Backed by the UK games
industry and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Get
Set Go! is a continuation of the Get Smart About P.L.A.Y. campaign which launched earlier this year to
promote the importance of using family controls to set parameters around play
and discussing your child’s playing habits with them.
The new campaign
encourages parents and carers to GET
their next-gen console ready before wrapping it up as a gift, SET family controls that work for their
families and GO and have fun, safe in the knowledge that
you have the controls in place to stay in charge.
Setting up new video game
devices early, before they’re wrapped, ensures families can plug in and play
without needing to worry about making
accounts and downloading large updates. This is also the perfect time to
install family controls.
Guides and tutorials on
how to set the new consoles up, and deploy the family controls are available at
AskAboutGames.com, where parents can also find a host of helpful guides
covering the range of games platforms out there, and guides to the biggest new
releases for the family.
"We want every child
to be safe online, so it is brilliant that UKIE's Get, Set, Go! campaign will
give parents and carers both the tools they need to protect children and the
confidence to gift games and consoles this Christmas,” commented Creative
Industries Minister Caroline Dinenage.
“Video game consoles take
time and require care to set up properly, and Christmas Day doesn’t provide the
ideal setting for doing all that,” commented Emma Kenny, one of the UK’s
leading TV psychologists.
“Children are excited and
impatient, so when the only thing standing between them and playing is a
download bar... well you don’t need a psychologist to tell you that’s going to
cause stress for the whole family. That’s why the video game industry is
encouraging parents to set up new consoles and get them ready to play before
wrapping them up for Christmas.”
The campaign will be
supported by a new weekly podcast series. Hosted by tech journalist Will
Guyatt, the series will cover everything families need to know about the new
consoles, the must-have games launching with them, what parents and carers need
to do before wrapping up a console and much more.
BAFTA-winning studio
Sports Interactive will also be supporting the campaign by running Get Set Go!
ads in Football Manager 2021, courtesy of bidstack, and over 50 publishers and
studios will be amplifying the GetSetGo! messaging through their social
channels.
“The launch of video game
consoles and buying a new one at Christmas is always exciting for families, but
we know that parents and carers can find it hard to get great advice on the
best ways to play,” said Dr Jo Twist OBE, CEO of Ukie.
“Get Set Go! aims to give
parents and carers across the UK the confidence to set-up new devices, as well
existing consoles, in the way that works for them, ensuring everyone has safe
and sensible fun playing games this Christmas.”
In addition to advice on
AskAboutGames.com, there are lists of games for families on each of the new
consoles on the Family Video Game Database www.taminggaming.com.
This provides information on age ratings, numbers of players and in-game
purchases to help parents and carers make an informed choice.
For more information on the Get Set Go! Campaign visit www.askaboutgames.com/get-set-go.