EFA Gearing up Campaign for Australan R18+ Games

[SmOOvDoGG]

Non-profit org Electronic Frontiers Australia (http://www.efa.org.au/) have launched a new web-site as part of a campaign to lobby the Australian State and Territory Attorneys-General about the missing R18+ category for games.

An R18+ classification would require the unanimous support of all Attorneys-General, and in the past moves to change the current classification have been blocked on the vote of a single state Attorney-General.

EFA is now sponsoring a campaign to have the R18+ classification for games introduced in Australia.

r18games.com (http://r18games.com/) will serve as a collation for the news and details supporting that campaign as well as a discussion forum and point of reference if you're thinking about writing to your State or Territory's Attorney-General.

Interesting, It would be great if we could get R18 Classification for Games in General, but the arguement also is that is there a real need for extreme interactive violence?

Thoughts

[Noddy]

in light of

http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,25642,24575896-5014239,00.html

and

http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,25642,24569656-5014239,00.html


I think we can safely say doesn't matter what we think about how much the government should be allowed to control what happens inside our own homes.....

[Aresnik]

I don't have a problem with it. As an adult if I want the option to buy a violent game I should be able to. Instead of having to suffer because parents aren't monitoring what their kids play.

[AllYourBase11]

In the past, novels, and then movies, suffered the same kind of censorship. Once gaming is recognised as an artform unto itself, then maybe we'll see some movement on these attempts to stifle or hinder an artists vision.

The other argument used is that "people under 18 might be exposed to these violent video games wah wah wah somebody think of the children"

Now I'm not a parent (yet), and I'm sure that argument has merit, but the fact of the matter is that the average age of gamers is no longer 8 like it was a 15 ago. Those gamers have grown up, and the average is somewhere closer to 28 now. And goddamnit, those adult gamers want their adult games like the rest of the free goddamn world!

Im just happy we play on PC, where I can import whatever the hell I please and play the most violent, gory, disgusting games to my hearts content. I feel sorry for console tards - I mean, users who dont have that freedom.

[bishos30]

Am I the only gamer who doesn't think we need an R18 rating?
We're not really being deprived of anything worthwhile.

[AintWarHeLL(hehe)]

anyone under 18 don't count any way, so who cares... :) hehehehe

[Noddy]

I suspect it's more about freedom of choice and the fact that Governments tend to overreach their responsibility with regards to allowing citizens to take responsibility for their own actions.

[Slavak]

People should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people.

There's a growing realization that its none of the governments business what people do in there homes or with their own body's. All I can say is "took you long enough."

[daveee]

People should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people.
"

straight out of v for vendetta?

[McDethWivFries]

Am I the only gamer who doesn't think we need an R18 rating?
We're not really being deprived of anything worthwhile.

no, i'm with you there.

I suspect it's more about freedom of choice and the fact that Governments tend to overreach their responsibility with regards to allowing citizens to take responsibility for their own actions.

but what would the government have to do then? all their time would be spent thinking up new ways to abuse parlimentary priverlage to abuse other ppl and nothing would get done. with them acting all 'big brother' on us at least they are achieving something (as well as the growing disdane of the general populous).

Governments = 'the ultimate killjoy'

Anarchy now, festivus later is what i say!!!

[icehollowpoint]

Am I the only gamer who doesn't think we need an R18 rating?
We're not really being deprived of anything worthwhile.

It's not that we want to be able to play ultra violent video games, its alot more than that. Think of it like a film, there are some classics out there, that had their explicit subject matter and content be censored or cut out, it would lose it's touch and wouldn't be as great.

The same can apply to videogames, many people are looking at this on a superficial level thinking the R18 rating would only apply to games where we can cut people's heads off for the hell of it. It's nothing like that.

[JLycett]

I agree with Bisho30

[AllYourBase11]

I tend to agree, especially given the trend toward "gore porn" in horror films these days - There is a limit on how many gibs one man can take!

Although ridiculously excessive violence is probably not a good thing, think of the storytelling genius we would have missed out on if films didnt have an R rating - Reservior Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill (Tarantino, basically), The Running Man (older Arnie movie) etc etc

Even if those movies dont float your boat, the crux of that matter is this: currently, the system says that I am only allowed access to material suitable for 15 year olds. And I dont think the government should be able to make that decision for me.

[bishos30]

Although ridiculously excessive violence is probably not a good thing, think of the storytelling genius we would have missed out on if films didnt have an R rating - Reservior Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill (Tarantino, basically), The Running Man (older Arnie movie) etc etc

While a good argument, the thing we have to remember is that there are many things you can get away with in games that would earn a film an R18 rating. Drugs are the only things in Tarantino films that you wouldn't get away with in a M15+ game.

Even if those movies dont float your boat, the crux of that matter is this: currently, the system says that I am only allowed access to material suitable for 15 year olds. And I dont think the government should be able to make that decision for me.

This is the pro 18 ratings strongest argument. And it's a difficult one to address. But at the end of the day the government is totally within it's rights to restrict whatever it likes if it is available commercially within the country. If you were to make a game within your own home that was mega violent and full of drugs and (consensual) sex I would have no problem with it. But I wouldn't let you put it on the market.

[VisOne]

Hmm talked about this before here and on the GSA forums anyway heres what we said then.

The Australian Federal Government is considering the inclusion of an R18+ rating for videogames.

The review will be brought up at the next Standing Committee of attorneys-general meeting on March 28th, however any change must agreed to by the Commonwealth and all state and territory attorneys-general.

The most recent game to get the ban was Dark Sector, which the Classification Board banned for graphic violence, including "decapitation, dismemberment of limbs accompanied by large blood spurts, neck breaking spurts, neck breaking twists and exploded bodies with post-action twitching body parts." We had the privilege of playing [Dark Sector at eGames earlier this year] (http://gamingsa.com/forums/../?nid=756) and the game was no more violent than Gears of War which it resembles in style.

Now the question is, do we really need an R18+ rating for videogames or do we just need a more lenient ratings system for videogames? After all, games such as Manhunt, Dark Sector, NARC, 50 Cent: Bulletproof and Mark Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure were all released in the US under the M rating without modification.

Original news from ['R-rated games may be on shelves soon' at the Sydney Morning Herald] (http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/violence-and-sex-may-get-thumbs-up/2008/02/22/1203467345267.html?p age=fullpage#content Swap1).

I have mentioned this before and I'll mention it again because it even qoutes it in the Sydney Morning Heralds news article.

Any changes to the censorship regime must be agreed to by the Commonwealth and all state and territory attorneys-general. The previous government was reluctant to put the issue on the agenda.

Also heres what I have said previously on this.

Apparently getting the rating system changed is quite the monumental undertaking given that we need not only the state attorney general, but the federals to vote unambitiously to change it and then a bill it needs to go through both houses of parliament.

I will be very surprised if we see a adult rating any time soon.

[AllYourBase11]

If you were to make a game within your own home that was mega violent and full of drugs and (consensual) sex I would have no problem with it

I dont know about the mega violent part, but the last two sound like a party!