After changes are made as requested by Michael Atkinson.
Recently we reported that Australia’s anti-adult-games attorney-general, Michael Atkinson, jammed a ratchet in the procession of a public discussion paper regarding the Australian public’s thoughts on an R18+ classification for games.
Well, Atkinson has had a change of heart. After some changes are made to the paper, it will go public and Australians will be asked for their opinion on an adult-level games rating before the end of the year.
As reported by Gamespot, Atkinson believed the original paper to be biased. “I am not opposed to a public debate on the merits of introducing a R18+ classification for electronic games – in fact, I welcome it. But it’s unhelpful to commence that debate with what I believe is a biased discussion paper.”
He recently appeared on ABC’s South Australian Stateline explaining his position and why he feels it necessary to force his personal moral codes on to gamers. Basically, he worries about the axe murdering gamer minority.
“I’m sure most people can distinguish the fantasy of a computer game from the reality. But it is the small number we know can’t that leads to mass-murder in American high schools and in Thailand, last year led to a gamer playing out the fantasy of hijacking a taxi-cab and murdering the driver. It happened.”
“I think the Western industrialised countries that allow R18+ computer games and the extreme violence that goes with them are just so many Gadarean swine going over the cliff and I’m pleased that Australia has a principled, sensible stand against this extreme violence. I’m happy for Australia to stand alone and international gamers can laugh at us all they like.”
If only the minister realised that an R18+ rating would actually steer the violence away from children while simultaneously supporting an existing market. This way, parents would be better informed of the gist of the game, and adult gamers who wish to play mature, adult games can finally support the local games shop and buy locally for once.
Thirty is presently the average age of the Australian gamer. Even though other forms of media enjoy the adult rating, all games currently sold in Australia are to be designed for kids, with pimply-faced fifteen year-olds representing our upper echelon of gaming maturity.
I’ll leave you with that Stateline segment, of which you can find a wonderful tear-apart here.
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