55,000+ responses to Discussion Paper

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

According to a report in The Australian, the Federal Government has received over 55,000 submissions on whether an R18+ rating should be introduced for video games. The government will now prepare a report for the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General based on these submissions, with the next SCAG meeting to be held sometime in April.

An introduction to an R18+ rating still requires the unanimous support between the Commonwealth, states, and territories, and the high number of submissions might or might not convince those that are against the rating to change their stance. So we can only sit back and hope that come April an R18+ rating for games will be added so that children are better protected from inappropriate material and that the Classification Board can rate games on a consistent basis.

Ex-Classification Board Member slams Atkinson in submission

Monday, March 1st, 2010

The deadline for making a submission to the Discussion Paper has now passed and, according to GamePolitics, one of the submissions was made by Paul J. Hunt, former Deputy Director of the Classification Board, who has written a 17-page response on the issue. Hunt begins his argument by providing readers with first-hand knowledge about his past experiences working for the Board.

“When I made a decision, or participated in a decision, that a computer game was unsuitable for minors, I was forced to refuse classification for that game. It was not because I thought that the game depicted, expressed or otherwise dealt with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that it would offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults. It was simply because the game was not OK for kids.

Not being able to restrict computer games to adults was an impediment to my ability to reflect Australian community standards.”

Most of his response is directly targeted at Michael Atkinson’s ridiculous arguments on why an R18+ rating for games should not be introduced in Australia.

“In February 2010, Mr. Atkinson told gamespot.com.au that ‘I think the majority of the population are unfamiliar with these games, and without images, they won’t be able to imagine them in their mind’s eye. They’ll have no idea how violent or sexually depraved they are, and what kind of torture, drug use, and blood spatter they include.’ He also reported to have said that ‘R18+ was an issue that most Australians didn’t care enough about.’ Once again he is exaggerating the level of content that is permissible under the guidelines at the R18+ classification.

“Of even greater concern is the fact that Mr. Atkinson does not understand that most Australians are gamers, and therefore the majority of the population is familiar with game content. (As noted above, 68% of Australians play games and 88% of all Australian households have gaming equipment.) All responses, including those from gamers, are responses from the Australian community. Whilst Mr. Atkinson may wish to marginalise gamers, and put down the knowledge of all Australians, I trust the Government will accept all submissions at face value as representative of the Australian community’s feelings on this issue.”

You can read Hunt’s full response here.

Only one A-G in favour of R18+ Rating; Others remain silent

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

In the previous post, we announced that the majority of submissions to the Discussion Paper were in favour of an R18+ rating for games. (The figure has since risen to over 16,000 thanks to EB Games.) The consultation ends on Sunday. Before the deadline comes and goes, GameSpot has asked for the opinion of each Attorney-General whether or not they support an R18+ game rating, with only one A-G standing up and saying that he supports the R18+ rating: The Australian Capital Territory’s Simon Corbell:

“The ACT Government supports the introduction of an R18+ classification for video games, similar to that of films and television. This position has been conveyed at meetings of commonwealth, state, and territory ministers on a number of occasions. There is general support in Australia for an R18+ classification, and the ACT would encourage anyone with an interest in this issue to have their say by making a submission to the discussion paper. I expect that the support that exists for film and television classifications translates into [support for] classifications for computer and video games. The ACT Government is supportive of introducing an R18+ rating for video and computer games and will take into account the views of consumers through the consultation process.”

The others, including Victoria’s Rob Hulls, remain tight-lipped about their stance, while the Northern Territory’s Delia Lawrie declined to comment.

This does not mean they will oppose the R18+ rating. The Discussion Paper is proof that they are willing to listen to the majority of people who want to see a change in video game classification; and with a majority of submissions in favour of the rating, there is a good chance that change might be on the way.

Discussion Paper: Preliminary Results In

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

According to Refused Classification, early results for the R18+ Discussion Paper are released. Helen Daniels, assistant secretary of the Copyright and Classification Policy Branch, explains that a majority of submissions were in favour of an R18+ rating for games.

As of 1 February, we received 6,239 submissions: 5, 465 have been by email, 447 by fax and 327 by post.

The majority received so far are tending to support having an R18+ classification for computer games, but, as I said, we have only processed about 20 per cent.

As at 28 January, 11 of the 1,084 processed submissions opposed an R18+ classification for computer games.

A majority supporting an R18+ rating may be well and good for now. However, the deadline is days away, meaning that there is enough time for a lot of submissions to oppose the rating. To make sure this does not happen, make a submission if you haven’t already done so, and tell your friends and family to do the same as well. You have until February 28th to make your voice heard.

The R18+ discussion paper was discussed in the Senate.

EB Games launches R18+ petition

Friday, February 5th, 2010

As previously mentioned on this site a while back, the government’s proposed Internet filter would deal with games that are rejected by the Classification Board. With this in mind, it’s hardly surprising to find a growing number of companies lobbying for an R18+ rating for video games.

EB Games is the latest company to join the fight for the rating. The company decided to launch a petition not because customers asked them to, but because it is an issue the company feels strongly about. Managing Director Steve Wilson told Games.On.Net:

“With the release of the Government’s discussion paper, we knew as a company that we needed to act on this issue as it continues to cripple our industry and cost local jobs. …. Our customers have sent us a message loud and clear that this is an issue that needs to be addressed and we only get one shot at this. Once this Government paper is closed, it could be many years before we get another chance to voice our opinion on this issue. The time to be heard is now … This is not a call for violent video games, but rather a call for a better classification system that brings Australia in line with the rest of the world and other Australian entertainment industries, such as films.”

Even if you submitted a response to the discussion paper, it is important than ever to voice your opinion on the issue. You can drop by your local EB Games store or sign their petition at their web site.