R18+ decision delayed… again

Friday, December 10th, 2010

According to GameSpot, Attorneys-General across Australia have failed to reach an unanimous decision on whether an R18+ rating is to be introduced, delaying the process until the next SCAG meeting in March 2011.

An hour after Laura Parker’s article, Kotaku had a phone conversation with Brendan O’Connor stated that everyone who attended the SCAG meeting agreed that the rating system needed to be changed. Interestingly, he was asked about the involvement of Western Australia’s Attorney-General, Christian Porter.

“Ah look, Christian has a really open mind about the subject, and he is genuinely worried about the way games are currently falling into childrens hands under MA15+.”

He is not alone when he says this. However, there are some reports that say that he wanted to consult his cabinet ministers before his decision can be made. He had plenty of time before the meeting to discuss this, so there was no reason for the delay. O’Connor went on to mention the new Victoria Attorney-General, Robert Clarke.

“We also had a new Victorian AG, and he’s only been an Attorney General for a few days, so we really need more time to get everything worked out.”

This statement is of concern. Around March, New South Wales will have an election; and if the Coalition win power and a new Attorney-General is appointed, then the decision can be delayed once again.

So we have to wait until March to see what happens. Until then, games such as Splatterhouse, Dead Rising 2, and Call of Duty: Black Ops will continue to be available to minors; and the Classification Board will have a much difficult job classifying games due to a line in the National Classification Code which reads “adults should read, hear and see what they like”.

ACL responds to Government R18+ support

Tuesday, December 7th, 2010

The Australian Christian Lobby’s chief of staff, Lyle Shelton, has posted a blog on the ABC website, in response to the Federal Government’s decision to support an R18+ rating for games.

As usual, Mr. Shelton gets it wrong in so many ways. Firstly, children already have access to adult-only games, but only in Australia are they available to 15 year olds. Adding an R18+ rating will better inform parents that the game is no suitable for minors. Second, if he is so concerned about inappropriate games getting into the hands of children, then he could ask the Classification Review Board to re-rate dozens of MA15+ games. He choses not to do this. Thirdly, children, as well as adults, will eventually get their hands on a game rated RC, whether they are imported or illegally downloaded.

As Mark Newton says in the comments: “As time passes, the hairshirt brigade represented by Lyle Shelton will be empirically shown to be completely wrong, with the realisation of literally none of the consequences he warns about.”

Government backs R18+ rating

Monday, December 6th, 2010

According to Kotaku Australia, Brendan O’Connor, the Minister for Home Affairs, has recently announced that the Federal Government now support for an introduction of an R18+ rating for video games. In a statement released by O’Connor previously:

“We want to provide better guidance for parents, claimed O’ Connor, “and remove unsuitable material from children and teenagers. The introduction of an R18+ classification will help achieve that.

We believe that this is the right decision for Australian families and the right decision for parents who want to be able to make informed choices about the games their children play.

“Children and teenagers shouldn’t be exposed to the gratuitous sex, violence and adult themes that are contained in some computer games.

“There are dozens of games that are currently classified as MA15+ in Australia, but in other countries these gaming titles are restricted to adults only.

“If the new category is introduced, it could result in computer games that are currently classified MA15+ being reclassified R18+, providing a new level of protection for children.

But it will be up to the Attorney-Generals on Friday to decide whether or not an R18+ rating is introduced.

However, question marks hang over the heads of some Attorneys-General that would actually support the new rating. There is already word that Western Australia’s Christian Porter might oppose the new rating, and we have have no idea of the position taken by newly elected Victorian Attorney-General, Robert Sercombe.

Let’s hope that on Friday common sense prevails.

Study into violent games inconclusive

Thursday, December 2nd, 2010

Brendan O’Connor, the Minister for Home Affairs, has recently released a statement, which has found that there is no clear indication that “violent computer games have a greater impact on players than other violent media, such as movies or music videos.” The main points in this statement:

- there is no conclusive evidence that violent computer games have a greater impact on players than other violent media, such as movies or music videos
- there is stronger evidence of short-term effects from violent computer games, than long-term effects
- some research finds that violent computer games are a small risk factor in aggressive behaviour over the short term, but these studies do not thoroughly explore other factors such as aggressive personality, family and peer influence and socio-economic status.

A review into the effects of violent video games was one of the items that will be discussed in the upcoming SCAG meeting on December 10, and the results contradict the claim by lobby groups that playing violent video games will cause people to become aggressive.

Source: Kotaku Australia