R18-plus category won't stop bans: Aussie Government
September 9th 2008 02:51
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R18 rating not the be all, end all
AN R18-plus classification won't guarantee violent or drug-referenced video games safe passage onto Australian shelves, the Federal Government has revealed.
Gamers have been calling for an R18-plus classification after national censor, the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC), banned the post-apocalyptic set Fallout 3 from being imported, sold or advertised in Australia because it contained 'incentives and rewards (to gamers) related to drug use'.
But Australia's Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus, whose portfolio includes classification policy, last week revealed that an R18-plus classification was no guarantee to save games such as Fallout 3 from being banned.
"In the board's view the game warrants an RC classification in accordance with item 1(a) of the computer games table of the National Classification Code," Mr Debus said.
"As a general rule material that contains drug use related to incentives will be refused classification.
"The availability of an R18-plus classification would not necessarily have resulted in a different decision by the Classification Board."
Since July's classification 'fallout' at the OFLC, the game's developer Bethesda has modified the Australian version to remove animations showing drug use, pleasing the OFLC and resulting in it classifying the game as MA15 on 7 August.
Meanwhile, Mr Debus said a review on the R18-plus classification for games was underway with a review paper to be released for public consultation 'once Censorship Ministers agreed to it.'
Mr Debus said policy change would require a unanimous agreement from all state, territory and federal censorship ministers.
For gamers wandering whether or not they can import the game, Mr Debus said games classified RC 'can not be legally imported, sold or advertised in Australia.'
View the letter from Mr Debus
(Click on image to enlarge)
AN R18-plus classification won't guarantee violent or drug-referenced video games safe passage onto Australian shelves, the Federal Government has revealed.
Gamers have been calling for an R18-plus classification after national censor, the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC), banned the post-apocalyptic set Fallout 3 from being imported, sold or advertised in Australia because it contained 'incentives and rewards (to gamers) related to drug use'.
But Australia's Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus, whose portfolio includes classification policy, last week revealed that an R18-plus classification was no guarantee to save games such as Fallout 3 from being banned.
"In the board's view the game warrants an RC classification in accordance with item 1(a) of the computer games table of the National Classification Code," Mr Debus said.
"As a general rule material that contains drug use related to incentives will be refused classification.
"The availability of an R18-plus classification would not necessarily have resulted in a different decision by the Classification Board."
Since July's classification 'fallout' at the OFLC, the game's developer Bethesda has modified the Australian version to remove animations showing drug use, pleasing the OFLC and resulting in it classifying the game as MA15 on 7 August.
Meanwhile, Mr Debus said a review on the R18-plus classification for games was underway with a review paper to be released for public consultation 'once Censorship Ministers agreed to it.'
Mr Debus said policy change would require a unanimous agreement from all state, territory and federal censorship ministers.
For gamers wandering whether or not they can import the game, Mr Debus said games classified RC 'can not be legally imported, sold or advertised in Australia.'
View the letter from Mr Debus
(Click on image to enlarge)
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Comment by Glen Atwell
Computer Game
Comment by Joey Crews
Yeah, cause they're really good at that as it is..
Why bother patronizing us, just say "It's not gonna happen. We're gonna do what we want."
Comment by Daniel Mason
Comment by Shaun Inguanzo
Blogocratic Nightmare
There are plenty of films that reveal how people go about buying, selling and dealing drugs - even taking them - and they aren't banned.
Comment by Daniel Mason
Part of the classification code states that adults should be able to read, hear and see what they want. But the OFLC has, several times over the last eighteen months, prevented me from experiencing material that I want to.
The code also says that classification is judged on the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults. The barometer for 'generally accepted standards' here is actually determined by common law. If we don't accept the standards that are dictated to us we'd be 'dangerous individuals', not 'reasonable adults'. Standards are generally accepted because they are the law.
Another part of the code says that films and computer games will be refused classification if they include or contain detailed instruction or promotion in matters of crime or violence. Now think about how many films and games you can think of that were given classification despite contravening this particular section of the code. I wouldn't know the specifics of how to shoot up heroin if I'd never seen it happening onscreen.
Where the classification board succeeds most clearly is in displaying a true lack of consistency.
I wrote a novel (Rush) that includes scenes of mass murder played for laughs. Nobody in the government took public issue with the content of the novel. They did, however, take issue with the cover image of a gun being pointed at someone's head. Yet the content, which defies morality and decency, was deemed award-winning as part of a government initiative. To this day I still don't know if anybody in the government quite realised what they were endorsing.
Perhaps it's easier for books to slip under the radar. It certainly appears easier for movies to get classification approval over videogames.
Comment by Dean Longmore
The code also states that children should be protected from dangerous content. People like Michael Atkinson believe that allowing more mature games into the country = more mature games into children's hands, which is where the lines begin to blur (in his mind at least) - do we protect the children, OR do we let adults see what they want?
Obviously this is a redundant argument as there are so many controls to keep mature content out of children's hands, but really thats the issue summed up.
Comment by Chris Shipp
I remember the first instances of the OFLC intervening, on craptacular game Phantasmagoria, which had the hell edited out of it, and oddly enough Duke Nukem 3D, which had all the elements that made the game stand out removed, the "swearing", and by swearing I mean the word "shit" and a few pixelated boobs, what miffed me on that one was the removal of the gore, that detracted from the gameplay.
Thank god for modern times, Mr Debus, you may be able to stop the physical packaging, but as adults we have the right to choose.
In that regard, I choose to buy in a down loadable format, customs can't stop me purchasing something directly to my HD,............... yet.
This bit gets me angry;
"But Australia's Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus, whose portfolio includes classification policy, last week revealed that an R18-plus classification was no guarantee to save games such as Fallout 3 from being banned."
How so?
Its 18 , we have a choice, I will NOT be told what I can and can't look at or enjoy, the game has as much chance as falling into a kids hands as a movie of the same rating, on that basis we DO NOT ban every 18 movie from being released, and I dare say there have been many movies which have glamorized drug use, creation, dealing, distribution and the violence associated with it (Blow, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Miami Vice, essentially more than I can fit here) but I am yet to hear of them being turned away.
"Australia's game classification rules state that titles that 'depict, express or otherwise deal with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults' will be refused classification," he writes.
Perhaps this is a sign that the OFLC needs to rethink its ratings structure.
Games are only going to become more like Hollywood films -- and reality, for that matter -- in the future, and if they refuse to rate any game that depicts something as commonplace as drug usage or sex, the number of games being banned will increase to unacceptable levels very shortly.
Stop Fallout 3?
Really.............
Really Long Link
Really Long Link
No OFLC intervention there.