactive world they are confronted with nowadays - a world which brings windows of positive opportunities as well as potential dangers."

The Rule of Rose was released by Sony's Japanese division, but the company has left it to other publishers to handle wider distribution, including in America, Italy and the UK.

After the Mayor of Rome condemned the game, Corrado Buonanno of Sony Computer Entertainment reportedly described the game as "unsuitable for the Italian and European public because of its content".

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