Senator Lundy supports R18+

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010

According to Kotaku, ACT Senator Kate Lundy has tabled the EveryonePlays petition in parliament, making a speech in support of an R18+ rating. She covers some major points, including:

Firstly, it is worth noting that we already have an R18+ classification for films. This classification is important as it gives parents clear guidance on what is appropriate for their children and teenagers. As a parent I know there is a peace of mind when selecting films for my family’s enjoyment, to know that there is a robust classification system. The classification system informs my choices and helps me assess suitability and age appropriateness for my children.

The absence of an R18+ computer games classification creates something of a grey area for parents. There is limited guidance for parents or young people, creating a risk where games are purchased that they are not suitable.

The average age of people who play computer games is 30, illustrating the strength of the adult game market, with the sector’s turnover standing at over $1.3 billion in 2007 according to the Bond University report entitled Interactive Australia 2009.

Both the United States and United Kingdom have an R18+ games classification which means games developers incur additional costs to modify their products for the local market to meet our MA15 classification.

With many games originally developed for an adult audience, this represents an additional burden for our Australian games sector. As a result, many of these games are simply banned for sale or distribution in Australia as a result giving rise to the temptation of overseas purchase, or worse, illicit distribution in Australia.

Her support means when December 10 arrives, the attorney-generals will take note of the overwhelming support for an R18+ rating, not just from the gaming industry, but from parent groups, ICT, telecommunications and related sector organisations.

The entire transcript can be found here, and if you think you find it interesting, you can use it to contact your representative here.

R18+ Petition breaks Australian record

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

According to PAL Games Network, the EveryonePlays campaign calling for the government to introduce an R18+ games rating has generated a very positive response. Over 89,000 signatures has been collected, breaking the 2005 “abolish WorkChoices” campaign of 85,000. This does not include those submissions made online.

When the next SCAG meeting takes place in Melbourne on May 7, will this be enough to convince all attorney-generals to agree to the new rating?