Greens support R18+ Game Rating

Friday, August 13th, 2010

GameSpot’s “I Game and I Vote” article has a rundown of where the major political parties stand in regard to the R18+ issue. Although Labor and the Coalition is fence-sitting on the issue, The Greens have replied with:

“The Greens support the introduction of an R18+ classification for video games in Australia. We believe that it is time to change the system. It is bizarre that Australia is one of the only countries in the Western world without an adult classification for games. We believe that a change to the classification system should occur in the next term in parliament.

“The Greens will continue to support a campaign for R18+ for games. We also believe that the games industry and gamers have done a really good job of highlighting the issue and putting it on political agenda. We’re going to play our part in parliament and the community to make sure people know about the issue. We plan to raise this issue during our upcoming federal election campaign and make sure it is part of the debate.”

You can use the article to determine who to vote for. It even has a section for you to contact your Federal member via e-mail.

Source: Kotaku

John Rau and the R18+ issue

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

When Michael Atkinson stepped down from his position as South Australian attorney-general, his replacement, John Rau, previously told Gamers4Croydon of his support for R18+ games. However, he tells GameSpot that he intends to listen to both sides of the argument before making an official decision.

“I have no preconceptions about this issue and intend to listen to the arguments. I can neither support nor wisely argue against a position if I am not aware of the relevant factors.

“It is worth noting that ultimately, the decision does not rest with me alone. Any change would require the support of each jurisdiction’s attorney-general.”

Although Rau’s decision doesn’t look promising when it comes to introducing an R18+ games rating, it is much better than Atkinson’s constant rejection of an overhaul of the classification system, as well as his refusal to thoroughly research the issue.

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.

Valve loses appeal on uncensored L4D2

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

Coming in from GameSpot, it appears that the Classification Review Board has made a decision regarding the unedited Left 4 Dead 2.

And it’s not good.

Any hope that the Review Board might take a more balanced approach, as with the reclassification of F.E.A.R. 2 was dashed yesterday, with the board citing that there was “insufficient delineation between the depiction of general zombie figures and the human figures, as opposed to the clearly fictional ‘infected’ characters.” As a result, Australian audiences will be restricted to a watered-down version of the game, which removes the “depictions of decapitation, dismemberment, wound detail, or piles of dead bodies lying about the environment.”

This is just the latest in the wheel of classification fortune. (Again, the inconsistency of the ruling is bizarre, given that F.E.A.R. 2 pitted you against clearly human adversaries.)

R18+ Roundup, July ‘09

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

Sincere apologies for the lack of updates. Personal issues that I won’t delve into here have prevented me from being as active as I would like. There’s been quite a bit of activity since I last posted, so let’s try and summarise it all.

1) Necrovision Banned, Censored, Unbanned

The alternate-history shooter Necrovision became the first casualty of the Australian Classification Board in 2009, being banned for excessive violence in April. In May, a censored version (with slightly less blood) was passed with an MA15+ rating. The uncensored edition is still available in other countries with an 18+ rating.

2) ACS Releases Policy Statement on Video Game Rating Recommendation

In a move that is to be applauded, the Australian Computer Society has come out in strong support of an R18+ rating for video games in Australia. This is a well-respected group of IT professionals in Australia and it’s fantastic to see them putting some more pressure on in favour of this much-needed change. You can download their policy statement by clicking here.

3) Australian Government To Censor Game Websites

On the flip side of the coin, the Australian Government has promised to use its incredibly controversial (and just plain stupid) internet censorship regime to block access to game websites that contain or promote content that would be Refused Classification in Australia.

Unfortunately, as we know, for something to be Refused Classification in Australia it simply has to be judged unsuitable for a 15-year-old to see. Which is, of course, utterly ridiculous.

So if you were hoping to use services such as Steam, idly click through some flash games which might have some animated violence, or even play World of Warcraft or Second Life (which aren’t technically rated in Australia), well… good luck to you. You’re going to need it.

4) R18+ Games Rating Discussion Paper Delayed

In April, the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General met to discuss the change to the classification system, but were unable to come to a unanimous agreement. As a result of this, each Attorney-General was going to release their discussion paper under their own name. So far, no discussion papers have been released, and no word about their release has been given. The discussion paper, like the future of an R18+ rating in Australia, remains entirely in limbo.

5) R18+ Games Australia seeking contributors

It’s become clear to me that it is impossible to properly maintain this site entirely on my own. My personal life is too disorganised to effect a constant flow of meaningful updates, and this is unacceptable to me given how important I view this issue to be. I am officially putting out the call for contributors – if you can write well, speak maturely, are abreast of current news, and are willing to contribute, then please get in touch with me and we’ll work something out.

That’s about all I can think of for now – feel free to email me if you’ve got anything I should know about. I have some large changes in mind for the site in future, and I’d like you and everyone else to be a part of it. Stay tuned.