Mortal Kombat Still Refused Classification

Monday, March 14th, 2011

According to GameSpot, the attempt by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to lower Mortal Kombat‘s RC rating to MA15+ has failed, meaning that the game is unable to be sold here.

The Classification Review Board met on Friday to confirm its RC status, possible due to excessive violence. WB has issued the following statement:

We’re obviously extremely disappointed that the Refused Classification decision has been upheld by the Classification Review Board. We want to thank the thousands of Mortal Kombat fans in Australia and around the world who have voiced their support during the appeal process.

They have two options here. They modify the game, removing the offending content and resubmit the edited version to the Classification Board, or simply not release the game at all.

After F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin was slapped with an RC rating in 2008, WB launched a successful appeal, meaning that the game could be sold with a MA15+ rating.

Warner Bros. to appeal against Mortal Kombat ban

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

Last week, the Classification Board decided to give the Mortal Kombat reboot an RC rating, making the title illegal to be sold in Australia. It is the first game to be Refused Classification in 2011 and the first time an MK title is banned due to the interactive nature of the series.

Now GameSpot reports that Warner Bros. Interactive Australia have decided to challenge the original decision to have the rating lowered to MA15+.

After careful consideration, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Australia have decided to appeal to the Australian Classification Review Board against the RC (Refused Classification) decision given to Mortal Kombat.

After reviewing both the gameplay and the Board’s original decision, WBIE Australia believes the violence in the game is on par with numerous other titles readily available for sale in the Australian market. As such the company wants to exhaust all options to make the game available to Mortal Kombat fans in this country. An identical version of the game will be submitted for appeal.

The Classification Board decided to award Mortal Kombat an RC rating on the basis that the game contains “explicit” violence, blood spray, and limb dismemberment, but this type of content is already present in games like Splatterhouse, Alien vs. Predator, and previous MK titles, all of these available in Australia under an MA15+ rating.

O’Connor sets deadline for R18+ Games

Friday, February 18th, 2011

Brendan O’Connor, the Home Affairs Minister, has told GameSpot that he is interested in introducing an R18+ game rating in July.

The Standing Committee of Attorneys-Generals (SCAG) was initially going to decide whether Australia should have the rating on March 4. However, NSW Attorney-General John Hatzistergos has ruled out attending the upcoming SCAG meeting, possibly due to the looming NSW state election. Therefore, the decision cannot be held in March.

But O’Connor believes that the March meeting would be a good time for ministers to examine the new guidelines and make a more concrete decision on how to proceed with the R18+ issue. He also claims that a vote for the new guidelines is a vote for a new R18+ rating.

You can read the full article here.

R18+ decision delayed… again

Friday, December 10th, 2010

According to GameSpot, Attorneys-General across Australia have failed to reach an unanimous decision on whether an R18+ rating is to be introduced, delaying the process until the next SCAG meeting in March 2011.

An hour after Laura Parker’s article, Kotaku had a phone conversation with Brendan O’Connor stated that everyone who attended the SCAG meeting agreed that the rating system needed to be changed. Interestingly, he was asked about the involvement of Western Australia’s Attorney-General, Christian Porter.

“Ah look, Christian has a really open mind about the subject, and he is genuinely worried about the way games are currently falling into childrens hands under MA15+.”

He is not alone when he says this. However, there are some reports that say that he wanted to consult his cabinet ministers before his decision can be made. He had plenty of time before the meeting to discuss this, so there was no reason for the delay. O’Connor went on to mention the new Victoria Attorney-General, Robert Clarke.

“We also had a new Victorian AG, and he’s only been an Attorney General for a few days, so we really need more time to get everything worked out.”

This statement is of concern. Around March, New South Wales will have an election; and if the Coalition win power and a new Attorney-General is appointed, then the decision can be delayed once again.

So we have to wait until March to see what happens. Until then, games such as Splatterhouse, Dead Rising 2, and Call of Duty: Black Ops will continue to be available to minors; and the Classification Board will have a much difficult job classifying games due to a line in the National Classification Code which reads “adults should read, hear and see what they like”.

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