Rated Fearsome

"We submitted the exact same version," Warner Bros. on F.E.A.R. 2 re-rating.

By Nathan Davis on 5 January, 2009

Late last year, the Classification Board here in Australia brought forward a fairly convincing case for why F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin wasn’t suitable for fifteen-year-old kids.

“The violence is considered highly impactful” with “copious blood spray,” the panel noted. Not in the mood for deep throat action, “close-up throat slashing from behind and close-up gunshots to the throat” proved a key issue. In the end, the Classification Board’s conclusion was simple – this game is not for children.

Unfortunately, these same fifteen-year-olds are officially recognised as Australia’s oldest variety of gamer, even though the average age is thirty. Because our always in-touch government has only supplied the Classification Board with a maximum rating of MA15+ for games, the panel had to slap that ugly Refused Classification tag on F.E.A.R. 2. This effectively bans the game from reaching Australia.

Fun for the whole family.Publisher Warner Bros. was understandably miffed at this result, so it filed for review. About two weeks later, detailed decapitating, throat-slashing, blood-spraying gameplay is fit for fifteen-year-olds. We spoke with both Warner Bros. and the Classification Board for clarification.

“We submitted the exact same version to the Classification Review Board that was originally put forward for classification,” says Warner Bros.’s Mark Aubrey. “I’d like to make it clear that we have always felt F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin was a MA15+ title in the Australian market.” Aubrey adds that “The [Review Board] allowed us to go into the game in a lot more detail.”

Expertly avoiding our pointed question for why F.E.A.R. 2 is suddenly suitable for minors, the Classification Board writes:

“The Classification Board made a decision of RC (Refused Classification) for the computer game F.E.A.R. 2: Project on 16 November 2008.”

“On 15 December 2008, the Classification Review Board (Review Board) met to review the Classification Board’s decision, in response to an application for review received from the distributor of the computer game, Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment. The Review Board classified the same computer game. (Emphasis theirs.) The Review Board’s classification is MA 15+ (Mature Accompanied) with the consumer advice ‘Strong violence, blood and gore. Moderate coarse language’.”

“The Classification Board and the Review Board are separate statutory Boards. Members on each of the Boards are entirely different.”

Inherently, the only change was in the people going over the game – presumably with the same fine-toothed comb and completely objective, evidence-driven methods as the initial panel. Note to publishers: If your bloody, brain-smashing adult game is refused classification in Australia because kids can’t play it, make sure to run it past the review panel.

We took the chance to ask Aubrey about Warner Bros.’s view on the lack of an adult rating for games. He responds with the sweet sound of logic and reason:

“As members of the IEAA […] we support an R18 rating for videogames in Australia. It is well documented that the average age of gamers in Australia is now around 30 years old. An R18 rating for videogames would acknowledge the maturity of our industry as a key form of entertainment and it would bring Australia in line with the rest of the world.”

The Review Board is still yet to publish its official report of reasons for the swift rating change.

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