back to article Aussie hardcore gamers set to be legit

The lengthy struggle to install an R18+ category for the Australian computer gaming sector is closer to fruition, with legislation passing the House of Representatives yesterday. The legislation, which brings the gaming industry into the 21st century and in line with film classification, passed in the House of Representatives …

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  1. Pete Spicer
    Thumb Down

    It'll be as successful as the 18 cert is here, i.e. just mean that parents will actually have to go into the store to purchase things rather than handing their children the money to do so.

    I've lost count of the times I've been in Game or similar stores, where a child who is clearly not even 15, let alone 18, is asking about purchasing something like CoD, and the parents don't seem to register the fact that there's a 15 or an 18 cert on the box.

    1. Sorry that handle is already taken. Silver badge
      Stop

      Point missed

      There has long been a disparity between the classification system for "video games" and other forms of media in this country. The effect of an R18+ classification is that such things are no longer simply refused classification, and are now legal to buy.

      Parental and retailer responsibility when it comes to the sale of R18+ content is a completely separate issue, and is no different for "video games" than it is for similarly classified books or movies.

    2. Voland's right hand Silver badge
      Devil

      That is what parents are for you know

      It is up to the parent to decide. It is my decision, not nanny state's. I have read the certificate, the description and sometimes even played the game. I have decided that it is OK for Junior.

      I allow junior to play Doom at the age of 10. Abstract goofy monsters to shoot, yeah, whatever. Anyone putting 15 on that is out of his mind. The only reason it has 15 is because of the way it relates to the description of sin in one particular dominant developed world religion.

      I am not going to allow him CoD or GTA though regardless of certificate. In my house - only across my dead body.

      By the way, I know that 90% of the parents have not bothered playing the game or even reading the description before making a judgment on should they buy it.

    3. Jason Ozolins
      Thumb Up

      Not fail at all

      Bear in mind that almost no games get witheld from release in Australia; most games originally refused classification (because there wasn't an 18+ classification) have tended to be classified as MA15+ after some lobbying or a few token changes. The bleating of the pro-censorship movement about how an 18+ games rating would unleash a torrent of game filth and violence upon Australian children has not been born out by the evidence, which is that very few games fail to get released in Australia.

      Instead, the result in practice has been MA15+ games released in Australia containing stronger content than those released as MA15+ overseas, where an 18+ rating exists. At least now parents who do care what their kids play will have more information at hand when their youngster hands them the latest FPS or fighting game at the store and starts the usual bargaining process...

    4. Loyal Commenter Silver badge
      Stop

      Just because the censor stuck an 18 certificate on the box doesn't mean that children properly raised by parents with their critical facilities intact will get nightmares from the few red pixels on their screen.

      What it does mean is that someone of a religious or 'moral' bent has complained loudly enough that a politician has passed a censorship law to appease teh said aomplainer, and that the censor has slapped that 18 certificate on the box in accordance with that law.

      If you make your decisions based upon the bleatings of the likes of Mary Whitehouse then by all means don't buy the game for your kids. The rest of us may still be in possession of functional brains and be able to assess each item on its individual merits. We are much more likely to say to little Johnny, "no, you can't have that game beacuse it looks rubbish," rather than "you can't have it because you're not old enough".

      Of course, what we really have to worry about is the day that some do-gooder decides to maken it an offence to buy an 18-rated game for a minor, in much the same way as buying alcohol for kiddies is an offence.

      1. Tim Bates

        Not old enough

        Not old enough makes for an awesome excuse not to buy things though...

  2. Jeebus

    That's because most parents are exactly as smart as their COD playing kin.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Australia...

    ...each day proving to be the most fascist country in the world. Even video games can't escape their insanity.

    1. Sorry that handle is already taken. Silver badge
      WTF?

      Re: Australia...

      Did you RTFA?

  4. Wombling_Free
    FAIL

    I think you mean Austfailia?

    And the happy-clapper Hillsong right-wing WASPs will launch a bid to ban anything with the R18 rating in 3... 2... 1...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I think you mean Austfailia?

      Nah, its all the "Mother of all gay Mardi Gras" attendees that do that.

      Ok, I'm half trolling. However, compare the "you are not allowed to do that" legislation passed by the right-wing happy-clappies to the "you are not allowed to think, say or do that" legislation passed by PC brigade.

      I know which one I'm more concerned about.

      Its all gesture politics. Serious gamers buy from abroad and save at least 50%. That will be the case with or without an R18+ rating.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Facepalm

    "considered nationally by Censorship Ministers..."

    Words fail.

  6. Winkypop Silver badge
    Facepalm

    Stop it

    Or you will go blind.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It shouldn't be this difficult...

    ... for Government to do the right thing...

    But, alas...

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Why would Call Of Duty be an R18?

    There's no sex in it.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Why would Call Of Duty be an R18?

      Well, if you're Lewis Page, the guns are sexy.

  9. HP Cynic

    Good news for Aussie gamers, I guess the next step is addressing the price gouging they often suffer over there and after that proper server hosting for online games!

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