Michael Atkinson Once Again Dismisses Gamers

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Mr Atkinson wisely says that 18 certificate games are for adults and can't be kept away from kids. Neither can you keep cars, exhaust fumes, smoking, sugar, coffee, alcohol, sunlight, guns, knives, boiling water or many other things meant for adults away from children; before you go into the idea of sexual items like condoms or violent sports such as Aussie Rules Football.

The only safe way is to ban them. Oh, and politics because it contains extreme violence, explicit sexual material or highly offensive language. Usually all attached to the words "Michael Atkinson".

But I do agree with his concern for people crying out, essentially, for extreme violence and sex.

Apart from that's not what an 18 certificate is about. He's quite cleverly insinuated that all 18 certificates are grisly, gorey and cruel, but he forgets to mention that 18s are often given to scenes that involve suicide, sexual violence, homosexuality or politically oriented. (Which leads us to banning Romeo and Juliet, Platoon, Lolita, Catch-22, 1984, Animal Farm, Day of the Jackal, Madame Bovary, Anna Kareina) This doesn't include overt sexuality, torture, animated violence though so we're ok with Carrie (R) (Despite decapitation, buckets of blood, naked Sissy Spacek being beaten and humiliated), Alien (M) (Only real gore scene I can remember is the famous John Hurt one), Predator (M) or Battle Royale (R).

Now if Battle Royale, which is about a bunch of school children having sex and gunning each other down, gets an R in Australia - How the hell is L4D2 unclassifiable?

 

[Fire Daemon]

He's right though, you know.

Everyone: Boo! Hiss!

Oh shut up. What I meant is that parents don't give a fuck about ratings. I've known and played with online, plenty of ten year olds who bought and played Gears of War, a game hardly suitable for them. I think everyone has heard or heard of a story when a little kid wants an adult game and a bad parent ignores all warnings that it's not suitable and get the game to shut the kid up.

He's also right about the 'Adult games don't need an R18+ rating' which I agree with. Nudity and large amounts of violence don't equal adult maturity, rather complex themes and issues that children wont be able to understand or comprehend. These games can have nudity and violence, sure, but those alone don't make it adult. They just make it non-suitable for kids.

But the thing is, this guy doesn't have the right (well he does...) to say what can be allowed in this country. Australia has no Freedom of Speech, even though most people think we do, so it isn't as if he is breaking a law by doing this, however he is supposed to acting in the interest of the people, not acting on his own beliefs and pushing those on other people by censoring media. And really, who gives a fuck if kids play an R18+ rated game. Unless they get their hands on... something from Japan... than they aren't really going to find anything bad enough to warp them. I don't know what games will be like in the future but as it is games are getting banned for mentioning morphine and having large amounts of violence. Yeah, cos that will fuck up a kid. I think that even if a kid does get their hands on an R18+ rated game it will be no worse than many MA15+ games that many kids 10-15 get their hands on. Obviously some parents will buy their kids the game, and that would suck, but with knowledge that R18+ rated movies are in no way good for kids I'd imagine that plenty of parents will not get their kids the game knowing the weight than an R18+ rated movie caries.

Besides, people should be able to choose for themselves. We don't need someone above looking out for us, at least not with things like this.

 

[DarkRyter]

What is he? Dense, or retarded or something? Who the hell does he think I am?

I'M THE GODDAMN BATMAN member of the gaming community enraged by his overly zealous crusade against the right to purchase electronic entertainment for one's own enjoyment.

Also, I'm a dark nocturnal mammalian themed vigilante who beats criminals to a pulp in the name of justice.

Michael Atkinson should be afraid. Very afraid.

 

[Avernus]

I think what bothers me about Atkinson, is he actually comes across as an intelligent (if supremely arrogant) person. At least Jack Thompson sounded like an idiot.

 

[Xan Krieger]

"It does not follow that a game is more interesting to an adult simply because it contains extreme violence, explicit sexual material or highly offensive language. Indeed, with all the effort and money that goes into game development, coupled with the effects and graphics now available, there is no need to introduce these extreme elements. I am baffled and worried about why proponents of R18+ games are putting up their hands and saying, 'Give us more cruel sex and extreme violence!'"

Let's take this and apply a similar spin to movies. Why was there violence in Jaws? Why did we need violence in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre? Those movies wouldn't have made a bit of sense. Taking violence out of games is like taking chestbursters out of Aliens. I'd like to see his idea of movies without violence and sex. I think a Southpark Episode was trying to illustrate this a while ago when George Lucas and Steven Spielburg were replacing the guns in Saving Private Ryan with walkie-talkies. If you take out the violence and sex the plot doesn't make a bit of sense.

How would Night of the Living Dead gone if it wasn't violent? How about Deep Blue Sea? How about the thousands of movies where violence and/or sex are a major part of the plot?

 

[Skizle]

I would never play an R18+ game, but I don't see a good reason not to have such a rating. It feels a lot like restricting freedom of the press to deny such things the right to exist, and we have learned the hard way that when you grant people power to restrict things you don't like, you also grant them power to restrict things you do like.

I stand with y'all on this one, though I realize my stance amounts to "GIVE MY CREEPY FRIENDS THEIR VIOLENT SEX GAMES!"

You do realize that a R18+ game in Austrailia would be a game such as GTA 3 or Carmagedon or even Left 4 Dead 2 (they have a cencered version). The first 2 were never released there because they were deemed too violent. With this R18+ rating these games might actually come out.

 

[Pilot Bush]

what an illusioned asshole

 

[quiet_samurai]

Wow. I love this guy. It is true as proven in the US that ratings do not work. People just buy their kids whatever they want and everyone thinks that kids have the right to play whatever. So no, parents do not take care of their kids. They just give them whatever they want to shut them up.
Basically it comes down to this. It is the law. Shut up and deal with it or leave.
You do not see pedos or other criminals trying to state the laws are stupid. (well except for stoners but who gives a feth what they think.)

(Of course it helps that I am in New Zealand. A sane country where ratings exist and are enforced as well as such things can be. Plus this is amusing as hell.)

Right, because trying to change the rating system is totally on par with child molestation offenses. Maybe I should meet a few rapists and have coffe with them to discuss our similiar plights.

 

[Kiefer13]

Hmm.
Let me explain. I worked at an EB Games (The Canadian version of Gamestop), and watched parent after parent buy M rated games for their young kids. 8 years old kids walking out holding Grand Theft Auto. That's not right. Flat out, straight up: Not right. Even Rockstar would tell you that their games aren't made with younger kids in mind (In fact, I think I saw that on a recent Escapist article). I totally get where is guy is coming from. And, for the most part, I agree with him.

A point I'd like to make here. I played the likes of Grand Theft Auto at about that age (perhaps slightly younger, even), and I can say for a fact that it's had no negative effect on me whatsoever. I would actually say that it's had a beneficial effect on my development. Being exposed and taught about these things, and the difference between fantasy and reality from an early age is certainly miles better than just hiding objectionable material from the eyes of children until some arbitrary age is reached.

 

[Grounogeos]

Maybe we want all the ""depraved" sex, gore and cruelty" in our games because that's pretty much all we get to choose from if we want a game that actually has the right to call itself a game.

 

[Simriel]

Normally I would take the time to formulate an elaborate paragraph expounding just how idioticly stupid and morally questionable he and his stance on the issue are. However I'm rather tired and annoyed enough as it is, so I'll simply say.

What a prick.

While I agree with you... Shouldn't you be running away screaming in over 40 languages?

 

[mooncalf]

Michael Atkinson is out of touch, he has a noble idea in his head everyone is waiting for him to recognise as being beside the point. The point is Adults should be able to choose for themselves. I hope he steps aside soon.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

In fact, Mister Atkinson, these are the 2019 films that Adults are perfectly allowed to watch that children can get hold of in the same way as games.

http://www.imdb.com/List?certificates=Australia:R&&heading=14;Australia:R

Let's see: "Masters of Horror" (2005): Right to Die, "Porno Valley" (2004): Titsicle, A Clockwork Orange (1971), Behind the Scenes of an Adult Movie (1981) (V) ...

Good thing there's nothing explicit in there, is there?

 

[Kiefer13]

Normally I would take the time to formulate an elaborate paragraph expounding just how idioticly stupid and morally questionable he and his stance on the issue are. However I'm rather tired and annoyed enough as it is, so I'll simply say.

What a prick.

While I agree with you... Shouldn't you be running away screaming in over 40 languages?

...why's that then? Am I missing a reference to something?

 

[A random person]

"Anti-gaming twat acts like a twat."
News at 11?

But first, Glenn Beck crying on live TV and making wild (read: stupid) conspiracy theories.

On topic, basically what everyone else said; he's being self-righteous and the parents should be able to decide. Hell, kids under 18 who could handle those games aren't exactly rare.

 

[aakibar]

YEY america i feel so bad for the people in australia....