Dead or Alive on 3DS Gets "PG" Rating in Australia

[vansau]

Dead or Alive on 3DS Gets "PG" Rating in Australia

The game that's too sexy for Sweden is coming to Australia, and it's not even getting that high a rating.

Remember how it was announced that Dead or Alive: Dimensions wouldn't be coming out in Sweden, <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/110238-Rumor-Dead-or-Alive-Dimensions-Pulled-From-Sweden-Over-Child-Porn-Laws>reportedly due to concerns over the country's child pornography laws? Well, apparently the game isn't really all that scandalous, as it's received a "PG" rating Down Under.

The Classification Board said it assigned the rating based on "mild violence and sexualized gameplay" but made no mention about the issue of child pornography or the game's photography mode. That alone is kind of weird because - as the Sydney Morning Herald notes - any sexual depictions of minors, even virtual characters, can have some very real consequences:

In Australia, a Sydney man was convicted in 2008 of possessing child pornography over a cartoon showing characters from The Simpsons engaged in sexual acts.

In a landmark finding in the NSW Supreme Court, Justice Michael Adams concluded that a fictional cartoon character could "depict" a "person" under law.

Justice Adams said cartoons could "fuel demand for material that does involve the abuse of children" and found that "a fictional character, even one which departs from recognisable human forms in some significant respects, may nevertheless be the depiction of a person within the meaning of the Act".

He said the man would have been jailed had the cartoon depicted real children but instead fined the man $3000 and placed him on a two year good behaviour bond.

The Australian rating is similar to the T for Teen rating that the ESRB has assigned the game here in the United States. Based on these two ratings, it doesn't sound like Dead or Alive: Dimensions is really all that scandalous; not only that, but it's kind of ironic that Australia is getting a game that's being withheld from certain European countries.

Source: <a href=http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/games/nintendo-child-porn-game-pg-in-australia-20110531-1fdrc.html?from=smh_sb>Sydney Morning Herald


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[SomethingUnrelated]

So, the sexually charged 'Dead or Alive' is getting a PG rating in a country which frets at the mere sight of a drop of blood in a video game?

That seems awfully backward. Although, they were starting to become more accepting of video games as a medium, last I heard.

 

[samsonguy920]

Well, I think we know now which end of the spectrum the Australia Classification Board likes.

Jiggle physics FTW

 

[Eiv]

this seems contradictory to say the least. Think Aus needs to take a look at their rating system. Needs a complete shakeup. If only to keep yahtzee happy.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Huh. Funny that sweden would have 'child porn' issues related to this game while Australia didn't even consider it, despite having similarly over-zealous laws about it.

Laws can really end up being quite arbitrary sometimes, it would seem.

 

[Stabby Joe]

Wait, I'm confused. Violence bad, sex good now? In the US isn't it kind of the other way around?

 

[ToastiestZombie]

Now THATS something you dont hear everyday. Australia being fine with a game that gets banned in other countries. Thats just weird.

 

[Nat Salvas]

Not surprising from a penal colony.

 

[Wuffykins]

At first I was "The Fuck?" and then I remembered that Australia passed a law banning small breasts in pornography (for the sake of characters not being depicted as minors), so I can see this making sense. And as it's already been said:

Jiggle physics FTW

Indeed good sir. Indeed.

 

[Unhappy Crow]

Oh, Australia. Not this again. I still remember We Dare getting a PG rating. Now Dead or Alive on the 3DS is getting the same treatment? Weird.

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

It should at least be M. It is a fighting game, and titties aside, this is a beat-'em-up, right? Even bloodless jaunts like the Spider-man games get rated M down here. ...I mean, I don't like our ratings system. The guidelines are pathetic and I think the OFLC should be an independant body, not an arm of the government. But honestly, fighting games do not fall within the realms of Parental Guidance. They fall within the realms of Mature.

...also, I'm constantly baffled - how does "PG," a rating designed for motion arts like film and television, affect videogames in the slightest? Unless the parent is hovering over their child every PG-rated game they play, this is for handheld systems, it'll be played anywhere and everywhere (supposedly). Do you expect the parents to follow their kids on the subway, or on the toilet? It's little more than a warning, in that case; and since M is unrestricted in this country, you're better off slapping the M onto it regardless.

Damn it, I'm mad enough to boil a monkeys bum. Odd expression? I heard the Prime Minister use it.

 

[JediMB]

Huh. Funny that sweden would have 'child porn' issues related to this game while Australia didn't even consider it, despite having similarly over-zealous laws about it.

Laws can really end up being quite arbitrary sometimes, it would seem.

Thing is, the law doesn't always agree with the rating system. And in Sweden's case the game hasn't been released to begin with, so our legal system hasn't even had the chance to decide if it can be considered child pornography or not.

It's a nice mix of stupidity and cowardice.

 

[CrystalShadow]

Huh. Funny that sweden would have 'child porn' issues related to this game while Australia didn't even consider it, despite having similarly over-zealous laws about it.

Laws can really end up being quite arbitrary sometimes, it would seem.

Thing is, the law doesn't always agree with the rating system. And in Sweden's case the game hasn't been released to begin with, so our legal system hasn't even had the chance to decide if it can be considered child pornography or not.

It's a nice mix of stupidity and cowardice.

Yeah, I guess it gets even more bizarre if the ratings people haven't even had a look at it yet.

That means the developers are too scared to even have someone look at it...

Now, I know Japan is a bit out of sync with most of the rest of the world when it comes to things that can be considered child pornography, but this does seem to be getting a little out of hand.

 

[Paragon Fury]

Thats cool and all, but when are we going to get another "M"-Rated Dead or Alive fighting game on the consoles Team Ninja?

Someone needs to get up there and give Street Fighter, Blazblue and MK the kick in the balls they all need.

 

[rickthetrick]

Think Aus needs to take a look at their rating system. Needs a complete shakeup.

And that's exactly what it's getting with dead or alive. Emphasis on the shake.

 

[UberNoodle]

*sigh*

The problem in Australia isn't that we are prudes or fret at the sight of blood, as one poster above said. It's that we don't have a rating for R18+ in gaming. Films are rarely cut or censored in Australia because it has a full rating system. The lack of that rating for games is essentially due to a lack of foresight and understanding of the medium.

However, as with all things legal and political, change is hard to make. The matter has been hijacked by conservatives, and it is being run by some spineless politicians who can't decide between votes from these vocal minorities or serving the people of this nation.

If one were to compare rating systems and their results, a great many films released in Great Britain contain cuts that Australia would never do (headbutts, certain weapons, etc). Sadly we inherit many prints from the UK and thus have to complain hard to get films like Spiderman, Casino Royale and Face/Off uncut in our country.

In the end, however, more on topic, none of the characters in DOA are engaged in sexual acts, as 'sexy' as they might be perceived to be. It is not illegal to sexualise minors, otherwise the entire global fashion and entertainment industry would be shut down. It IS however, illegal to exploit minors in direct and overtly sexual ways, ala, nudity, intercourse, and do on. Of course, context matters greatly. Sadly, the entire world is having great trouble with understanding context in all things.

There is a lot of insinuations here about the Australian ratings system and the nation's character based entirely on a misunderstanding of the problem. Games are not being 'banned' in the sense that many here take the word to mean. They are being refused classification because in this ONE particular medium, a rating has not been put in place to accomodate that content. If it were, as it is for film, the games would be freely sold. The (minority) conservative moralising over this lack of a rating came AFTER the manifestation of the problem; it wasn't the cause of it.

 

[Adzma]

The Australian rating is similar to the T for Teen rating that the ESRB has assigned the game here in the United States.

Sorry to hound but our PG rating is closer to the E or E10 ratings from the ESRB. Our M rating is the same as your T rating.

So, the sexually charged 'Dead or Alive' is getting a PG rating in a country which frets at the mere sight of a drop of blood in a video game?

Sigh. Australia does not "fret" at the mere sight of "a drop of blood" in games. The only problem is we lack an adult rating which covers high impact violence.

 

[Merkavar]

seems so wierd that a game is being banned in other countries but getting a pg rating in australia. has the world gone topsie turvy? maybe the rapture did happen? am i in bizzaro world?

Not surprising from a penal colony.

did you sign up to just say that?