The red button interface

Possibly some weird work for computer case and cell phone designers: Parents should have a "red button" to disable a game they feel is inappropriate for their child, says the EP Internal Market Committee. So, the solution to avoid kids playing with games that are not suitable for them is... a red button. More information on the European Parliament website:

"Members of the committee are particularly worried about on-line games, which are easy to download onto a PC or a mobile phone, making parental control harder. Until PEGI on-line is up and running, the report proposes fitting consoles, computers or other game devices with a "red button" to give parents the chance to disable a game or control access at certain times."

Why do I blog this? A sort of red-button-determinism like this is quite hilarious. The idea of adding a new button that would comes out from the blue (like this) to prevent kids from inappropriate content sounds so passé that I can't help thinking about odd game devices (cell phones with gigantic buttons, desktop computers with switches) and, of course, the inherent problems that may happen!