Time to bust into a celebratory performance of Waltzing Matilda, Australia. It appears that you will finally, finally be getting an adults-only rating for your videogames. This will end years of children being able to get their grubby hands on games that just aren’t suitable for them… or that’s how Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor says the new rating will change things. I think for most Australians, the importance of the new rating means less banned games — but I’m not the Home Affairs Minister, so what do I know?
The new rating simply has to be approved by state and territory attorneys-generals and then discussed with the gaming industry itself. It could be a while, but it’s coming.
Of course, what all normal gaming Aussies care about is if they’ll finally be able to play unedited videogames now that more adult games can actually have an adult rating and thus won’t be banned. The answer seems to be yes, unless that game already came out. O’Connor stated that no previously banned games would be released under the new rating, meaning that you still won’t get Manhunt 2 down under.
O’Connor also made the baffling statement that he wasn’t sure why it had taken so long to make the rating an actual rating. Maybe someone over their could point him towards the nearest government building and show him how the Australian government has been c*ck-blocking mature games forever.
Game over for children [The Daily Telegraph]
