Australian Attorney General Calls For Violent Videogame Ban

[Josh123914]

So this guy is basically trying to ban mature games , looks like he's channelling Michael Atkinson(I forget his name) by way of Bill Gates and appears who wants to challenge the video game industry?

*Ahem* CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

 

[iNsaneMilesy]

R18 rating already passed in Australia months ago...

 

[gallaetha_matt]

Man, these politicians are obsessed with killing prostitutes aren't they? I mean, I know every politician has killed a couple of hookers. It's an initiation ritual for most political parties. But you'd think that they'd get some therapy and stop banging on about it.

We get it! You can kill prostitutes and get away with it but I can't. You're above the law, stop rubbing it in.

Also judging from the picture Earthworm Jim has not aged well at all. His new game is going to suck.

 

[Jegsimmons]

Does Australia even have Freedom of speech?

sure doesn't seem like it, hell im doubting half the European countries have free speech now adays.

 

[GiglameshSoulEater]

I thought Australia had got past this stuff already.

 

[xEightBitPlayerx]

Oh.My.God. It will never end for Austraila.

 

[Stabby Joe]

I have to ask every - single - time...

...which games have sexual violence!?

Oh, wait. That's right, nevermind.

 

[Risingblade]

That guy has a face that looks fun to punch...anyway why don't you go ban ciggerates, porn, Rated R movies and beer while you're at it >.>

 

[Char-Nobyl]

The name Greg Smith may not be as instantly recognizable as, say, Michael Atkinson, but that might be about to change. Despite making hopeful noises about Australia's slow but seemingly inexorable march toward an R18+ videogame rating, Smith, the Attorney General for New South Wales, now says that games like Grand Theft Auto should be banned outright.

Goddamnit. Out of the frying pan and into another equally annoying, if lesser known, frying pan.

"I think they should be banned," Smith said in a televised report on Australia's 7 News. "It involves a prostitute giving sexual favors for money to a man in a car, and then when she gets out, he comes out with a semi-automatic rifle and shoots her dead. Now what good does that do anybody?"

Well, the guy, for one thing. He just got laid, and then he got his money back.

More seriously, does he think that this is a valid argument? He describes it like it's something that happens, as a semi-scripted event, in every game, without exception.

MA15+:


THEMES:
The treatment of strong themes should be justified by the context.

..."Themes"? They want to regulate themes?

Okay, this isn't just a petty, unjustified fear of simulated violence leading to real-world violence. This is outright censorship, and not the sort that deals with actual graphic content.

SEX:
Sexual activity may be implied.
Sexual activity must not be related to incentives or rewards.

So no games where you ever date anyone, I guess.

DRUG USE:
Drug use should be justified by the context.
Drug use related to incentives or rewards is not permitted.
Interactive illicit or prescribed drug use is not permitted.

Looks like they're going to crack down on Mario and his mushroom abuse.

R18+:


THEMES:
There are virtually no restrictions on the treatment of themes.

"Virtually"? If the previous times I've seen "there are virtually no restrictions on X" used, it's because there are restrictions on X.

VIOLENCE:
Violence is permitted. High impact violence that is, in context, frequently gratuitous, exploitative and offensive to a reasonable adult will not be permitted.
Sexual violence may be implied, if non-interactive and justified by context.

Ah. So even in games intended explicitly for an audience 18 or older...no character can ever get raped unless the developers are super coy about it.

SEX:
Sexual activity may be realistically simulated. The general rule is "simulation, yes-the real thing, no".

Wait, what? Does that just mean that you're not allowed to splice actual porn into the game, but as long as it doesn't depict flesh-and-blood people, you're fine?

LANGUAGE:
There are virtually no restrictions on language.

Same as theme, really, at least on the "virtually" point. Moving on.

DRUG USE:
Drug use is permitted
Drug use related to incentives and rewards is not permitted.

So the Saints Row drug trafficking side missions are out? And the bonuses you get for drinking/smoking?

NUDITY:
Nudity is permitted.

See? It doesn't say "virtually no restrictions" here. That's a red flag for the other two.

"Any game with sexual violence will be refused classification. [Smith] need not worry, sexual violence is refused classification now, and it will be refused classification once R18+ passes," O'Connor said. And while some concerns have been expressed that the new rating could still be years away, he said that he expected things to happen fairly quickly once the legislation is introduced in Parliament in early 2012.

Wait...so does that mean he considers "sexual violence" to be violence that follows shortly after sexual content?

 

[Orks da best]

Oh great, another self-righteous dipstick trying to take away our freedom, as if we haven't got enough here in Australia. Any other countries want to take some..please!?

um no there needs to be a place for wackos, just wish it was the artic...

 

[ZehMadScientist]

Am I ever glad that I live in Europe. Australian gamers, hang in there!

 

[jurnag12]

"It involves a prostitute giving sexual favors for money to a man in a car, and then when she gets out, he comes out with a semi-automatic rifle and shoots her dead. Now what good does that do anybody?"

Here's a hint that everyone who makes this argument should get (Because this is the exact same argument that has been used for YEARS), the game doesn't MAKE you do that, IT'S THE PLAYER'S CHOICE.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

"It involves a prostitute giving sexual favors for money to a man in a car, and then when she gets out, he comes out with a semi-automatic rifle and shoots her dead. Now what good does that do anybody?"

When does it have that?

Are you also going to ban the book/film that shows a man beating a whore to death?

It's called Oliver Twist.

 

[Sir Prize]

I don't remember this kind of thing ever happening in Britain or Europe. If I'm wrong can someone correct me.

When movies first came out, it happened and it happened a lot. Just check out wiki our alike and you'll see a record of all the movies that have been banned. If something was too violent or had themes that were not deemed okay, it got banned. There are films that still get banned today, though those tend to be the really nasty ones.

Books have a long history of being banned and burnt in countries and it still happens today, though not on nearly the same level. There was a lot of stuff about Harry Potter being read in religious schools at first and I believe a book called 'Blankets' was banned in Amercian liberies for a while. In fact there are recent cases of some texts being banned, but they do sometimes unban them.

Basically every form of media goes through this process, it's part of how we try and deem what is and isn't okay to be seen or in this case played by the public.

OP:
Other than the guy who is stating his issues, which do seem a little extreme, I see no issue here. They are coming up with a system to say what can be classifed as an 18+ now, which all countries hace.

 

[Ranorak]

You'd think that in a country where every part of wildlife is plotting your murder, the least of their concerns are virtual pixels.

 

[SovietPanda]

To all my Aussie gamer friends, if you'd like to move to the US we can make room (of course our country is just as bad on other things, but our idiot government finally figured out games).

The day first-world governments realize that it is not their job to legislate morality will be a good day indeed.

I'll happily take government that can't work out we're old enough to make decisions about violent or explicit video games over government that can't handle its economy thank you

But on topic, I'd like to see and R18+ rating mainly for the sake of having our game ratings inline with most the rest of the world, and so we're ready when something worthwhile in that rating comes along. I mean to date what have we really missed out on, some dismemberment in LFD2 and XXX BMX. Or have there been some truly amazing and industry changing R rated releases that none of us ever heard about.

 

[Alexander Cunningham]

wait...wasn't Australia FOUNDED by violent exiled convicts?
You'd think they'd be all for bringing on the violence.
(no offence intended to any Aussies reading this. just the bum fuck retarded ones)

 

[CommanderL]

You'd think that in a country where every part of wildlife is plotting your murder, the least of their concerns are virtual pixels.

you sir have won an internet but alas it is an australia internet so it isnt that good but you have won it anyway

 

[FEichinger]

If I may ...

Let's be honest ... This is getting ridiculous now, with the Australian Head Officials desperately trying to block something that is ... to the core ... a game.