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.

Michael Atkinson on Stateline

Saturday, November 8th, 2008

South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson appeared in a segment on South Australia’s Stateline last night, to discuss his opposition to an R18+ rating for games in Australia. He spent over 7 minutes detailing the same tired, old, and completely incorrect arguments against the introduction of this much-needed measure. You can watch this segment via YouTube, below:

While Mr. Atkinson is of course entitled to his opinions, what he demonstrated quite clearly in this interview with Stateline is that in his opinion he is the moral saviour of people everwhere in Australia, and that he has absolutely no qualms about forcing his antiquated moral code upon the country as a whole, and indeed believes he has the right – in fact the obligation – to do so.

“Attorneys-General years ago decided that there shouldn’t be an R18+ category for video games because they were interactive and they had higher impact than film or cinema, that it was difficult to prevent children accessing computer games in the home, and so for those reasons it was decided that Australia didn’t really need an R18+ category for computer games…”

Mr. Atkinson’s first comment that games are interactive and have a higher impact than film or cinema is another myth that opponents of video games like to trot out when asked about their position. The fact of the matter is that no study has ever shown conclusively that video games have any more influence on children than any other media, and no evidence exists anywhere to support this spurious claim.

He then goes on to say that it is difficult to prevent children accessing computer games in the home, another complete fabrication. All current generation consoles come with parental lock features, which give parents absolute control over what games their children can play, and when they can play them. It is no harder to prevent children accessing computer games than it is to make sure they can’t reach the knife drawer in the kitchen. The only difference is that while no retailer in their right mind would allow children to buy a set of kitchen knives, Michael Atkinson is quite happy with the current ratings system which allows children to purchase violent, adult titles that should by any measure of common sense be restricted to adults.

“I’m sure most people can distinguish the fantasy of a computer game from reality, but it’s the small number we know can’t that leads to mass murder in American high schools and in Thailand last year lead to a gamer playing out the fantasy of hijacking a taxicab and murdering the driver. It happened.”

Video games causing mass murder in American high schools? It is painfully clear that Mr. Atkinson hasn’t actually done his research. There are no known mass murders in American high schools that can be linked to video games. Infamous (and now permanently disbarred, for unbecoming conduct) lawyer Jack Thompson tried unsuccessfully in 2001 to sue several computer game companies on behalf of the parents of children killed in an American high school shooting. The case was of course dismissed immediately, with judges ruling that it was simply too far a leap of logic to try and blame video games for these crimes.

With regards to the murder of a cab driver in Thailand, Mr. Atkinson of course refers to the game Grand Theft Auto IV – a game that is currently available to children 15 and up here in Australia. In August this year, sales of GTA IV in Thailand were halted after a teenager confessed to robbing and murdering a taxi driver because he “wanted to see if it was as easy in real life as it was in the game”. Leaving aside for a minute the obviously deep mental problems this teenager has, and the fact that Michael Atkinson is 100% okay with this game currently being available to Australian children – the idea that we should ban violent video games entirely because of the actions of a few clearly troubled individuals is utterly over-reacting and ridiculous.

The real world is already filled with people trying to imitate the questionable actions of others. We still allow smoking, even though we know that all its effects are directly harmful to everyone, and it costs the country billions of dollars in healthcare and lost wages every year. It is completely ridiculous to prevent millions of mature, sensible people from enjoying a product simply because of the actions of a meagre handful of idiots. Michael Atkinson however, clearly believes that people, especially children in Australia should be allowed to be exposed to as much violent film, television and literature as they want. As long as it’s not a video game of course, because that would be bad.

“There was one version of Grand Theft Auto where a group of singing Hare Krishnas were run down on the pavement, by the gamer motorist, and points were scored for doing that…”

Grand Theft Auto IS a violent series. It’s always been a violent series. So why is Michael Atkinson completely unperturbed with it currently being on sale in Australia under an MA15+ rating? If Australia had an R18+ rating for games, Grand Theft Auto could have been placed behind the counter, out of view of children, and only provided to an adult who could produce valid ID. Instead of working to implement this mind-blowingly obvious solution however, Mr. Atkinson continues to wax hypocritical about the horrors of Grand Theft Auto and why children shouldn’t be playing it. Clearly when your moral high horse is as towering as Mr. Atkinsons, it must be difficult to remain in touch with common sense.

“I think the western, industrialised countries that allow R18+ computer games and the extreme violence that goes with them are just so many gadarene swine going over the cliff, and I’m pleased that Australia has a principled, sensible stand against this extreme violence, I’m happy to stand alone, and international gamers can laugh at us all they like.”

And here we come to the crux of the issue: Michael Atkinson believes that he is the last remaining bastion of hope for the morals of Australia. He looks around at other countries, seeing a slide into moral decay, violence and corruption, and decides to take a stand against it all… by censoring video games. Yes, video games, that pervasive force responsible for all the evil and destruction in the western world. Australians should count ourselves lucky that this man is willing to stand up and fight for what is right, even if he has to run roughshod over common sense and freedom of speech in the process.

The monstrous arrogance of this man is to be utterly condemned by Australians everywhere. This man who sits idly by and allows children – HIS children – to play violent MA15+ titles, while loudly defending his decision not to restrict their sale to adults as being “in the best interests of children”, this man who is happy to impose his completely nonsensical moral code upon the entirety of Australia, this man who can’t even begin to comprehend his own hypocrisy, this man is an arrogant menace and needs to be immediately removed from office. Australians everywhere should outraged that Michael Atkinson thinks they are so stupid, so decadent as to need his condescending protection against the evils of the world.

Don’t stand for this. Get involved. Write to your local MP, write to your state’s Attorney-General and put the pressure on. As long as this man continues to hold veto power over change in Australia, children will still be playing violent games, people of all ages will still be treated like ignorant children, and the system will still be broken, unfair and dangerous.

Thanks to MrWyld for the YouTube video.

Michael Atkinson Re-Ignites R18+ Debate

Friday, November 7th, 2008

The indomitable Jason Hill over at The Age blog Screenplay is reporting that South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson has agreed to make public the discussion paper on the proposed introduction of an R18+ rating for games in Australia.

This backflip comes just over a week after Mr. Atkinson withdrew his support for a public consultation on the issue. Yesterday however, at the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General meeting in Brisbane, Victorian Attorney-General Rob Hull – a long time supporter of the introduction of an R18+ rating – was able to achieve a consensus with fellow ministers. His spokeswoman Meaghan Shaw announced that the paper would be finalised by the end of the year, with a view to Australia-wide distribution.

Although Mr. Atkinson did not reveal why he reversed his position, this is a fantastic first step for the introduction of an R18+ rating in Australia and Mr. Hull is to be congratulated for his diplomacy and forward-thinking. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for the discussion paper in the weeks to come.

Source: “Yes” – minister (Jason Hill, The Age)

Michael Atkinson Stifles R18+ Debate

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson, long standing opponent of the introduction of an R18+ rating for games in Australia, has officially withdrawn his support for a discussion paper and public consultation on the issue.

Jason Hill writes in The Age today that in March the Attorneys-General agreed in principle to canvas public opinion and develop a public discussion paper on the issue, but that Mr. Atkinson has now refused to agree to make the report public, effectively stifling the issue completely. Though the issue is still officially on the agenda at the upcoming Standing Committee of Attorneys-General meeting, the introduction of the much-needed R18+ rating would require the unanimous support of all Attorneys-General. With Mr. Atkinson now refusing to even discuss the issue, change is unlikely to happen any time soon.

With overwhelming community support for an R18+ rating for video games, we can only wonder why Mr. Atkinson continues to defend his increasingly untenable position.

Source: Censoring the Censorship Debate (Jason Hill, The Age)

Qld Attorney-General’s Office Speaks Out

Thursday, August 14th, 2008

Kotaku AU is running a story today on a letter sent to a reader from the office of the Queensland Attorney-General. In this letter the Attorney-General’s Senior Policy Advisor, Derran Moss, notes that while he acknowledges adults “arguably should be entitled to access R18+ classified computer games”, he claims that the introduction of this classification increases the risk of minors being exposed to adult material.

While this is an understandable fear, Moss is avoiding the unfortunate reality that minors are currently already accessing adult material – material that should have been rated R18+ and restricted to adults only, but has been forced into an MA15+ classification by the unfortunate limitations of our current system. As Australia currently has no rating for video games above MA15+, the vast majority of the more adult games that make it to sale here are simply slightly tweaked versions of the raw material, with the more overt blood splatter removed to meet the inconsistent classification guidelines.

Moss is also concerned that “effective enforcement of the R18+ classification may also be difficult to achieve where the product is located in the home and parents/guardians are unlikely to have the skills, time or opportunity to appropriately monitor computer game use by minors under their supervision”.

This is of course, completely true – as true as it is for R18+ movies, pornographic magazines, power drills, sharp knives and even kitchen bleach. It is and always has been the responsibility of parents to take care of their children’s well-being – and when it comes to what the children are reading and watching, the classification system exists to help them make the correct choice. Unfortunately for parents everywhere, Australia’s crippled classification system is feeding them the wrong information.

All parties involved in this issue must agree that the freedom for an adult to read, watch and play what they wish in Australia should not be hindered by the idea that the classification system absolves parents from the responsibility of monitoring their children. The sooner this misguided belief is put to rest, the sooner we can focus on on the real issue.

Source: Queenland AG’s Office Writes On R18+ Issue, Makes Dumb Statement (Logan Booker, Kotaku AU)