David Jaffe Says You Can't Fight City Hall
Formerly-outspoken game designer David Jaffe doesn't like the censorship that plagues the videogame industry in Australia but says that at the end of the day, there's really nothing anyone can do about it.
David Jaffe is best known for two things: The Game Connect Asia Pacific [http://twistedmetal.us.playstation.com/] conference in Melbourne, Australia, have still managed to find their way through.
Rather surprisingly for a guy who seems so naturally combative, Jaffe sounded almost entirely resigned to the censorious attitude of the Australian government toward videogames. "There's a government board and if they say it's too offensive, in that case there's no fight to fight - it is what it is. There's not much you can do if you're making games aimed at a mature audience," he said. "We never like to cut it, but what are you going to do? You're dealing with governments."
Despite his feeling of helplessness, Jaffe is clearly unhappy with the current state of affairs. "There's absolutely an inconsistency in the consciousness about video games," he added. "The reality is people still see a lot of these things as kids' toys. It's utter BS."
I'm a little disappointed. I never paid much attention to Jaffe but I always had the impression that he was the kind of guy who wanted to stick it to The Man, not roll over for him. The game rating situation in Australia may seem as entrenched as it is outlandish but this attitude of, "Eh, whaddaya gonna do?" is still misplaced. I can't be too critical of studios who choose to cut their games in order to crack the Australian market (although I definitely prefer it when they won't [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/96545-Rebellion-Responds-to-AvP-Ban-in-Australia]) but pretending that the status quo is either untouchable or perfectly alright should never be on the books.
Source: GamePolitics [http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29839&Itemid=53]
Permalink
Formerly-outspoken game designer David Jaffe doesn't like the censorship that plagues the videogame industry in Australia but says that at the end of the day, there's really nothing anyone can do about it.
David Jaffe is best known for two things: The Game Connect Asia Pacific [http://twistedmetal.us.playstation.com/] conference in Melbourne, Australia, have still managed to find their way through.
Rather surprisingly for a guy who seems so naturally combative, Jaffe sounded almost entirely resigned to the censorious attitude of the Australian government toward videogames. "There's a government board and if they say it's too offensive, in that case there's no fight to fight - it is what it is. There's not much you can do if you're making games aimed at a mature audience," he said. "We never like to cut it, but what are you going to do? You're dealing with governments."
Despite his feeling of helplessness, Jaffe is clearly unhappy with the current state of affairs. "There's absolutely an inconsistency in the consciousness about video games," he added. "The reality is people still see a lot of these things as kids' toys. It's utter BS."
I'm a little disappointed. I never paid much attention to Jaffe but I always had the impression that he was the kind of guy who wanted to stick it to The Man, not roll over for him. The game rating situation in Australia may seem as entrenched as it is outlandish but this attitude of, "Eh, whaddaya gonna do?" is still misplaced. I can't be too critical of studios who choose to cut their games in order to crack the Australian market (although I definitely prefer it when they won't [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/96545-Rebellion-Responds-to-AvP-Ban-in-Australia]) but pretending that the status quo is either untouchable or perfectly alright should never be on the books.
Source: GamePolitics [http://www.itwire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29839&Itemid=53]
Permalink
