R18+ Games - Public Consultation

[EeLeYe]

UPDATE - My previous link has been updated with the full article.

f**k YEAH!!! The federal government has announced Australia will introduce the long-awaited R18+ classification for video games, saying the process will only take "a couple of months."

Federal Minister for Home Affairs Brendan O'Connor said that he would go ahead an introduce the R18+ classification for games at a federal level, and it would then be up to each state and territory to decide whether or not it adopts it.

Don't see why Victoria won't adopt it. I don't care about the other states...

[mad082]

well that is 1 foot foward, now lets see if the state governments figure out that you have move the other leg as well in order to walk.

[liger]

about time how long have we been waiting for this?

[liger]

did anyone see this the other day?

http://www.kotaku.com.au/2011/07/sunrise-seamus-and-jim-wallace-of-the-acl-discuss-oslo-and-modern-warfare-2/

christians want the banning of all violent games because of what happened in oslo.

[EeLeYe]

It'll never happen. Banning violent video games won't solve anything. If anything, it will probably increase violence. There's nothing better to let out anger after a bad day on GTA or the likes.

Banning violent games because of some crazy f*k is just silly. Does that mean we should also ban driving a car because of all crazy drivers who disregard the safety of others??

The real question would be, "why did he have access to these weapons?"

Obviously their psychology tests when issuing the guns are flawed.

[mad082]

It'll never happen. Banning violent video games won't solve anything. If anything, it will probably increase violence. There's nothing better to let out anger after a bad day on GTA or the likes.

Banning violent games because of some crazy f*k is just silly. Does that mean we should also ban driving a car because of all crazy drivers who disregard the safety of others??

The real question would be, "why did he have access to these weapons?"

Obviously their psychology tests when issuing the guns are flawed.

people were going crazy and killing people before video games. i say we ban religion since it is the cause of this shit.

[*LOACH*]

people were going crazy and killing people before video games. i say we ban religion since it is the cause of this shit.

Breivik is a far right nationalist, so maybe we should ban countries.

[Mayuri Krab]

I say we ban religion since it is the cause of this shit.

Hell, if you ever become a evil dictator, I'll support this...

[liger]

i just find it funny that the guy from kotaku makes a good point, and all the christian guy comes back with is " christians would not do this" bla bla bla.

[chubs]

people were going crazy and killing people before video games. i say we ban religion since it is the cause of this shit.

you can now have gillards job mate. youd get my vote

[mad082]

you can now have gillards job mate. youd get my vote

with your single vote i'm now also more popular than her, LOL

[Mayuri Krab]

with your single vote i'm now also more popular than her, LOL

Don't forgot my vote too...

[mad082]

wow, 2 votes. that puts me ahead of tony abbott too.

[TerminalWraith]

And Turncoat

[EeLeYe]

"For Aussie gamers, it seems the R18+ classification can't come soon enough. Last month the federal government announced it will move ahead to introduce the adult rating before the end of the year. But how much will actually change when Australia has R18+ for games?

The federal government has stated time and time again that the refused classification (RC) category isn't going anywhere, that any game that "offends against the standards of morality, decency, and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults" will still be RC and banned for sale in Australia.

It's important to understand that the Classification Board is a ruling body made up of members of the community who are asked to follow a set of rules. While these rules will be made clearer with the introduction of R18+ for games, identifying standards of "morality, decency, and propriety" will always remain a subjective action. "

Will R18+ lead to fewer game bans?

I think it won't. I have the idea that most members in these "boards" and well, politicians in general, come from small towns whose morals and values are old school and somewhat frozen in time.

I guess, we'll just have to wait and see if this R18+ classification will make much of a difference.

[EeLeYe]

AFTER 10 years of fighting and negotiations, a bill that will usher in an 18+ category for video games has been introduced.

Australians a step closer to R18+ video games

[Mayuri Krab]

About f**king time...

[liger]

finally..... does this mean that the games that are currently edited/patched to reduce violence ( like L4D2) will get a patch to make them completly un-censored?

[liger]

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8485689/gamers-get-adults-only-r18-classification

An adults-only computer game rating category will at last become a reality with legislation passing federal parliament.

The new law fulfils the Commonwealth's part of a deal with states and territories to include an R18+ rating in the games classification system.

"These are important reforms over 10 years in the making," Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said in a statement on Monday.

"The R18+ category will inform consumers, parents and retailers about which games are not suitable for minors to play and will prevent minors from purchasing unsuitable material.

"The reforms also mean that adults are able to choose what games they play within the bounds of the law."

Previously, the highest rating for computer games has been MA15+ meaning overseas adult-only games are usually banned here or given a lower classification allowing children to obtain them.

The new laws bring computer games in line with the classification system for films and other material and make Australia more consistent with international standards.

They have received overwhelming support during years of consultation - one discussion paper received more than 58,000 submissions with most in favour.

Shadow attorney-general George Brandis said it made sense that Australia's classification regime would now be uniform "classifying all media according to a single set of criteria".

"The passage of this bill will no doubt be welcomed by adult gamers all across Australia," Senator Brandis told the Senate.

"The industry has been waiting for this change for some time."

The Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Amendment (R18+ Computer Games) Bill 2012 passed the Senate on Monday night with bipartisan support.

The change has the backing of state and territory attorneys-general who agreed to the classification overhaul in mid-2011.

They'll pass their own complementary legislation to ensure that R18+ computer games are appropriately regulated.

The national classification scheme is scheduled to commence on January 1, 2013.

[EeLeYe]