Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation Say They've Teamed Up For Safety
Today gaming leaders at Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony gaming teamed up to announce a shared commitment for gaming safety. Corporate Vice President of Xbox Operations, Dave McCarthy, announced that Xbox was aligned with Nintendo "on behalf of the community of Nintendo Switch players", and PlayStation on accomplishing a set of goals for the greater good of the gaming industry. The goals include Prevention, Partnership, and Responsibility.
The announcement this morning seems to be aiming to get ahead of the oncoming generation of at-home gamers and games that are online and cross-platform by default. It's not difficult to imagine that the biggest names in gaming have seen the epic rise of games like Fortnite, Minecraft, and Roblox during our current pandemic, seeing the need for a renewed bit of dedication to safety for the masses.
Microsoft says the three brands are committed to the following:
• Prevention : Empower players and parents to understand and control gaming experiences.
• Partnership : We commit to partnering with the industry, regulators, law enforcement, and our communities to advance user safety.
• Responsibility : We hold ourselves accountable for making our platforms as safe as possible for all players.
The team-up isn't a hard-and-fast legal agreement to any one element. None of the three major gaming brands have agreed to team-up on any newly named project – not publicly, anyway.
Instead, the announcement today seemed more like a public notice that the heads of Nintendo, Xbox, and PlayStation are aware of the need for social safety measures. The statement says that they are committed to "work together to improve player safety and ensure gaming remains truly for everyone."
Cross your fingers this means they'll be making more legally binding agreements on these fronts in the future. If we're going to live in a world where we're always connected all the time, a constantly reinvigorated commitment to social good will remain absolutely necessary.