They started a war on the interwebs!TechNoFear said:
Gather arms, we charge into battle!
RAWR!
This reminds me of that episode of Power Rangers where they got a warning message from the future.tharwen said:
Australia Set to Begin Filtering Online Games
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
- Start date
Gather arms, we charge into battle!
RAWR!
Censor it all, or censor nothing. There are no "in-betweens" in this situation that aren't hypocritical.
Australians must decide if they want to have free speech on the 'Net, or to have someone else decide what is appropriate for them to do on it.
Australians must decide if they want to have free speech on the 'Net, or to have someone else decide what is appropriate for them to do on it.
Okay, Australia, I have to ask: What the hell?
Why does the internet have to be devoid of any content that isn't deemed appropriate for a fifteen year old boy (or girl)? I would think that, at nineteen, I am more capable of handling mature content than a fifteen year old child. Will books and movies follow suit? If I can't play a game that isn't appropriate for a young teenager, can I watch movies or read books that aren't deemed appropriate? If they won't stop at age restrictions or commercial games, why should they stop at games? Where's the reasoning here?
This goes beyond the rationale of "protecting" children. It's arbitrary, subjective censorship, that applies to everyone in Australia. I really hope this kind of thing doesn't fly in North America.
Why does the internet have to be devoid of any content that isn't deemed appropriate for a fifteen year old boy (or girl)? I would think that, at nineteen, I am more capable of handling mature content than a fifteen year old child. Will books and movies follow suit? If I can't play a game that isn't appropriate for a young teenager, can I watch movies or read books that aren't deemed appropriate? If they won't stop at age restrictions or commercial games, why should they stop at games? Where's the reasoning here?
This goes beyond the rationale of "protecting" children. It's arbitrary, subjective censorship, that applies to everyone in Australia. I really hope this kind of thing doesn't fly in North America.
You don't deserve to be a continent, Australia! You're all a bunch of lazy politicians who should be shot in the head. Not to mention you treat all the gamers and decent people like crap.
Firstly please refrain EVER from referring to Australia as a former "Prison" it instantly shows the world how little you actually know about your own history. How quickly we forget that until you yanks held your little tea party America was the "Prison" destination of choice for the good old English.
As for internet Censorship, we don't want it, we don't need it and most of us are pissed as hell about it.
Interestingly enough the only thing that ever seems to actually get "censored" is sex (and occasionally drugs), our censorship body seems to have no problem with violence i.e they censored the sex out of GTA4 but didn't touch anything else.
As for internet Censorship, we don't want it, we don't need it and most of us are pissed as hell about it.
Interestingly enough the only thing that ever seems to actually get "censored" is sex (and occasionally drugs), our censorship body seems to have no problem with violence i.e they censored the sex out of GTA4 but didn't touch anything else.
Look in Aus there are two parties in this crap contest, there's the conservatives (Government/Concerned Idiots/Etc...) and Us (Australia).
Before you make your remarks, look towards our government and then get in line, yell your abuse from our frontlines. It is not mainstream Australians looking to censor, it is the "conservatives".
Before you make your remarks, look towards our government and then get in line, yell your abuse from our frontlines. It is not mainstream Australians looking to censor, it is the "conservatives".
I've lived in the US and I've lived in Australia.
Give me public healthcare, decent social security and decent wages anyday.
Of course I'm an adult, I order a lot of stuff from overseas, so this will likely hurt a little (or try anyways). Places like fileplanet already pander to this by making certain games only available in certain regions. There are ways around it.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Our government still holds that gamers are all zit-faced teenagers who waste their time playing video games when they could be... wasting their time watching TV? I dunno.
Oh, and as I've also stated before, it's still gonna cost me the same to send money to a friend so he can by me a game in the US and mail it to me in Australia.
Seriously, $100 AU for a new game, exchange rate makes the australian dollar worth about $0.80USD, so do the math, we still pay $80USD for a new game down here. Those of us that want it, will find a way to get it. And, it hasn't passed parliament yet.
For anyone in Australia, start writing to your local members, and to senators, especially if you're in South Australia, write to Nick Xenophon, independent, and not afraid to make noise about things as stupid as this.
Give me public healthcare, decent social security and decent wages anyday.
Of course I'm an adult, I order a lot of stuff from overseas, so this will likely hurt a little (or try anyways). Places like fileplanet already pander to this by making certain games only available in certain regions. There are ways around it.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Our government still holds that gamers are all zit-faced teenagers who waste their time playing video games when they could be... wasting their time watching TV? I dunno.
Oh, and as I've also stated before, it's still gonna cost me the same to send money to a friend so he can by me a game in the US and mail it to me in Australia.
Seriously, $100 AU for a new game, exchange rate makes the australian dollar worth about $0.80USD, so do the math, we still pay $80USD for a new game down here. Those of us that want it, will find a way to get it. And, it hasn't passed parliament yet.
For anyone in Australia, start writing to your local members, and to senators, especially if you're in South Australia, write to Nick Xenophon, independent, and not afraid to make noise about things as stupid as this.
Well, of course. Who would want to be censored? As an American, I know full well how bad the government can screw over the little guy. My paycheck is a testiment to that.Yamiki said:
Edit: By the way, it sounds like Australian conservatives are insane. I'm a conservative and I'm all for freedom of speech. Strange how parties with the same name can be so different. Probably why everyone hates American conservatives.
I too live in australia, and its so retarded the way our government views the internet and gaming. They tried to filter the internet a little while back against the recommendations of our major isp's. They even did a test in tasmania (poor guys) which failed absolutely miserably. Not only did the filter screw their net connections, but it didnt even properly filter the content that they were trying to block.
Australians dont want all this censorship, its just the government imposing it upon us. I believe we are quite backwards just because we do not have an R18+ rating almost solely because of an MP in SA wants to impose his beliefs on people, hate you so much Michael Atkinson.
Piracy in Australia is already quite bad. Personally i believe alot of these issues arise from tv shows (and even some games) taking rediculously long to appear on public and pay tv. Recently the former has become somewhat better due to our tv networks fastracking some shows from the US, tho these are usually the garunteed success shows such as BSG and Lost etc. Also as Seule pointed out, regardless of the exchange rates games in australia are always $100. I remember a little while ago when our exchange rate was close to 1:1 with the USD, and even then we were paying $100 for games that only cost $50-$60 in the US. This is 1 of the reasons why i love steam, now to remove download limits urg -_-
/rant
Australians dont want all this censorship, its just the government imposing it upon us. I believe we are quite backwards just because we do not have an R18+ rating almost solely because of an MP in SA wants to impose his beliefs on people, hate you so much Michael Atkinson.
Piracy in Australia is already quite bad. Personally i believe alot of these issues arise from tv shows (and even some games) taking rediculously long to appear on public and pay tv. Recently the former has become somewhat better due to our tv networks fastracking some shows from the US, tho these are usually the garunteed success shows such as BSG and Lost etc. Also as Seule pointed out, regardless of the exchange rates games in australia are always $100. I remember a little while ago when our exchange rate was close to 1:1 with the USD, and even then we were paying $100 for games that only cost $50-$60 in the US. This is 1 of the reasons why i love steam, now to remove download limits urg -_-
/rant
I have every intention on stirring Civil Unrest up. In other words, protests, both online and in "real life" as it were. This shit is not to be put up with.
I'll be organising the first strands of such unrest in the coming week or so if I can, and will let all interested know the details. Send me a PM or an e-mail, whether you're Australian and pissy, or international and pissy. Solidarity networks are always good.
Oh, and I'll be posting stuff on my blog, a link's in my profile lest I be accused of advertising.
I'll be organising the first strands of such unrest in the coming week or so if I can, and will let all interested know the details. Send me a PM or an e-mail, whether you're Australian and pissy, or international and pissy. Solidarity networks are always good.
Oh, and I'll be posting stuff on my blog, a link's in my profile lest I be accused of advertising.
Argh, after reading all these comments it has become quite clear that most people here assume a lot about this country.
1- Not everything can kill you, unlike how the media has made out. You can go through many walks through the bushland on separate days and the worst you will get is a single leech (and 5 if you are unlucky)
2- The government are censoring just the internet (and gaming), which will certainly get pushed back like the many times before anything even happens, its not censoring everything and becoming fascist. Its funny how you guys think that censoring one thing is remarked as 'fascist' trying living in a country where everything is censored and then try and see how fascist it is.
3- Politicians who are not the leaders of countries (president or prime minister) should not be counted as people of that country, because really, we don't elect most of those guys (who'd willingly put atkinson in office?)
4- It isnt always hot, in fact its 4pm and my hands are about to go red and swell from the cold as i type this.
How bout we leave the stereotypes out when we type opinions please?
Unless its exaggerated for humour, then its often enough hilarious and you can ignore what i wrote just here.
1- Not everything can kill you, unlike how the media has made out. You can go through many walks through the bushland on separate days and the worst you will get is a single leech (and 5 if you are unlucky)
2- The government are censoring just the internet (and gaming), which will certainly get pushed back like the many times before anything even happens, its not censoring everything and becoming fascist. Its funny how you guys think that censoring one thing is remarked as 'fascist' trying living in a country where everything is censored and then try and see how fascist it is.
3- Politicians who are not the leaders of countries (president or prime minister) should not be counted as people of that country, because really, we don't elect most of those guys (who'd willingly put atkinson in office?)
4- It isnt always hot, in fact its 4pm and my hands are about to go red and swell from the cold as i type this.
How bout we leave the stereotypes out when we type opinions please?
Unless its exaggerated for humour, then its often enough hilarious and you can ignore what i wrote just here.
