Atkinson Dismisses Game Consultation as "Unfair"

[jono793]

You've got to give the old git credit for the Ju Jitsu Atkinson he's managed to pull off. Atkinson has gone on record with Gamespot AU expressing his amiability to a consultation on 18 ratings. Yet when said consultaiton appears he dismisses it's validity on the grounds of interested parties. Complain all you want, but Atkinson is still on his feet, while the gaming community is lying flat on its back with no real recourse.

I'm more concerned (From a foreign standpoint anyway) about an Attorney General behaving In this way. Atkinson's job is to be the top lawyer for South Australia, advising government on legal matters. Why exactly should he have any say on changing the law, much less making public objections to such changes? There is a serious conflict of interest between his private activism and his duties as Attorney General. What would happen if South Australia tried to launch a prosecution against a disreputable publisher in the future? Their lawyers could simply use Atkinson's past activism as grounds for appeal against any unfavourable ruling, assuming they couldn't get the case thrown out of court in the first place!

 

[Break]

Wait, "when the gaming community decides to to behave in a civil fashion and apologise for the threats to me and my family"? How exactly does a community with no organisation, hierarchy, or responsible leadership of any kind "apologise" for something? He acts as if the gaming community were simply a misbehaving child. But then, that is pretty much how he views gamers, so I suppose it's the same thing to him.

 

[sewersider]

"I think the majority of the population are unfamiliar with these games and without images, they won't be able to imagine them in their mind's eye. They'll have no idea how violent or sexually depraved they are, and what kind of torture, drug use, and blood spatter they include."
ie - The general population is too stupid and ignorant to read and need pretty pictures to be insulted, way to represent your constituency.

 

[snowman6251]

This is so stupid. Of course the only people who care are gamers. See Atkinson, no one else in your damn country cares. No one else wants the R18 rating to never see the light of day, because they don't care. If they don't care then who the hell are you doing this to please, besides, of course, yourself.

Fucking idiot.

 

[pha kin su pah]

I was thinking about moving to China, but now i don't have too....

 

[captain awesome 12]

I really want to set Kratos on this guy...

Nah, we gotta send him in with Dante...Atkinson is just to much of an idiot, that only those twos combined forces can defeat him.

Actually just to be on the safe side, send everyone. Every. Videogame. Character. Ever.

Mario to jump on his head. Kratos to slice him up into tiny pieces, Master Chief to shoot him, Dante to assist Kratos, A Big Daddy to step on what's left, maybe a zombie to gnaw on him... The possibilities are endless!

You're forgeting Link, Ganondorf, and Lara Croft

Technically I'm forgetting a lot of characters considering I said Every. Videogame. Character. Ever. But anyway...

Link says Hiyaaa! a lot and shoots him with arrows, Ganondorf creates the whole plot to ensnare Atkinson in the first place, and Lara stands just out of reach looking seductive, but Atkinson can't get to her. Oh screw it that's too good for him. Lara Croft just shoots him in the face.

 

[quantum mechanic]

I don't understand why Mr. Atkinson implies that it is unreasonable or bad that the only people involved in this debate are people who care about video games. I would have thought that was obvious, and since gamers are the ones that the R18+ rating will affect, it makes sense that they have a strong voice in the consultation.

 

[r_Chance]

Well, H3ll. He makes me feel better about US politicians. There have been times when I thought *we* had the monopoly on idiots...

 

[Silva]

Atkinson is proving himself uninformed on the matter of video games and their content, and yet believes he should have more say than those passionately involved? Clearly this man's logical resources are about as solid as a piece of cardboard.

Heh, If his job as Attorney General doesn't work out, I'm sure Fox and Friends will be happy to have him

I think you mean Faux, not Fox. But you are so very right.

 

[Altorin]

So people, by his own words, either "don't care enough" or are "overwhelmingly in favour of an 18+ rating". What the heck kinda politician doesn't do something that could only make them more popular without losing popularity elsewhere?

haha... that was put the most succinctly I've ever seen the argument put.

OT: this guy is insane. and everyone should be offended by him. Gamers should be offended because he thinks if you like m-rated games you're a deviant loser. Parents should be offended because he intends to parent your kids better then you can - because you're an ignorant dolt that can't understand that 18+ means your kid shouldn't play it. Non-gaming Non-parent Australian citizens should be offended because he is utilizing your tax dollars to run a crazy campaign to battle something that you clearly don't care about at all.

 

[Kollega]

So in his effort to stop the R+18 game rating he has decided to blame democracy for being unfair. I'm just waiting for Godwin's Law to come into effect!

[HEADING=1]Atkinson is a NAAAAAAAAAZIIIII![/HEADING]

And his face is the most ridiculous thing i have ever seen.

 

[Royas]

Gods, the man sounds more and more like Jack Thompson with every statement. This is what JT would have been like had he actually had any power at all. Seriously, he needs gone, for the good of all the gamers throughout the world. He just needs to be removed from office.

 

[AceDiamond]

I like how he thinks Gamers don't count as "the public". Silly man.

In any event he's fucked and he knows it, so like any good conservative it's time for him to throw a bitchfit and speak in an exceedingly irrational manner. (note, I am not saying liberals don't do this too, but...well just look at Fox News, but not directly, you may go blind)

 

[magicaxis]

Gaming community, send him money to see a dentist as a formal apology.

LOOOL! YOU ARE A GODDAMN CHAMPION! BAAHHAHAHHA

... Over reaction= my sarcasm radar goes, "Beep".

Lol fair assumption, but i promise i wasnt being sarcastic

 

[A Random Reader]

 

[MercurySteam]

"91% of gamers and non-gamers agree there should be an R18+ rating for games in Australia. Also 2/3 of Australian adults are unaware that there is no R18+ rating for games".

Care to come up with a rebuttal for those facts, Atkinson you prick?

 

[Volucer]

"I think the majority of the population are unfamiliar with these games and without images, they won't be able to imagine them in their mind's eye. They'll have no idea how violent or sexually depraved they are, and what kind of torture, drug use, and blood spatter they include."

Think he's hit the explained his own arguement there, he can't picture R18+ games in his minds eye and so he's decided they must all be the most violently, sexual, evil things imaginable...kinda like a night out in London...

Also, I'm sure there's a name given to people who censor out a whole range of media from the public for "their own protection", they just need to grow up, add the rating and let people live their lives. Other contries have the rating and they do just fine.

Although, I do have to agree with him that it's not on for people to threaten him and his family, that just reinforces a negative stereotype (like making jokes about nights out in London )

 

[FactualSquirrel]

Oh god, the only good thing is that he might just give it up and kick the bucket soon enough.

That bastard.

We Americans wished that about Dick Cheney for EIGHT YEARS.
Then again, at least Atkinson isn't Satan.

Haha, well I hope for you as well that he kicks the bucket soon.

 

[hebdomad]

Politicians should be rated for their extremist views from "guillible crackpot" to "stubborn denialist"

hmmm That might be a great idear.

( starts to write letter to parliament )