R18+ Bill to be introduced in Parliament next month

posted by Glenn on January 24th, 2012 at 12:56 pm

According to GameSpot, the office of the Federal Minister for Home Affairs, Jason Clare, has confirmed that the bill to introduce an R18+ rating for video games will be tabled when Parliament resumes on February 7th. A spokesperson from Clare’s office told GameSpot:

“Our plans are to introduce the R18+ bill in the first session of parliament this year. If it passes the Lower House, it will then go to the Senate for the same process.”

For the bill to be passed in the lower house, it requires the support of two crossbench MPs (independents Rob Oakeshott, Tony Windsor, Andrew Wilkie, and Bob Katter; and Greens MP Adam Bandt), all of them remaining silent on the issue.

To be passed in the Senate, it must be approved by either the Greens or the Coalition. Shadow Attorney-General had doubts about the rating in the past, while the Greens are showed their support.

If the bill is passed, then Mortal Kombat and Syndicate will be able to get released with an R18+ rating, Left 4 Dead 2 would be uncensored, and a majority of violent games such as The Darkness II will get the ratings they deserve.

EA Slams Classification Board; Refuses to Censor Syndicate

posted by Glenn on December 21st, 2011 at 7:17 pm

Games On Net says that EA Games will not release Syndicate in Australia, modified or not. They have released a statement heavily criticizing the Classification Board’s decision to ban the game.

It’s regrettable that government policy in Australia is denying adults the right to play Syndicate. The game will be not be available in Australia despite its enthusiastic response from fans. We were encouraged by the government’s recent agreement to adopt an 18+ age rating for games. However, delays continue to force an arcane censorship on games – cuts that would never be imposed on books or movies. We urge policy makers to take swift action to implement an updated policy that reflects today’s market and gives its millions of adult consumers the right to make their own content choices…

· We are not releasing Syndicate in Australia. The reason for this is because we do not have an R18+ in place as yet.

· We will not be appealing the RC decision. Syndicate is a game made for a mature audience and any changes to would significantly affect the game’s quality and appeal.

· Syndicate will continue to be released in New Zealand (unchanged) on the 24th February 2012, and has a confirmed rating of R18

EA chose not to release Syndicate for two reasons. Firstly, as mentioned, the game is designed for adults, not those under eighteen.

And secondary, it costs a lot of money to appeal the decision, and to send the game back to the developer so that they can tone down the content just for Australians and release it under the MA15+ banner. Other companies may do this, but not EA.

Syndicate Refused Classification

posted by Glenn on December 20th, 2011 at 6:29 pm

According to Kotaku Australia, the Classification Board has just slapped the Syndicate reboot with an RC rating.

games.on.net has managed to get a hold of the Classification Board’s report explaining why the game had to be banned. Matt Williams, the author of the article, has named two games that already feature the type of violence the report covers.

It is not clear what EA Games will do following this decision. They have three options on their hands. They can release the game in Australia, in a modified form; appeal to have the rating lowered to MA15+; or just refuse to sell the game in Australia.

Channel Seven slams R18+ rating

posted by Glenn on November 7th, 2011 at 2:29 pm

In a one-sided piece televised on the Channel Seven news, NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith states that he wants to see games with extreme violence Refused Classification.

After the story aired, a representative from the AG’s office confirmed this to Kotaku Australia.

“The AG doesn’t want any dilution of the Refused Classification category for games, but remains fully committed to an R18+ rating for video games, [...] the point is that he wants games with extreme gratuitous violence or gratuitous sexual violence to remain in the Refused Classification category.”

Seven News has used Grand Theft Auto IV as an example. In regards to his comments regarding the game, the representative stated that it was “just his reaction after watching the game”, and that he has no plans to change the game’s rating to RC.

Revised Guidelines for R18+ rating released

posted by Glenn on November 7th, 2011 at 1:39 pm

According to Kotaku Australia, the revised guidelines for the R18+ rating for video games has just been released. First, they discuss how the following hierarchy will be used to classify games, ranging from mild to very high.

The Guidelines use the following hierarchy of impact:
• very mild – G
• mild – PG
• moderate – M
• strong – MA 15+
• high – R 18+
• very high – RC

In addition, it mentions what games will be refused classification, and still argues that interactivity affects the level of impact.

Due to the interactive nature of computer games and the active repetitive involvement of the participant, as a general rule computer games may have a higher impact than similarly themed depictions of the classifiable elements in film, and therefore greater potential for harm or detriment, particularly to minors.

Interactivity may increase the impact of some content: for example, impact may be higher where interactivity enables action such as inflicting realistically depicted injuries or death or post-mortem damage, attacking civilians or engaging in sexual activity. Greater degrees of interactivity (such as first-person gameplay compared to third-person gameplay) may also increase the impact of some content.

Interactivity includes the use of incentives and rewards, technical features and competitive intensity.
Except in material restricted to adults, nudity and sexual activity must not be related to incentives or rewards.

Computer games will be Refused Classification if they contain:
(i) illicit or proscribed drug use related to incentives or rewards;
(ii) interactive drug use which is detailed and realistic.

Finally, the guidelines state what can and cannot be permitted in an R18+ game:

R 18+ – RESTRICTED
Impact test
The impact of material classified R 18+ should not exceed high.

Note: Material classified R 18+ is legally restricted to adults. Some material classified R 18+ may be offensive to sections of the adult community.

Classifiable elements
THEMES
There are virtually no restrictions on the treatment of themes.

VIOLENCE
Violence is permitted. High impact violence that is, in context, frequently gratuitous, exploitative and offensive to a reasonable adult will not be permitted.

Sexual violence may be implied, if non-interactive and justified by context.

SEX
Sexual activity may be realistically simulated. The general rule is
“simulation, yes – the real thing, no”.

LANGUAGE
There are virtually no restrictions on language.

DRUG USE
Drug use is permitted.
Drug use related to incentives and rewards is not permitted.

NUDITY
Nudity is permitted.

Ron Curry, the CEO of iGEA, was pleased at how R18+ was proceeding, yet raised some concerns about the discussing of interactivity.

“We are pleased to see this process moving forward and understand that great care has been taken to balance the concerns of those who have resisted an R18+ classification and adults who want to play video games designed specifically for mature audiences and readily available in other developed democracies.

“There will be continued debate about whether the interactivity of video games has a greater impact than other forms of media, and we will continue to refer to the lack of the evidence to support these claims. With that being said, we welcome the commitment from all parties involved to seek a reasonable outcome to address this longstanding issue.

“We now look forward to the Commonwealth, States and Territories implementing these guidelines in an expedient manner.”

You can view the entire set of guidelines at the Classification Board’s website here.