by Vicki FitzGerald

Computer game makers have supported a Winscombe mum's campaign to test games to avoid them causing epileptic seizures.

Gaye Herford asked Weston MP John Penrose to take up the matter in Parliament after her 10-year-old son suffered an epileptic seizure playing his Nintendo.

And the Government persuaded the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) to advise its members to check their games before release.

Mrs Herford, 46, found her son twitching uncontrollably with his eyes glazed while he played a game called Rayman: Raving Rabbids in May 2007.

The fit was brought on by the pulsating flashes on the game.

No video games undergo testing, and instead many carry a warning stating the game could trigger photosensitive epileptic (PSE) seizures.

But Mrs Herford believes the warnings are not good enough and wants games to be brought under the same umbrella as TV programmes – which all undergo rigorous checks.

A Harding Flash and Pattern Analyser removes sequences that could cause seizures.

After the Parliamentary debate in July the Government took up the issue with ELSPA, urging it to get manufacturers to pre-screen their products.

ELSPA, which is the trade body representing the British computer and video game industry, accepted Mr Penrose's argument.

The decision was Mrs Herford's second success, as game creator Ubisoft agreed in the summer to test its games through a screening process.

Mr Penrose said: "I'm delighted that ELSPA have listened to the scientific evidence and are responding to public concern in a responsible and constructive way.

"Many parents will have been shocked to discover that a single game can trigger such a serious condition amongst people who are at risk.

"Television broadcasts are already screened in exactly this way so there's no reason why the same approach shouldn't apply to computer and video games too.

"The technology already exists and some responsible game manufacturers, such as Ubisoft, are already using it to check their games.

"But there are many who don't and this leaves children and teenagers at risk.

"I've written to ELSPA to thank them for their help, and to urge them to go further.

"We need them to update their guidance on the issue, as well as to publish a list of manufacturers on their website who have agreed to comply with their recommendation to pre-screen games in the UK."

"This way both customers and manufacturers will be able to make clear choices about which games they want to buy and which ones they don't," the Weston-super-Mare MP said.