Australia is Tired of Being a "Laughingstock"

[Infesord]

Note that some of us live in areas other than the US... and yes we have a different rating system in Canada too. Imagine that!

What? This is news to me. Unless you mean Quebec or something I wouldn't know, but the ratings are pretty much exactly the same as they are in the states.

OT: I wouldn't exactly call them the laughing stock, and as Eico mentioned, they actually do have a rating for "mature" games (to be fair, I didn't actually know that either which is probably the result of always hearing about they don't have one over and over again). Hopefully they can get things back on track.

 

[Trogdor1138]

A bit slow posting this news guys...

But anyways, good to have exposure on this issue, always helps, I'm really glad. It sounds like Mortal Kombat was just enough to push the issue over the edge as I thought might happen. All we really needed was one major game for people to be outraged about.

 

[Mehall]

I really wish the government over here in England had backed the BBFC instead of PEGI.

Care to say why?

Most games have been PEGI rated for ages, and by and large the ratings are the same. Mass Effect 2 was PEGI 18_ whereas the BBFC rated it 15 but generally it's equivalent ratings.

BBFC: 12, 15, 18

PEGI: 3+, 7+, 12+ and the largely unused due to BBFC 16+ and 18+

 

[LawlessSquirrel]

Well it's a democracy isn't it? Then use that freedom to create a serious public discussion. Many countries around the World aren't able to create a discussion about issues.

Moaning on video game websites won't do anything. If you want a change get out and do something about it.

I'm pretty sure the civil right's movement/Suffragettes didn't just sit about moaning, they got out onto the streets and made the people in power aware of the issue.

It's a democracy in the sense that almost everyone has a say. Whether or not what we say is considered is another issue entirely. People have been polled on this, petitions have been signed, rallies have been held etc. but without a unanimous decision from the higher-ups, all we've managed to get this far has been 'it looks like there's a lot of support, but we're not ready to make a choice yet. Better luck next year.'

We can demand all we want, it only takes a single person to force us back to square one, and this goes for every single portion of our system.

 

[Verlander]

Since when did WE have an "ABC News" Channel?

 

[Macrobstar]

Note that some of us live in areas other than the US... and yes we have a different rating system in Canada too. Imagine that!

What? This is news to me. Unless you mean Quebec or something I wouldn't know, but the ratings are pretty much exactly the same as they are in the states.

OT: I wouldn't exactly call them the laughing stock, and as Eico mentioned, they actually do have a rating for "mature" games (to be fair, I didn't actually know that either which is probably the result of always hearing about they don't have one over and over again). Hopefully they can get things back on track.

It's insanely stupid how people think we receive games.

We receive every single game (barring a few fringe cases - one or two in history) that the U.S receives.

Know why all this started? 'Cause that idiot Atkinson stuck his nose into the L4d2 issue. We have the game. The game has all its blood. The game is the EXACT same. I was playing it not three days ago.

It's all nonsense.

No mortal kombat though

 

[Father Tunde]

No mortal kombat though

Some might consider that a blessing.

 

[Macrobstar]

No mortal kombat though

Some might consider that a blessing.

double post

 

[Macrobstar]

No mortal kombat though

Some might consider that a blessing.

you could say that about any game, I'm actually quite glad about this as it will stop yahtzee complaining about it

 

[Thaluikhain]

Since when did WE have an "ABC News" Channel?

"We" being Australia? Australia has had an ABC News channel since the Australian networks starting sprouting digital TV versions.

It's insanely stupid how people think we receive games.

We receive every single game (barring a few fringe cases - one or two in history) that the U.S receives.

I think it's because Australia receives games after much of the rest of the world does, and people equate about a game not being available now as not being available ever.

 

[JediMB]

We're still waiting for the US to have a proper 18+ rating, though.

"AO" doesn't count, since it effectively means that the game is banned from being released.

We have "M for mature", which is 17 and over.

There isn't much of a difference, if any, between 17 or 18 year olds.

Tell that to the developers who've had to censor their games in order to avoid getting the AO rating.

Sure, the difference is basically a matter of extremely graphic violence and sex, but I don't see why games should be treated different from movies.

 

[Jabberwock xeno]

We're still waiting for the US to have a proper 18+ rating, though.

"AO" doesn't count, since it effectively means that the game is banned from being released.

I suppose that's true.

Though games rarely get an AO, only if there's explicit sex. Hell, Dante's inferno is didin't get AO, and if any game would get it, it would have been that.

Speaking of DI, didn't that get released in Australia with no issues?

Anyways, glad to see that you guys have some politcions with some common sense down there.

 

[Nightfire3230]

We're still waiting for the US to have a proper 18+ rating, though.

"AO" doesn't count, since it effectively means that the game is banned from being released.

The US have 17+ which the closest it will get, the US can see mild nudity in games but not full out "doing it".

 

[Danpascooch]

We're still waiting for the US to have a proper 18+ rating, though.

"AO" doesn't count, since it effectively means that the game is banned from being released.

Who cares, mature is basically the 18+ rating here, we don't have anything like Australia's problem

 

[duchaked]

so they do "not accept the argument that introducing an R18+ category for games would protect children as it would be naive to think that children would not get a hold of them" despite the fact that children still get the games anyway regardless?

but the title to this article is pretty funny haha

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Hm. It's rare to see a political figure use such blunt words. Interesting.

I wonder if the Australian Christian Lobby knows what the definition of "Irony" is...