Australia to introduce R18+ games rating

Australia has always been a bit heavy with their video game rating system. Just look at this. Mortal Kombat? Manhunt? Left for Dead 2? Those poor Aussies are missing out on some good video games.
 
Fivel said:
I couldn't pick that up from the article. Does it stop anyone playing it?
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Oz is pretty well-known for forcing companies to make changes to their games so that they are allowed there. As the article says, anything that would ordinarily have been rated higher than 15 would have to have things removed (read: sex scenes in Mass Effect or blood/gore, etc), effectively censoring things that they don't want people to have exposure to, otherwise it would not be permitted to be sold there.

It's a big move forward for liberty in Oz where liberty is ordinarily restricted to what the government thinks is good for you.
 
Thanks Ly, while I don't support the censorhip, I do support ratings to help guide 'lazy' parents.
 
Fivel said:
Thanks Ly, while I don't support the censorhip, I do support ratings to help guide 'lazy' parents.
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Yup. Ratings are there for a reason.

It's not a game's fault if parents can't mediate the content their kids are exposed to whether it's games, movies, books (lol, when last has a book been the bane of society... orite, Harry Potter :p) or music.

Legislation the like of which Oz is getting rid of now is the kind of legistlation that does more to curb the symptoms of a much bigger problem without ever addressing the problem.

I can't stand the mindset behind governments which feel the need to restrict, confine and limit the liberties of their constituents. Thank goodness we live in a constitutional democracy that works better than some :D
 
Agreed Ly, I sadly have a nephew who is 10 yrs old and his mom let's him play/watch pretty much any game/movie regardless of the age restriction.....pffffft
 
Fivel said:
Agreed Ly, I sadly have a nephew who is 10 yrs old and his mom let's him play/watch pretty much any game/movie regardless of the age restriction.....pffffft
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Well I like to think that age restrictions are more a guide than any sort of law (i.e. I don't really see an issue with a 16-year-old watching an R18 zombie horror movie; chances are they've seen far worse on the internet). However, parents who let a 10-year-old watch "pretty much anything" is a bit jaw-dropping.

Then again... I think many parents don't really understand the gravity of exposing their kids to adult entertainment (no, no pr0nz, people :p) early. However, how many parents actually take the time to educate their kids and teach them about life, what's wrong and what's right instead of leaving them to figure it out themselves?

Meh... Yeah, lazy parenting is lazy.
 
Fivel said:
How does this equate to censorship?
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It means there's less censorship in Auz now because before, no-one was allowed to play 18+ games, they were banned completely, now they are implementing an 18+ restriction, so Australians can now enjoy gruesome games, as long as they don't mind an age restriction on the box.
 
matt said:
It means there's less censorship in Auz now because before, no-one was allowed to play 18+ games, they were banned completely, now they are implementing an 18+ restriction, so Australians can now enjoy gruesome games, as long as they don't mind an age restriction on the box.
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They weren't allowed to sell them in aus, it wasn't illegal for them to import them or get them digitally through gamersgate,steam,ect. It wasn't illegal to play them, just illegal to sell them within aus.
 
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