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I hope the Australian press interviews him about how it feels to have his positions undermined so completely.
Hopefully retailers there won't use the rating as an excuse for a ban, unlike North America with AO for games and NC-17 for movies. The large number of votes coming from EB is a good sign.
The most important thing to note is that the people who actually buy and play videogames are the ones that want an R18+ rating. What water does the right wing opposition hold if they don't even have a vested interest in the medium?
I wish our Australian gaming mates luck, but with the anti-hooning laws, the attempts to censor the internet, etc your current government strikes me as too opressive to let this happen.
"and former Attorney-General Michael Atkinson"
Atkinson was never AG of the country, and nor is his replacement Rau. He was, and his replacement is, the AG of one of the smaller states, South Australia.
The problem is that although there's no constitutional reason why all the states should let themselves be hostage to the actions of one, they've established a convention that for political reasons they're happy to follow - all or none. Which is how Atkinson got away with imposing his garbage on the entire country.
The problem is that *all* the AGs are pretty socially conservative, and they didn't like the result of the inquiry - which is why they've put off making a decision for now. To give the fundamentalist lobby a bit more time to get organised, it seems.
Atkinson was never AG of the country, and nor is his replacement Rau. He was, and his replacement is, the AG of one of the smaller states, South Australia.
The problem is that although there's no constitutional reason why all the states should let themselves be hostage to the actions of one, they've established a convention that for political reasons they're happy to follow - all or none. Which is how Atkinson got away with imposing his garbage on the entire country.
The problem is that *all* the AGs are pretty socially conservative, and they didn't like the result of the inquiry - which is why they've put off making a decision for now. To give the fundamentalist lobby a bit more time to get organised, it seems.
Yay, Australia might be getting smarter. Australians, I am praying for you that you get that R18+ rating you've been craving.
Not that it's going to do a damn bit of good once kids get their hands on the 18+ games, but who cares? At least you'll have more than Super Mario Brothers to play now. Good luck!
Not that it's going to do a damn bit of good once kids get their hands on the 18+ games, but who cares? At least you'll have more than Super Mario Brothers to play now. Good luck!
Awwwwww, before you know it the Ozzies will have the same situation we have over here...
Parents who will take their 10 year old kids to the video game store specially to buy them that latest 18+ rated game and child reaering shows focusing on "how much damage these violent video games are doing to our children"
It's almost completely ignored in this country, to the point we have discussions on how to fix the problems caused by parents simply ignoring age warnings.
an 18+ in the UK means "shit, I'll have to get my fucking mum and dad to buy it for me!" - accurate representation of how your average 10 year old speaks.
i was shocked at the parents buying their kids MW2 on launch night. It's tantamount to child abuse in my book. If you wouldn't let your kid watch a porno you shouldn't buy them 18+ rated games.
That is all.
Parents who will take their 10 year old kids to the video game store specially to buy them that latest 18+ rated game and child reaering shows focusing on "how much damage these violent video games are doing to our children"
It's almost completely ignored in this country, to the point we have discussions on how to fix the problems caused by parents simply ignoring age warnings.
an 18+ in the UK means "shit, I'll have to get my fucking mum and dad to buy it for me!" - accurate representation of how your average 10 year old speaks.
i was shocked at the parents buying their kids MW2 on launch night. It's tantamount to child abuse in my book. If you wouldn't let your kid watch a porno you shouldn't buy them 18+ rated games.
That is all.
Hopefully this means we'll be seeing some steps forward from a country that's been spiralling backwards helplessly for years.
@Sexualchocolate I agree with you 100%, Atkinson's heart is in the right place (From my POV anyways) but he simply fails to properly communicate with his people. Also, if you ever see a parent buying a kid MW2, Halo, or etc. don't be a pussy and glare from a distance, MAN UP! Tell them that the rating isn't boxart, speak with a obviously condescending tone and make sure they leave the store empty handed or at least feeling like the failures they are.
Ratings are stupid. Most kids by the age of 12 have already seen a porno and played/seen violent things like shooting and death. I personally see no harm in a small boy playing MW2 and shooting a bad guy with his weapon of choice. I said weapon of choice because by then most of them have some knowledge about gun names.
solution don't introduce a +18 rating but give games like manhunt a +16 rating I mean who has not played games with gore before they are 16
You mean that adult people are in favor of having the option for adult oriented games? that's unheard of!
@Cyber Altair - Ratings need to be refined and need to be respected.
MW2 - sure, it's not technically the same as letting a kid watch a porno, but ratings wise it is. It should not be played by anyone under 18 (in the UK at least). if you think it should be a 16, that's a different issue. Fact of the matter is that it's an 18 and should not be bought for kids of 10-11-12 years old as it regularly is.
My son is only little, but when he is older, no matter how much he says "but dad, my friends are allowed to play it!" will make me buy him or let him play a game rated above his age. My response will be that his friends parents are irrisponsible idiots and that he should tell his friends that.
He will actually be glad to reach 18/16 whatever the age requirement, rather than my generation for whome it just didn't matter, we all drank, played 18 games and watched 18 films long before reaching 18.
@Kyon - Next time i see this going on I will ask the parents if they would let their kid watch Rocco stretch out some petite chicks asshole while holding her head in a toilet. Obviously they'll say "no" and I'll call them a fucking hypocrite.
What get's me, is if you go to a supermarket here, in a group, to buy alcohol, they will ID everyone in the group to make sure the older one's aren't buying it for the younger ones. (Don't even ask how this works when shopping with your kids) but why, in the same Country, a parent can go to a game store with their kid, let the kid put the game on the counter and simply pay for it is beyond me.
Sure, the supermarkets are taking it a step too far when parents with teenage kids are not allowed to buy alcohol because the kid is with them, but games stores are ignorant to the obvious signs that this purchase is for a minor.
MW2 - sure, it's not technically the same as letting a kid watch a porno, but ratings wise it is. It should not be played by anyone under 18 (in the UK at least). if you think it should be a 16, that's a different issue. Fact of the matter is that it's an 18 and should not be bought for kids of 10-11-12 years old as it regularly is.
My son is only little, but when he is older, no matter how much he says "but dad, my friends are allowed to play it!" will make me buy him or let him play a game rated above his age. My response will be that his friends parents are irrisponsible idiots and that he should tell his friends that.
He will actually be glad to reach 18/16 whatever the age requirement, rather than my generation for whome it just didn't matter, we all drank, played 18 games and watched 18 films long before reaching 18.
@Kyon - Next time i see this going on I will ask the parents if they would let their kid watch Rocco stretch out some petite chicks asshole while holding her head in a toilet. Obviously they'll say "no" and I'll call them a fucking hypocrite.
What get's me, is if you go to a supermarket here, in a group, to buy alcohol, they will ID everyone in the group to make sure the older one's aren't buying it for the younger ones. (Don't even ask how this works when shopping with your kids) but why, in the same Country, a parent can go to a game store with their kid, let the kid put the game on the counter and simply pay for it is beyond me.
Sure, the supermarkets are taking it a step too far when parents with teenage kids are not allowed to buy alcohol because the kid is with them, but games stores are ignorant to the obvious signs that this purchase is for a minor.
SC, either you had some piss-poor experiences at game stores, or you're just plain trolling. Where I work it is POLICY to let parents know about an M rating on a game in detail, or face getting fired. There are plenty of parents who fully understand what they're getting into, understand that their kids are well-rounded, respectful individuals who do their homework, eat their veggies, and understand that video game violence ISN'T REAL, unlike a lot of the stuff you see and hear on the news. As for the parents that didn't know it was an M game and why, they don't buy it. And then they turn around and thank us for taking the time to do our job instead of just go for the quick sale.
Well, if this works the same way as R rated movies, having your parents there won't change it. You can't get your kid into see an R rated movie, they don't let you. It might be different with purchasing dvd's/games, I don't really know, but if your going to the cinema, you need to be over 18 to get a ticket. Same with alcohol, if they think your buying it for a minor, they won't sell it. I would assume this would also go for R rated games.
lol @ sexualchocolate for pushing his parental views as facts.
If a parent believes their child is mature enough to play a game then it is their right to make that decision and in no way makes them idiots at all. Playing Call of Duty or Borderlands is very different from watching hardcore pornography. I personally do not understand why sex is more taboo than violence however they are two very different subjects.
Simply because you do not agree with what a parent allows them to play dosen't make them ignorant: it actually makes you ignorant for believing your opinion matters to them.
If a parent believes their child is mature enough to play a game then it is their right to make that decision and in no way makes them idiots at all. Playing Call of Duty or Borderlands is very different from watching hardcore pornography. I personally do not understand why sex is more taboo than violence however they are two very different subjects.
Simply because you do not agree with what a parent allows them to play dosen't make them ignorant: it actually makes you ignorant for believing your opinion matters to them.
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