The recent Byron report released in Europe gave the different classification groups in the region something to think about. Despite advocating a medium between both the BBFC and PEGI rating systems, ELSPA had its own opinion regarding the matter by favoring the PEGI Age Rating System as the sole classification system for video games in Europe. Find out the reason behind this by reading our full article after the jump.

The recent review released by Dr. Tanya Byron regarding the rating standards of violent video games in Europe was met with a most positive response from the different media classification groups in the region. The BBFC, ELSPA, ISFE, and Tiga each gave their own statements, generally agreeing with the suggestions given in the comprehensive document released by the British psychologist. More on this in our full article.

The Independent Game Developers Association (TIGA) has just announced the list of their finalists for the upcoming TIGA awards which is going to happen in London on January 30, 2008.

Two new categories were added to the roster list for this year's awards. Finalists that are included can only win through the peer votes of TIGA members.

Catch the finalists and the additional categories after the jump!

As the video game industry grows, countries start offering game development courses. The UK, for instance, has more than 80 educational institutions catering aspiring developers. TIGA, a trade association representing games software developers with 157 members, says that "Very few graduates of so-called 'games' courses are fit for purpose."

TIGA's CEO, Fred Hasson, expressed his lack of trust in these courses actually producing game developers. He quoted a company saying "We don't even know if we'll use them for QA". Apparently, Hasson is not happy with these courses. According to him, "Basically, these courses are a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but no basic foundations for a skill set."

To address this problem, he asked the government for help. "We have contributed quite significantly because it's the best thing we're going to get. If we don't tell the government what we want, they're not going to listen."

GamesIndustry.biz reports that Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot will be keynoting this year's Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival (EIEF) to be held in August. Guillemot will be delivering one of the event's two keynote addresses. The BBC's Simon Nelson will be delivering the other.

Fred Hasson, the CEO of festival organiser TIGA, said that this year's event will look at how video games interface with other media. This will most likely be the focus of Guillemot and Nelson's keynote addresses. Also taking to the stage will be Jim Purbrick from Second Life creator Linden Lab and a spokesperson from EVE Online publisher CCP.

The EIEF is the longest running event of its kind in the UK. This year's event will be the fifth time that the videogame conference will take place. Exact dates for the conference have yet to be announced.