In another blunder, the Office of Film and Literature Classification has refused to classify Alien vs. Predator, effectively banning it from sale in Australia. This comes just a month or so after Left 4 Dead 2 was refused classification, then heavily censored to meet the requirements of an MA15+ rating, what some are calling “the most disturbing censorship result in Australia’s history”. Normally, this website is a place to show off my work, and I hear some of you enjoy watching my tutorials. However, I just find this situation ridiculous, and urge everyone in Australia to do something about this.

So what is the problem? Well, Australia only has an MA15+ rating for games. Therefore, any game that doesn’t fit into this banner is refused classification and not allowed to be sold. However, the average age of Australian gamers is 30. In a fumbled attempt to protect the children, the adult majority get treated like immature social misfits. I have no problem with refusing to sell children games that are specifically made for adults. My problem is with treating adults like children.

What can we do about this? You contact the people responsible and give them a piece of your mind. The states’ Attorneys General are responsible for holding back an R18+ rating for games. SA Attorney General Michael Atkinson has been the most vocal in his opposition. I urge everyone to write to their respective MP and share your thoughts on the issue. Below is my letter to Atkinson.

Dear Mr Atkinson

My name is Michael  and I am a 24 year old PhD Candidate at the University of South Australia. I am writing to express my disgust at the current rating scheme for video games in Australia. As a country with a rich new media industry, I cannot believe we are falling behind the rest of the world with our lack of an R18+ rating for video games. Recent incidents, such as the censored release of Left 4 Dead 2 (news.com.au, 17/9/09), and the refused classification of Alien vs Predator (news.com.au, 7/12/09) has shown how out of touch Australia is.

The video games industry is no longer a niche market. The Entertainment Software Association states that in the US alone, video games are an 11.7 billion dollar industry. The video game Halo 3 recorded $170 million in sales on its first day, compared to $151 million for the film Spiderman 3 on its opening weekend (esa.com).

Furthermore, it is clear that the Australian public wants an R18+ rating for games. According to the Interactive Australia 2009 report (igea.net), the average gamer in Australia is 30 years old. Gaming is no longer an activity for children, and it is important for video games to be treated in the same way as all other mass media the Australian adult public has access to. The report also stated 91% of adults, both gamers and non‐gamers, believe Australia should have an R18+ rating for games.

Protecting the Children is a poor argument. 92% of Australian parents say they are aware of the games being played in their home. Purchasing games should not be considered any different to purchasing an R rated DVD. I agree that there are some games that children should not have access to. However, censorship is not the way to solve the problem. Children are not allowed to purchase alcohol, cigarettes, R rated movies, etc., retailers and parents can be responsible for enforcing the same restrictions for video games.

I look forward to hearing your opinion on this matter. The video games industry is large and growing, and games are an important recreational activity for many Australian adults. Australia can not afford to keep falling behind the rest of the world any more. Thank you for your time.

Yours faithfully

Michael

Now if everyone would do the same, Australia can catch up with the rest of the world.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 at 1:17 pm and is filed under Random News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.