Australian Government Scrutinizes Videogames Classification Rules

[roseofbattle]

Australian Government Scrutinizes Videogames Classification Rules

John Rau, South Australia's Attorney-General, argues the new classification rules for videogames may still be exposing children to sexual or violent content.

Ever since the introduction of the R18+ classification of games in Australia in January, South Australia's Attorney-General John Rau has had doubts about its effectiveness. Rau said more than a dozen videogames released in Australia had been given the MA15+ rating while they received higher age classifications in Europe and North America.

He pointed to Killer is Dead, Alien Rage, God Mode, and The Walking Dead, all of which received M-ratings from the ESRB and 18 from PEGI. Players in North America and Europe had to be at least 17 years old and 18 years old, respectively, whereas in Australia they only had to be 15 or older.

"It is concerning to me, particularly as a parent, when I see that 13 games have been released in Australia as MA15+ whilst exactly the same grade attracts up to a R18+ classification overseas," Rau said. However, he is satisfied with the R18+ rating for Grand Theft Auto V, which received similar age classification ratings from the ESRB and PEGI.

After having the Australian Council on Children and the Media approach him with concerns, Rau wants George Brandis, the new federal Attorney-General, to review how the Australian Classification Board assesses games. "If the standards are not more rigorously applied, I will be referring each of these games to the South Australian Classification Council for review," Rau said.

Source: ABC News Australia [http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-20/sa-doubts-tougher-video-games-rules-working/4971384]


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[Fox12]

Jeez, I feel bad that you Australians have to put up with this crap. What a codger. They tried the same thing in the United States, but thankfully the Supreme Court shot them down and told them to go do something constructive with their lives. Maybe take dancing classes or something.

 

[J Tyran]

Did he check to see if the content in the game was the same before launching his rant? As I understand it publishers deliberately tone content down for Australia and the new adults only rating hasn't changed that because its still a hit or miss process whether a game can certified or not.

 

[Charli]

I but...j- nbngh wha- YOU'RE STUPID! YOU'RE A STUPID PERSON!

USE YOUR GODDAMN RATING SYSTEM AS IT APPLIES TO YOU AND STOP BLAMING OTHERS WHEN YOU FOLLOW SUIT.

Also 'the walking dead'? Really? When people as young as 10 are free to watch the accompanying TV show anytime? And no one gives anyone any flak for that? Get out.

Why is this even being brought up!? You have an 18+ Rating, get a board together and properly analyze the content.
You want someone to do that job? I'm free Australia! Just put me up on a beach somewhere and i'll play ALL your games and give them a rating worthy of the content.

Do Australian politicians really have nothing to whine about that's worth whining about?

 

[RJ Dalton]

I notice no worries about them violent and sexual movies exposing kids to this stuff, despite that being waaaaaaaaay more common.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Heh, be interesting to see what, if anything, the Abbott government does about this.

 

[crimsonshrouds]

Do Australian politicians have nothing better to do? You know I'm starting to wonder if they get a lot of their ideas from american Republicans.

 

[gigastar]

Just hang in there Aussies, soon he will turn senile.

 

[Zhukov]

I guess it was too optimistic to hope that the R18 rating stuff would cause the politicians to go stick their fat noses in someone else's business.

Still, it was a nice hope while it lasted.

 

[Ishigami]

Ah Australia? I love gaming news about down under. Make me feel like I?m living in a liberal nation.

 

[Doctor Proctor]

Of course there's going to be disagreement when we all use different rating systems. For one, there is no "15+" equivalent in the ESRB rating system. It jumps from T (13+) to M (17+) with nothing in the middle. So a game that got an M here might very well get a 15+ in Australia simply because people feel it's okay for a 15 year old, but not a 13 year old (Halo being a great example of one of these "M-lite" games).

As for the disagreement with PEGI, that's something a little different. They have a 16 and an 18 rating, so something rated 18 in PEGI and 15+ in Australia does show a bit of a disconnect. That's assuming, of course, that both countries hold the same exact values and standards when it comes to content...which they don't.

 

[rofltehcat]

A rating system isn't that bad when it actually WORKS... I mean in Germany we have some of the most restrictive ones and somehow everything other than the most obscure or depraved stuff gets a rating, even if only adults may buy/play the more extreme ones.
And yeah, we probably get a bit less blood and gore than other countries but I guess that is balanced by being not as restrictive about sexually implicit content. Each to his own, I guess.

But the Aussie system just looks awful and dysfunctional from what little I read about it.
That it doesn't work perfectly from the go is to be expected but how many decades have they wasted on this? Why not just copy the UK rating system or even adopt their ratings. This would solve a lot of problems, save a lot of money (but I guess they are making their money that way) and people would be happy to have a system that at least seems to kind of work.

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

For a country that has numerous things trying to kill their people, it really seems superfluous they'd be putting so much focus on one media medium.

 

[TiberiusEsuriens]

Call me Devil's Advocate, but he doesn't sound anti-violent game to me. I interpret his comments as "We made the 18+ rating for a reason, why aren't we using it? Come on ratings board, get your #$%^ together."

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

Well whose fault was it that there wasn't a R18 rating for these 'violent' games to be put in?

This was my main arguement for the R18 standards, however thanjs to that moron 'protecting' children aussies now have years of 'violent' games freely avalible to 15 year old minors that wouldn't be buy them anywhere else in the world.

These recent releases are just gravry. Your ratings board is used to shoving games into the lower MA15 and your inaction has helped create this situation.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

So what if they see some blood and some nudity? Jeez. The kids aren't made of glass for fuck sake.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Interesting... but where's the part where the Australian government is scrutinising video game classification rules?

All I see is the Attorney-General of South Australia being a cock, which is nothing new because it's part of the job description.

 

[teebeeohh]

gints citizen Kabuto
M in the US
12 in Germany
because tits.
that is all