Molotov

http://www.kotaku.com.au/2009/09/left-4 ... australia/
http://www.atomicmpc.com.au/News/156009 ... ralia.aspx

Oh, good.

Remember that while it is not illegal to possess RC in Australia (except WA and certain other places - GG), it IS illegal for Valve to sell it. In essence, it wouldn't be available for Aussies to buy on Steam, but if you imported a physical copy, you would be able to install and run it (ironically, the way Steam works these days, you'd still be downloading it from Steam, despite having the physical media).
What does this mean for someone selling hosting for an RC game? Probably nothing - as long as we can get ahold of the dedicated server for it (and we can), we aren't actually selling the content, but the underlying service supporting it. Probably.

This'll likely be moot, as Valve will probably change whatever has got the OFLC's knickers in a twist and it'll be released as MA15+ without issue.

What is an issue is how utterly backward our system is, that it comes to this.

I hate our system... so stupid.
As well as the fact that parents etc dont actually care and just give little johny(rico) whatever he should so desire.
You would think that the game having a MA15+ might contain something which isnt actually suitable for the minds of developing youth.

I say this, as my housemates younger brother (12y.o) decided to go on a rampage on GTA: Vice City without blinking twice.
I can see now why people are so concerned with the game developement, while at the same time why isnt there an effective system in place!?

the system is fine.
the lack of an r rating is what sucks.

imagine the reviewer at the Bureau.

"played L4D2 today. exceeds requirements for MA15+. FML"

Mitra wrote:imagine the reviewer at the Bureau.

"played L4D2 today. exceeds requirements for MA15+. FML"

Lol, so true

http://games.on.net/article/7014/L4D2_D ... ecapitated

/sigh

Update:

http://www.cybergamer.com.au/forums/thr ... ad-2-MA15/

In short:
They've had a cut down version approved for MA15+, and will be releasing a version of the game on time. They are still trying to get the uncut version approved.

This is all because the South Australian Attorney General up until this point refused to sit down and agree to a new R18+ lable for computer games unlike most of the other states which are willing to - Apparently he doesnt have kids who surf the net and "stumbled" upon "unsuitable material" for people under the age of 18 Or the fact that you probably see more violence on the news and in the papers and that ZOMBIES and GHOULS are real!! Arent they? Did he ever see Thriller film clip as a kid?

Shame that we need more rules to govern our life, what would happen if people were actually able to make their own choices?

TWIMC:

Initial efforts to "patch" my gimped version of the demo using files which differ from the proper version have failed; our best guess is that the low violence command comes from Steam - it knows that my account purchased an Australian version of the game, and therefore it will only launch that version.

There's a workaround for those who haven't already bought it: Get a US or NZ friend to buy you the game and gift it to you. You'll have the full gore version then (this is confirmed, at least for the demo, and it's how we got our hands on the full gore files).

I wouldn't want to bet money that Valve won't control your content on game release or at a later date though, even if you use this workaround - this is my primary issue with Steam.

Although I approve of many of the aspects of delivery that Steam brings to application sales, the lack of control over content for the end user is a huge drawback, and it's particularly disappointing in this case (I was kinda hoping Valve would make it relatively easy to fix the game to the way it should be).

The bottom line here is that if the violence setting is wholly dependent on what Steam tells your client based on your user account, the only way to give yourself the real game's experience is to interfere with Steam - which would likely trigger VAC and get you banned. GG.

Meanwhile...

"Michael Atkinson sends challenge to gamers"

http://www.news.com.au/technology/story ... 39,00.html

In it he says...

"Access to electronic games, once in the home, cannot be policed and therefore the games are easily accessible to children," he said.

"If adults think they can devise a lock-out system to defeat children, tell 'em they're dreaming."

Does he realize that some huge number of people just bypass his "fuck off and die, no 18+ game" system?

Does he also realize he's basically called every single parent unable to prevent their children doing anything?

Hell, you could basically say "Access to <Insert word here>, once in the home, cannot be policed and therefore the <Insert word here> are easily accessible to children," he said.

Go ahead, try it with kitchen knives, internet usage and whatever else you can think of that's bad for children (such as politics).

Fuck this deluded, delinquent prick. He needed a lot more violence, gore and depraved sex in his games when he was growing up.

I'll have a perfect lock out system for my daughter, its called not being allowed on the damn computer! When she is old enough (preferably around the age of 14) the computer she can use will be located in a public room and she will damn well know that hiding screens when mum and dad come into the room will be an instant ban. To be honest i don't worry about her seeing violence on a video game its more the cyber bullying and potential perverts out there that worries me more. I can assure most people would agree that a child loses more innocence to sex in todays society then the effects of a graphic video game.

On another note just because hatter I think wants this game and I really have no idea what half the stuff is you talk about, (like wtf is steam?!!) my assumption is he needs to get his american friends to buy him the game to play the uncensored version, is this true or false?

Satrix wrote:I can assure most people would agree that a child loses more innocence to sex in todays society then the effects of a graphic video game.

Whether or not that's what most people think, it'd be a different kind of damage done via nudity and sex than via violence.

Violence in video games does have an effect - it's not yet certain how damaging it is, but it is at least prudent to keep it out of reach of children.

That isn't what our classification system does, however.

On another note just because hatter I think wants this game and I really have no idea what half the stuff is you talk about, (like wtf is steam?!!) my assumption is he needs to get his american friends to buy him the game to play the uncensored version, is this true or false?

That's one method, yes.

Another is to do this:
1) http://store.steampowered.com/?cc=uk (the UK version of the Steam store)
2) Search for Left 4 Dead 2. Click to buy it (for the bargain price of 30 pounds - works out to the same AUD roughly)
3) When you get to payment details it should say something at the top about your current country not being the same as your registered country. Change "Australia" in the dropdown to "United Kingdom" (Make sure the box is checked that says "This is the country in which I currently live")
4) Pay by credit card.
5) Profit!

*You cannot pay via PayPal
*Some credit cards will not work this way - they'll trigger Steam getting upset and refusing the purchase

If this method doesn't work, no loss - you can still get your American/New Zealand/British friends to buy the game as a gift and send that gift to Hatter's email.

what atkinson fails to realise/blatently ignores is that as part of an r18+ rating we could actually tighten the ma15+ rating standards to make games which previously would have received an ma15+ rating to now cop an r18+ rating.

Thus helping to keep dangerous content out of the hands of the children it isn't suitable for.

gamers don't just want to access more adult content, we think that some of the current content is too adult for children.

cool thanks cart ^-^

Re: Alley's article

"I am next up for election in March 2010. The state district I represent is called Croydon. I would welcome advocates of R18+ computer games testing public acceptance of my policy by standing a candidate against me," he said.
"I think you will find this issue has little traction with my constituents who are more concerned with real-life issues than home entertainment in imaginary worlds."

That's well and good, but Atkinson's constituent isn't the only group affected by the ratings restriction (or indeed, the main group affected by it). Saying, "My policy is sound because my electorate consisting of upper middle class Labor voters will vote for me over someone else" is exactly the kind of bullshit argument I'd expect from a sanctimonious git like him.