We all know by now that Australia is severely lagging behind the times thanks to its archaic rating system that refuses to rate games intended for audiences of eighteen and over. 15+ is the highest rating a game can receive from Australia's OFLC, and anything deemed too mature will need to be edited or face a ban. This is all thanks to one man, South Australia Attorney General Michael Atkinson, who has been called out by an Australian critic for his refusal to change the rules.
"You have one AG calling the shots for all of Australia," rails film critic Margaret Pomeranz. "It must be very frustrating for videogame players who do want to play R rated games."
Pomeranz adds that the law doesn't stop people accessing supposedly "harmful" media, it simply turns law-abiding folk into criminals for no good reason: "It’s the start of danger, where you have a government effectively saying this is what we will allow you to see. Fortunately, they have very little power these days because we can see anything we want, as long as we are prepared to break the law. What you are doing is turning middle class people into criminals."
I think it's sad that the general public won't rise up against this sort of thing. Most parents would be mortified if you started to tell them how they should raise their kids, yet for some reason it's perfectly acceptable for the government to do the exact same thing. Not just gamers, but all of Australia should give Atkinson the telling off he deserves. One man should never be allowed to decide what's best for society. That's how ethnic minorities get "cleansed."
[Via GamePolitics]
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
3:20 PM on 10.01.2009
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Yes, that must be it, it only makes sense.
Rough to say but it's kind of the same thing that happaned with the pornographic industry...they tried to get rid of porn from the movie industry but this actually helped it to get more serious and official on terms of distribution.
I have no idea what you said, but the keywords made me feel safe. I'm in Captain, what will you have me do?
At least most of these countries can agree though, that videogames are the worst danger of them all.
you are an idiot.... sieg heil is the call to Hitler...you should get banned for that.
Instead of arresting bad parents that let kids OD on their prescription drugs, they blame the doctors who prescribe the pills.
Instead of arresting bad parents that let their kids watch the SAW movies, they blame the movie makers when one of the kids commits a heinous act.
Instead of arresting the parents that let their kids play violent videogames targeted at an adult audience, they choose to go after the developers that make them for their intended audience, therefore robbing the intended audience of what they should rightfully be able to enjoy.
Instead of arresting the parents that let their kids watch porn, they choose to sue the industry that produces it with consent of adults to adults of consent.
Instead of arresting the parents that leave guns out where kids can get to them, they choose to sue the gun manufacturer.
Because of all of these little things, the governments of the world have decreed that we aren't smart enough to take care of ourselves as fully operational adults should. You can't really blame them for thinking that way when the supposed bastions of personal responsibility refuse to accept it, especially when it is their own to bear. This is why we're closer to not being able to think and act for ourselves, because nobody seems to do so right now anyway. Only those who choose to question authority and its related degree of control over individual lives get the benefits of results. If we as a people continue to let these decrepit fuckwits run roughshod over what they do not understand, we have no other person to blame but ourselves when we cannot get what we are entitled to.
Time to take responsibility ourselves, folks. It may take a degree of governmental control, much like movies must be rated for content, but allow those of age the freedom of viewing/purchasing what they choose to. Doing otherwise for "the greater good" is about as Nazi-esque as it gets.
If you elect Jim as leader, he'll create "Games Reeducation Camps". The critera will involve the name Luu Buu and a ceaseless mashing of the attack buttons shall be mandatory, only to be interrupted by tea and cucumber sandwishes.
I feel bad for Australians. :(
Phone +61 8 8207 1723
Fax +61 8 8207 1736
Email attorney-general@agd.sa.gov.au
And the most dangerous kind of villain is the one who believes what he is doing is right.
Also, if I ever see Margaret Pomeranz in person, I'm buying her a drink.
Atkinson has shown that he doesnt care what the people say, so its down to the people of his electorate in South Australia to vote him out of Parliament.
So yeah, really...unless the Federal Government steps in and does something about the Classification System (which is highly unlikely because the Minister for Propaganda...whoops...Communications, Senator Joseph Goebbles...whoops again....Stephen Conroy wants to institue an ISP Level Internet Filter, that will slow down speeds for anyone who doesnt use it)
So yeah. Held hostage by one man, with only a small group of people in one state having the power to truely change matters.
I hate this country sometimes. Hate the Left Wing even more.
Atkinson won't budge on this issue - he once went so far as to agree to have a dialogue about it in which all he did was say he'd not change his position and waste everyone involved time.
I hate reading most the comments on these stories cause it's all "YEAH USA!" shit. I would still rather live here than in America. R18 rating or not