Syndicate Refused Classification

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

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

Monday, November 7th, 2011

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

Monday, November 7th, 2011

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.

R18+ Rating Not For Another Two Years

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

Many people believe that an R18+ rating for games is going to be introduced in the immediate future, but that is not according to Classification Board applications manager, David Emery, who spoke at the Politics of Play debate held at Macquarie University.

He outlined the lengthy process that will take another two years.

“There is legislation that’s been put to Parliament about the changes. What happens next is a long process again. It’s probably going to take another couple of years before you’re actually going to get an R18 that you can apply for, like a conventional classification that you have today.

It’s got to go to Parliament, then there’s changes that have to be made subsequent to that — to the Classification Act — to allow for people who have had a game that has gone to the classification board and been refused classification to then be resubmitted in some form.

There also needs to changes made to each state and territories classification act, that needs to go through the exact same process that I’ve just described, except on a state level. All of those things take ages, there are lots of delays.

The answer is that it’ll probably be another couple of years before we’ll be able to accept an application for an R18 game.”

Source: Games On Net

ALRC Report: Video Game Classification is Broken

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

The Australian Law and Reform Commission has just released a discussion paper commissioned last year by the Federal Attorney General, Robert McClelland. The ALRC agrees that the video game classification system is failing.

The ALRC has heard loud and clear that the current system is broken and no longer fits with how people are consuming media content. It is poorly equipped to deal with the challenges of media convergence, and the case for reform is strong. The ALRC is proposing reform that can be phased in to allow time for industry and the community to adapt to the new scheme. Responses to the paper will help inform the development of final recommendations for reform.

There are forty-three proposals, with the major one calling for an introduction of voluntary classification for G, PG, and M games.

“The classification of most other media content–for example, books, magazines, websites, music, and computer games now likely to be G, PG, and M–should become or remain voluntary. However, the ALRC proposes that industry bodies should develop codes of practice that encourage the voluntary classification of some of this other content, such as lower-level computer games, using the categories, criteria, and markings of the National Classification Scheme.”

In addition, games rated MA15+ or higher should be referred to the Classification Board.

More information is available on GameSpot.

The discussion paper can be found here. Note that submissions can be made before November 18, 2011.