Post by trog @ 11:31am 30/07/05 | 35 Comments
The Australian Office of Film and literature classification has revoked the classification for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas as a result of the Hot Coffee modification:
The Classification Board made this decision on the basis that it contains contentious material (activated through a code or otherwise) that was not brought to the Board's attention when it was classified.Their press release (PDF) has more information. The release also states that retailers should be removing the game off the shelves immediately and that parents should "exercise caution in allowing children continued access to the game".
"Contentious material" is defined in the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995 to mean "... material that would be likely to cause it to be classified ... for a computer game - M or a higher classification".
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Posted 11:41am 30/7/05
Posted 12:08pm 30/7/05
Posted 12:26pm 30/7/05
Many regards,
Smart Arse
Posted 12:54pm 30/7/05
Posted 03:00pm 30/7/05
I don't think playing computer games equates to fundamental rights. I get the sentiment, but geez ...
Posted 04:16pm 30/7/05
Posted 04:37pm 30/7/05
Posted 06:57pm 30/7/05
Dead beat parents are the reason for all these law suits and banned material, i say ban parents from buying games for their kids, that would fix everything =)
Posted 09:21pm 30/7/05
Posted 10:32pm 30/7/05
All in all they should just ban people over the age of 50 from purchasing games from retail stores, because you know they wouldn't be playing them anyway. I can see it now...asking people with severe depression and wrinkles bigger than my hand for their ID.
Posted 04:07am 31/7/05
That maddox article I saw posted in one of the other threads made a good point about the re-classification in the US as well. Its gone from being rated 17+ to 18+, I mean really, wtf is the point? Why even bother having two separate ratings, what changes so dramatically with a person in one year that they can suddenly handle this more mature Adults Only content? Ratings systems for video games seem to universally be a bit of a joke at the moment. More of a formality than anything.
And even assuming they (and we) had a ratings system that worked, they still need to do a lot more about raising public awareness of what the ratings actually mean. We get ads spammed on TV about what the ratings for television/movies mean, and you used to get ads in front of nearly every video you rented from a video store explaining the ratings for them, but theres absolutely nothing like that out there raising public awareness of video game ratings, what they represent, where to look on the game to find them, where to go for more info, etc, etc. Even retailers could probably do a bit more; if someone who looks like a parent is buying a game like GTA they could inform the person that this game is adult in nature and not suitable for children. Of course, thats just wishful thinking, they wouldn't want to do that and run the risk of losing a sale.
Posted 05:57am 31/7/05
Its kind of like selling a star wars dvd with some porn on it that was set to unreadable (like in .rm format or something).
Posted 07:08am 31/7/05
*Edit* Hell even if i dont i wont lose any sleep over it.
last edited by Xy at 07:08:44 31/Jul/05
Posted 12:03pm 31/7/05
They got away with that one it seems :/
Posted 12:26pm 31/7/05
I've never heard of any adult being forced to buy and play GTA. They all chose to.
Posted 01:03pm 31/7/05
Posted 09:59am 01/8/05
deep said "It is possible to unlock the Hot Coffee mod on the ps2 version of the game. You need an Action Replay or Gameshark plus the cheat codes to unlock the mod."
Krumm said "Also can be done on the xbox but youd need a modified one to do it."
Posted 10:39am 01/8/05
Posted 10:47am 01/8/05
Posted 11:22am 01/8/05
Posted 12:49pm 01/8/05
The dude at EB said that JB Hi-Fi, where still selling copies illegally. So I took off down there, but it was only Xbox and PS2 versions. Sigh, no GTA for me.
Posted 07:51pm 01/8/05
Posted 11:30pm 01/8/05
Posted 01:24am 02/8/05
Posted 04:25am 02/8/05
Even research conducted on behalf of the OFLC on the issue of computer games and their rating/content is contrary to what the Act is supposed to represent on behalf of the community: http://www.oflc.gov.au/resource.html?resource=302&filename=302.pdf
And by the way, has anyone actually SEEN the hot coffee mod? I have seen screenshots of it and have to say that it's notoriety is worse in the way the media has portrayed it rather than what is to be seen. It looks like a Barbie and Ken doll on a bed. I would say the dildo & gimp suit mission that can be obtained in the game are much more offensive and questionable content for minors.
And as far as the argument about the rating system. It is a fact that children are more aware of the ratings system than parents are. I work in a video store and have seen parents hire R rated movies for their children many times, even after I have advised them of it's rating and suitability.
The average gamer is supposedly 25 years of age. I think it's about time the laws were made to suit the majority on this issue. I'm getting tired of having to import games from overseas so I can play them unedited as they were intended, or play them at all in some cases [ala Thrill Kill]!
I don't think this is merely about consumer choice either. There is no question that most people, if not all, can tell the difference between a game and real life and what is not acceptable in real life compared to a game. And I really am not comfortable at all with a handful of people, whose decision cannot be questioned by anyone other than the Prime Minister [correct me if I'm wrong], making the big decision about what can and cannot be viewed by the rest of the community based purely on how they want to interpret the Classification Act.
I am an adult and I can read the warnings on packages. It's laughable the way games can be banned for having adult content, yet if a kid wants to watch television past 9:30, they can see all kinds of graphic content ... Advance Australia Fair!
Posted 10:12am 02/8/05
They need more pressure if they are to crack. Just keep pestering them, they'll give in eventually. They can't stop the R+18 category forever, especially in this increasingly desensitized era.
Posted 10:16am 02/8/05
It's not listed on their site but trust me, it is in their store (at least it was yesterday afternoon), you'd probably need to call them about it.
Posted 12:35pm 02/8/05
Posted 01:20pm 02/8/05
Posted 01:32pm 02/8/05
Posted 01:52pm 02/8/05
Posted 02:13pm 02/8/05
Nahh, It is just changing around and around.
Posted 05:12pm 02/8/05
for somebody who juarez everything they watch/play you appear to be a little overzealous regarding what PAYING consumers should do.
If you aren't a paying consumer, dont expect people to give a s*** about your opinions of games or reviews of unreleased movies okay?
Posted 06:45am 03/8/05
No one is 'that' clean. Not even our attorney general. The only reason they are doing all this is to jump on the media bandwagon.
Unfortunately it is Phillip Ruddock and OFLC: 1. Australian Gamers who just want to have fun: 0.
And here we are again arguing about games being banned in Australia. Remember Postal 2 and Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Lude?
last edited by Kimbo at 06:44:34 03/Aug/05
last edited by Kimbo at 06:45:18 03/Aug/05