Australia's R18+ Games Legislation Passes Parliament - Effectiv...
Dan
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Brisbane, Queensland
4967 posts
The culmination of years of debate and many would say an absurdly drawn out political process has finally borne success, as an R18+ rating for video games (still referred to as Computer Games in official texts) has now passed the Australian Senate and is set to become law starting January 1st 2013 (thanks Dazhel).
Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Justice Jason Clare proudly shared the result in an official statement on the MP's website:
The reforms bring the classification categories for computer games into line with existing categories used to classify films. It also makes the Australian classification regime more consistent with international standards.
"These are important reforms over 10 years in the making," Mr Clare said.
"The R 18+ 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."
Amendments to the classification guidelines still potentially mean that many games that are currently refused classification under the current system would remain so under the new rules, but the new R18+ label enables a clearly defined category for games of an adult nature and will no doubt see less games slipping through unsuited for an MA15+ audience.
You watch, the "do gooder" party will offer to abolish this "because they're thinking of the children" and this party will be elected in next time and we'll all be living in the stone age yet again.
You watch, the "do gooder" party will offer to abolish this "because they're thinking of the children" and this party will be elected in next time and we'll all be living in the stone age yet again.
You know I never understood the hysteria around video games making people violent, years of playing violent first person shooters had never made me want to hurt another living soul.
Now though, I understand the need for strict restrictions on games that may be harmful to someone's mental state and make them want to go on a killing rampage. Hopefully with this new legislation we can see these violence encouraging games like NBA 2K12 get the rating they deserve.
2K owes me a new controller, I didn't break it, the game made me do it!
We get what we want but still we winge, such a growing trend these days which is a shame. Atleast this govt actually grew a pair and introduced it, they have my vote.
Wilber, I didn't get what I and alot of other gamers wanted.
We wanted an R rating so we could get adult games that weren't watered down / censored and potentially delayed in the process.
The ceiling didn't go any higher, the government just painted it red instead of blue and said "there, we fixed your problem!".
What are you basing this on? I've been looking and can't actually find a full run down of what the new classification guidelines will be with R18+ included.
Murdered drug dealers and hookers! Now featuring gore!
Seriously a good thing though, you can go and purchase torture porn "movies" from your local JBHIFI.... but god forbid someone's arm flying off in a video game!
Khel, it was based off the proposed version that was floating around a few months back, and off what I've heard from other people about what this new one does. (basically the same thing as proposed, apparently).
I havn't actually read the one that's currently in place, but I assume it hasn't changed much from the last version that was around.
The basic gist of the proposed version was that alot of M rated games would be moved up to R rated, yet the restrictions for NYC games was still pretty much the same (ie, can't have 'excessive graphic violence' and other similar restrictions like sexual violence and drug use I believe).
While a quick google search didn't reveal the actual documents relating to it, it did show a bunch of different websites reporting on it and all saying similar things to me (aka nothing changed, ceiling just got re-coloured)
Yeah, I remember the proposed/draft version, I really hope it didn't get through without any changes because yeah, that one was a bit shit. I wasn't having a go at you or anything, I was just genuinely curious cos I couldn't seem to find any documentation detailing what the new classification scheme that passed through the senate actually is (not even a confirmation on whether its the same as the draft one or not).
This is stupid and really an empty win. They're essentially going to restamp MA15+ games as R18+.
What we really need to get changed is the way they classify the actual games, not a bloody rating system.
I mean essentially, what everyone wants is ultra violent realistic games. Games that were refused classification previously will still be refused classification under the new system. So what did anyone really achieve?
Anything which gives the the ability to blow someones arm off with a M107 .50 cal is still going to be banned. Which is essentially what we want as gamers.
Here's the old classification guidelines document. Which as you can see, despite there being an R18+ category defined, RC still sounds very similar to what games have been banned for under the previous system.
That said, I think the biggest difference that detractors are neglecting when complaining that the R18+ is pointless, is that much of the classification process still seems dependent on the discretion of the classification board reviewers.
It's my expectation that simply by now having a clearly defined adult category, that the top end of games that previously didn't make the MA15+ cut -- stuff like Left 4 Dead 2, Mortal Kombat and Risen -- will now be viewed as appropriate for that category. The definitions haven't changed, but the implications of the category I believe will loosen the interpretation of the guidelines somewhat vague definitions.
The most obvious example is this one in the r18+ guideline (my emphasis) :
Violence is permitted. High impact violence that is, in context, frequently gratuitous, exploitative and offensive to a reasonable adult will not be permitted.
Clearly what a classifier considers to be a "reasonable adult" is widely option to interpretation and their personal discretion.
So it's my expectation that we will see things loosen up ever so slightly. And similarly, for the same reason, we'll also see a lot of games now getting the R18+ stamp that would have been MA15+ under the previous system, even though the terms haven't been changed much.
The other big win is that this now means that states can properly prohibit the sale of adult games to kids. It's now reasonable for retailers to ask for ID when the product is 18+, because 18+ checks are ubiquitous in Australia, but obviously there's no simple and legally-enforceable facility for age-checking when the bar is only 15+.
I'm still not convinced its just restamping MA15+ games as R18+ though, because MA15+ still exists. While there doesn't seem to be a document outlining all the details of the new classification system, theres one up with some amendments in it, and from the amendments its obvious that MA15+ and R18+ both exist as separate levels of classification. Thats why I'm keen to find out some more solid details of exactly what comes under each heading now.
Kinda sux - the rationale was 'adults should see what they want.' We're not being given that. Still be treated like we'll go on killing sprees if they let us simulate terror attacks.
I didn't mean re-badging MA15+ to R18+ and removing the MA, I meant some M might move up to MA, and some MA might move up to R.
My response (and issue) was that the last I saw of the way the R rating was defined, it wasn't going to actually change any of the games that we're currently getting censored, thus the whole "just painting the roof a diff colour" comment. A lot of games (example: GTA series) would have simply just been bumped to R18+, while other games such as L4D2 would still be RC'd.
Hopefully someone gets their hands on a lite version of the bill so we can pick it apart and hopefully live happily ever after, but until I see stuff like L4D2 getting released uncensored, or hookers in the next GTA, I'm gonna remain very damn cynical.
Personally, I think they just tried to gain brownie points (and shut everyone up) on both sides without actually achieving anything. Parents are still gonna buy R rated games for their kids like they did before when it was MA15+, and adult games are probably still gonna get RC'd for violence etc.
At least there's an easy way to gauge whether they're restamping MA15+ games with R18+ and still refusing to classify future games like MK and Syndicate: If a game gets a PEGI 18 or an ESRB M rating then in theory it should receive an R18+ here.
Fucking ACL, listening to the shit they spout just makes me want to rage out hulk style. Even scarier is the thought that someone, somewhere who has a say in how these things are run is listening to them.
''It's a really important issue because of what we know from the research of the impact of playing extremely violent video games on young children's development in terms of their attitudes and values,'' he said.
what i dont understand is why the only point they bring up is children? these games are rated R.. which means not to be sold to ppl under the age of 18.
How is it any different from an R rated movie? Cant stand the old 'oh but what if an older brother has it and rah rah rah.." thats no fuckin different to an older bro hiring out a R movie and leaving there and a kid watching it. Shit happens and lack of parenting is the only thing to blame if so many people are worried about 'children' somehow acquiring these R games
''It's a really important issue because of what we know from the research of the impact of playing extremely violent video games on young children's development in terms of their attitudes and values,'' he said.
Bitch please I was playing Doom2 when I was 6 and I turn out okay.
lack of parenting
That's the winner right there, people just want someone else to blame other than themselves.
Every generation it's the same bullshit. First it was pot, then it was rock music then it was TV and now it's video games. But don't worry I'm sure the next mass form of entertainment to appear will cop all this bullshit again. "FUCKING KIDS THESE DAYS DOING (X) BACK IN MY DAY WE JUST RAN OVER 500 PEDESTRIANS IN GTA AND WENT TO BED"
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