Australian Christian Lobby Joins the Fight Against R18+ Game Ratings

[Internet Kraken]

I predict comments bashing religion

Oh what a surprise, the Christians hate gaming too...

Oh, to late.

"Research shows that increased playing of violent first person shooter games can significantly increase aggression,"

I've seen this claim made many times before, yet I haven't seen any significant research on the effects of violent video games on a child's mind. So unless they found research that I didn't find, they are just making shit up. Which wouldn't surprise me. I've never understood why people think realistic violence is more likely to generate aggression children than, say, cartoon violence.

"And remember, even if R18+ games were only sold to adults, they would inevitably find their way into children's hands."

Never understood this argument either. You can't ban a product meant for an adult just because a child might use it. By that logic a lot of other stuff should be banned.

Really don't know what else to say though. Right now I'm just preaching to the choir (I think, am I using that expression properly).

 

[silver wolf009]

alas, australia, pity from all of the world

 

[TheDoctor455]

So the Religious Right is condemning gaming as whole again... quelle suprise.

 

[electric_warrior]

Oh no, a bunch of right-wing zealots want to band "nasty" games. They've being trying to do this to all areas of the media for the last 100 years and they always fail.

Just take whatever they say, take it with a pinch of salt

 

[lacktheknack]

Anyone else really want to know where they get there "research" from, because research shows the exact opposite, violent games satisfy the violent part of your brain.

Quick, I need to have a source.

 

[benbenthegamerman]

You know? im not upset over this. i am so tired of the bullshit that extremist christians try to fill everyone's head with that it doesn't matter to me anymore that they have antics opposing something that is different.

 

[Georgeman]

What? Most Australians in favor of censorship?! That can't- Oh wait, an Anal-yst said that. (Pun fully intended) Got me there for a moment. I call bullshit to this.

Oh, by the way Australian Christian Lobby. A lot of things can fall to the hands of children. You know, like big knives for example. (Yes, even cooking knives can be dangerous you know)

There are quite a few ways to prevent kids from playing R+ games. Parental control on videogames, refusal to purchase R+ games, and in the end, what better way than removing the platform in question if the kid is doing something naughty (like for example borrowing a friend's mature game).

And seriously, Fallout 3 received MA15+ on Australia and nobody batted an eyelid from what I know.

 

[Infernai]

uRGHHHH! Isn't there anyone with some shred of brain in this Forsaken country!? *head-desk*

 

[IHateDaManSkirt]

It would be nice if you could hear the word "Christian" applied to things more frequently without having to let out a groan.

Christian charity organization selflessly risks their lives in strife-torn hotspot!

Christian political organization...

Oh, we do the charity risking-lives thing tons, but it's not fashionable enough to report on or write news stories about.

In India, the missionaries convert people(with questionable methods), kill the man who tries to convert them back and leave the area. It's not fashionable to report on those stories.

Anyway, does Australia have a "separation of church and state" clause in their constitution?

 

[sanzo]

"And remember, even if R18+ games were only sold to adults, they would inevitably find their way into children's hands."

Never understood this argument either. You can't ban a product meant for an adult just because a child might use it. By that logic a lot of other stuff should be banned.

Really don't know what else to say though. Right now I'm just preaching to the choir (I think, am I using that expression properly).

I know. By that logic, cigarettes and alcohol should be banned.

Cause we all know that no one underage has ever gotten their hands on those two things

 

[samsonguy920]

There's no way they'll be able to ban 18 and over video games.

They just make way too much money.

Since right now they aren't being sold in Australia anyway since they don't get a R18+ rating, they aren't making any money. And groups like the ACL will be happy to point that out, in a twisted sense of words. And those games that are rated Mature in other countries that are edited to get the Teen rating in Oz, the ACL will say that this is proof that games don't need to be so violent to get sold.
Time to get off your butt, Aussie gamers, and start supporting the facts instead of the hype. Otherwise you will have no one to blame but yourselves when censorship is put into full force in your country.

 

[Ali88]

Aparintly Michael Atkinson is a journalist. Why then is he in job where he is the main legal advisor for the government. Allowing him to dribble nonsense out side of a normal pen and paper accident. Its like the daily mail be in charge of Uk foreign affairs.

 

[CD-R]

There's no way they'll be able to ban 18 and over video games.

They just make way too much money.

Since right now they aren't being sold in Australia anyway since they don't get a R18+ rating, they aren't making any money. And groups like the ACL will be happy to point that out, in a twisted sense of words. And those games that are rated Mature in other countries that are edited to get the Teen rating in Oz, the ACL will say that this is proof that games don't need to be so violent to get sold.
Time to get off your butt, Aussie gamers, and start supporting the facts instead of the hype. Otherwise you will have no one to blame but yourselves when censorship is put into full force in your country.

This man speaks the truth.

Edit: Man there isn't a whole lot of info about these guys on the net. All I found was this

http://greensmps.org.au/content/media-release/conroy-must-explain-why-christian-lobby-gets-net-filtering-trial-update-greens

They are in tight with Conroy the guy who got the internet filter set up.

And this
http://www.bewareofthegod.com/wp-images/BOTG_news_1.pdf

 

[tkioz]

It's tempting to dismiss the ACL as just another fringe group that's completely out of touch with the realities of modern society, but the fact is that members of these organizations have a tendency to do something that a lot of "gamers," to use an admittedly broad term, don't: They vote.

Sorry but get your facts right, Australia isn't America and voting in State and Federal elections is mandatory, failure to do so is grounds for a hefty fine. So what you said there is just plain and utterly wrong.

 

[Zing]

/buys Uzi...

Yes I took that literally.

 

[300lb. Samoan]

I actually think this is good news... [/dodging stones]

Remember when Atkinson said he didn't want to have a public consultation because the dialogue would be overwhelmed by the opinions of gamers (presumably excluding some kind of silent majority)? This means that there's a prevalent opposition to gamers in that dialogue, so maybe now he'll see fit to conduct that consultation.

Or maybe not. I certainly don't know a damn thing about Australian politics outside of what I read here on TheEsc.

 

[Nurb]

is there no protection for speech or expression there?

 

[yaik7a]

I can't help but lol at the ACL because of there retardism

Atheists FTW !!!!

 

[WhamBamSam]

"Research shows that increased playing of violent first person shooter games can significantly increase aggression,"

I've seen this claim made many times before, yet I haven't seen any significant research on the effects of violent video games on a child's mind. So unless they found research that I didn't find, they are just making shit up. Which wouldn't surprise me. I've never understood why people think realistic violence is more likely to generate aggression children than, say, cartoon violence.

"And remember, even if R18+ games were only sold to adults, they would inevitably find their way into children's hands."

Never understood this argument either. You can't ban a product meant for an adult just because a child might use it. By that logic a lot of other stuff should be banned.

Really don't know what else to say though. Right now I'm just preaching to the choir (I think, am I using that expression properly).

An accurate study on violence in videogames would probably show an increase in aggression in some children, but I doubt it'd be significantly greater than the reduction in violent tendencies as a result of the gaming being used as a means of venting or relieving stress. On balance it probably leaves us about where we'd be anyway in terms of corrupting our children, and the only ones that'll be set off to any serious degree are the ones that were fucked up to begin with and could have such an episode triggered by just about anything, meaning that video games would receive disproportionate blame because of their popularity and relative 'new-ness.' Consider the following scenario; A 15 year old boy murders his stepfather. The media will almost certainly call attention to the fact that he played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 regularly, rather than the fact that he had recently been reading Hamlet in school. Even if he performs the act by way of stabbing while saying "venom to thy work," knifing in CoD will get the attention.

Which brings me to my next point. There's an R18+ rating for film, they haven't prohibited the use of cigarettes or alcohol, and owning kitchen knives is perfectly okay, so why make this arbitrary designation that serves no purpose other than to show that those supporting it are old and out of touch?