Australian Government Scrutinizes Videogames Classification Rules

[Aussie Legend]

Trust South Australia to try and screw it up for everyone else

 

[Kittyhawk]

Its a sorry state of affairs that our aussie cousins have to put up with this crap. More grey haired dinosaurs telling others how to live. Fact of the matter is, they waited far too long, hemming and hawing, to establish an 18 rating in an online globally connected age. Add to the fact that their review board keeps denying games releases down there until edits are made, the last thing gamers want in their games is edits, especially sanctioned by those who don't even buy or play the games in question.

So, the result is many aussie gamers will just import their games from the U.K/Hong Kong/Singapore. Damn right too! I don't put up with edited media and neither should others. If they ever tried the same crap in the U.K I'd import too.

They could try and close these import options, but they'd probably have blood in the streets, as people have a right to shop outside their nations borders if they choose to.

Beware of those who say they are trying to protect children with this crap. Strong parenting is at the core of solving the problem, and game sales staff already do their bit. Once that paid for game walks out of the shop in adult hands, their responsibility ends for that copy of a game.

 

[Chapter11]

Politicians are idiots who couldn't care less about the people who elected them? I'm shocked.

 

[NezumiiroKitsune]

I don't see anything wrong with the issue he's raising here. A bunch of games were released, and received a notably more lenient classification in Australia, than in most of the world. Now why they don't just use ESRB themselves, I've no idea. Self-regulation in the games industry is world standard, no other media does it better, which is to say, more responsibly and thoroughly.

I think any censorship or progress retarding bureaucracy inferred from this is misinferred. He's just asking questions that I'd be asking. For some of those games, maybe a rating of MA15+ is reasonable, and the majority of the world are wrong, but it's worth looking into.

 

[heroicbob]

Australia why you so shitty lately? I mean in general you're pretty great but I won't put up with this for much longer.

i don't think there's anything wrong with what he said, the ratings are there for a reason all hes saying is that some of them should have been rated more stringently its far better than arbitrarily refusing a games classification

 

[gentleben]

Call me Devil's Advocate, but he doesn't sound anti-violent game to me. I interpret his comments as "We made the 18+ rating for a reason, why aren't we using it? Come on ratings board, get your #$%^ together."

This is how I read it as well. I'm beginning to wonder how many of the other commenters actually read what he said. His complaint wasn't that certain games should be banned, it was that the R18+ rating that took so long to be implemented wasn't being applied properly, and that some games were slipping in underneath the R18+ rating. This same argument was one of the ones used by people in favour of the R18+ rating (such as myself) a couple of years ago prior to it being implemented - that kids who weren't mature enough to play videogames with violent or adult themes were able to because popular videogames were getting shoehorned in to lower categories because if they weren't allowed in to the country there would be revolt.

 

[Subscriptism]

If GTA 6 is released under a different name can we avoid this shit next time? What is it about the GTA name that makes every stuck up old prick go into "protect the children" mode?

 

[bug_of_war]

Get back to me when they finally decide to USE the new rules it took them decades to put in place.

I just wish they actually knew the rules. Saints Row 4 had to be altered due to 1 mission where you take drugs and benefit from it. However, in Payday 2 not only do you cook drugs, you sell them too. The only difference is that you don't use the drug, so what the fuck? It's okay to benefit from drugs so long as you are not taking them??

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

Jeez, I feel bad that you Australians have to put up with this crap. What a codger. They tried the same thing in the United States, but thankfully the Supreme Court shot them down and told them to go do something constructive with their lives. Maybe take dancing classes or something.

Worth noting that, unlike in America, ratings for videogames and movies here are actually enforceable by law, at least at point of sale. Minors can't buy restricted games, like, strict penalties apply and all that. As apposed to in America where it's merely strongly suggested.

Both MA15+ and R18+ are legally restricted ratings.

 

[Strazdas]

I dont think he even knows what "chiren" mean. He said that a 15+ rating allows children to see stuff? how does that even make sense?

So what if they see some blood and some nudity? Jeez. The kids aren't made of glass for fuck sake.

apperently accordign to showing them glass will cut them regardless of medium.

Do Australian politicians have nothing better to do? You know I'm starting to wonder if they get a lot of their ideas from american Republicans.

Don't forget American Democrats, after all this is a bi partisan issue when it comes to violent video games.

What democrats? The politics in america has been "right" and "Extrem right" for a few decades now.

People bitching at this guy didn't read the article very well.

"Just use the ratings you have in place!", you say. But that's precisely what he's complaining about: the fact that their rating system is being poorly utilized.

They're giving 15+ ratings to games that other countries gave a 17/18+ rating to. And he's pointing this out and asking why Australia is giving ratings with a lower age margin (thus making them purchasable by a younger crowd) when other countries are giving these games higher ratings. And to be fair, he's got a point. If ESRB give a rating of 18+ to a game and Australia gives it a 15+, that's a little weird and he's right to point out that there's a disconnect there, especially when Australia DOES have a 18+ rating on its charts so it's not a matter of simply not having a higher rating level.

No, he isnt. He is bitching that his rating system works better than the rest and has a rating in between "omg thing of the children" moronic rage age and "adult only" range. if you create a game that according to review board is fit for 15 year olds, in australia you et a 15+rating. in Europe for example you would only hav a achoice between 13 year old and 17 year old. So a movie fit for 15 but not for 13 according to whatever wankers sit on those boards would be 15+ in australia and 17+ in europe. thus their system working better.
Then again, this guy does nto even seem to know what word "children" mean so its easy to showe him under "omg another stupid politician" crowd.

 

[TechNoFear]

The Australian government is NOT scrutinising anything to do with game rating.

If the government of the state of Ohio brought in a law allowing police to racial profile people as they walked down the street would you report that the US congress was creating racist laws?

 

[Evil Smurf]

I'm moving country when I can afford it, to escape this shit.

Heh, be interesting to see what, if anything, the Abbott government does about this.

They are too busy masturbating over pictures of Margaret Thatcher and fucking over students, the middle class, the elderly, women and anyone who is not a rich, racist, greedy ****.

My socialism is showing :3