Molotov

Ok I read a lot of kids stuff now, but figure this was pretty interesting for you guys.
http://www.webchild.com.au/index.php/Ar ... Closer.php

It's kind of ironic that a childrens site for parents seems to publish an article putting it on a more favourable note!

What they didn't mention in that article, is the fact that we have a number of games classified MA15+ over here, that overseas would have an 18+ rating.

That alone is reason enough for a children's interest org to get behind an R18+ rating for games: under the current system it is possible for children age 15-17 to buy games that are 18+ under a different system.

Oh well - slowly, slowly.

Yes cart, but that argument was put was put to a representative of the ACL (maybe australian chrisitan lobby?) and his response was (and i paraphrase) "well that just shows that the classifications board isn't doing their job properly as it is (letting these games through as MA15+) and that these games should be banned if they aren't suitable for the MA15 rating.


frustrating.

That's one possible argument, true; but there's "reforming our classification board" and there's "reforming our rating system" - they're two different things.

It's all just garbage. Australia is proving itself to be unable to look forward...

Mitra wrote:Yes cart, but that argument was put was put to a representative of the ACL (maybe australian chrisitan lobby?) and his response was (and i paraphrase) "well that just shows that the classifications board isn't doing their job properly as it is (letting these games through as MA15+) and that these games should be banned if they aren't suitable for the MA15 rating.


frustrating.

Aren't those games dumbed down a bit compared to their overseas equivalents though?

Satrix wrote:

Mitra wrote:Yes cart, but that argument was put was put to a representative of the ACL (maybe australian chrisitan lobby?) and his response was (and i paraphrase) "well that just shows that the classifications board isn't doing their job properly as it is (letting these games through as MA15+) and that these games should be banned if they aren't suitable for the MA15 rating.


frustrating.

Aren't those games dumbed down a bit compared to their overseas equivalents though?

some have been...

Many aren't.

In the case of, say, L4D2 - it was refused classification and resubmitted in a "lower impact" form in order to get MA15+.

In many cases a game that would easily fit into the R18+ category is not refused classification, but argued by its publisher into an MA15+ rating, without having to be altered and resubmitted.

There are a handful of high profile games, including one of the GTAs recently, that have had this happen. What it means is that 15-17 year olds are then able to buy the game without parental involvement, where the identical game overseas would require their parents to buy it for them or creative alternatives

Edit:

I guess those last two links highlight the futility of the idealistic vs the realistic. No matter how you ban it, classify it or alter it, people will get the content they want if they really want.

The people who end up hurting in this case aren't so much the children, or the special interest groups who don't actually play games anyway, it's the Australian businesses who could be selling the games, but aren't, and the government who could be collecting taxes, but aren't.

So, you know, there's that.

I've always liked these.

Fallout 3 - Originally banned because of drug use in relation to real world drugs. Edited world wide due to the insignificant change that was done (the name of morphine being changed to Med-x). Therefore the same game that was rated 17+/18+ in other countries was rated MA15+ in Australia.
Grand Theft Auto III - Originally banned because of the use of prostitutes. A censored version was later released. PC version was released uncut with MA15+.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Had its classification revoked following the Hot Coffee controversy. Edited worldwide with this version of the game also achieving a MA15+
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - Pre-Censored before submission because of the use of prostitutes. In 2010 the game was released uncut again receiving a MA15+.

I'm really unsure how they go about banning things.

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Graffiti_ga ... _Australia

Strike 1

STATE censorship ministers have thrown cold water on Labor's plan to establish a video game category for adults.

The plan was rejected at a meeting of the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (SCAG) in Canberra today.

Federal Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor has been backing calls from gaming industry stakeholders to introduce the new R18+ category and hoped to win endorsement from state attorney generals at the SCAG meeting.

However, the ministers asked for more time to consider the issue.

Gaming industry lobby groups were disappointed with the meeting's outcome.

Ron Curry, chief executive of the Interactive Gaming & Entertainment Association, said it was "disappointing that an adult rating for video games will be delayed once again despite mass support from the community."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/austral ... 5969108337