Playing it smart

Playing it smart

Daniel Wright | 14/12/2009

The pressure has continued to rise on the various State Attorneys-General in recent months as more eagerly anticipated video games continue to be banned in Australia. The Office of Film and Literature Classification is left with little choice in the matter as current legislation only allows for a maximum rating of MA15+. This means that if a game is deemed to only be suitable for players over the age of 15, it has to be banned under the current system.

The group responsible for reviewing this system is the collected Attorneys-General from the States and Territories. Led by the Attorney-General for South Australia, Michael Atkinson, this group is refusing to introduce an R18+ rating for games on the basis that games are for children.

The fact that this stance is wildly out of step with community standards and with measurable evidence (the average age of gamers in Australia is 30) appears to hold no concern for the individuals responsible. This cheap political point-scoring at the expense of a growing entertainment industry (where’s the investment in and support for Australian game development?) is particularly frustrating as it is insulting to gamers and parents alike.

The purpose of the classification system that is used for Films, Television, Literature and Games is to provide clear guidance to decision-makers (be they parents, guardians or adults making their own choices) so that they can make informed selections about the entertainment options available to them. To ban games on behalf of parents is an assumption of parental responsibilities that government really has no entitlement to. It’s also an insult to the majority of gamers in Australia who are well over 18 years of age and perfectly capable of making their own decisions.

Ironically enough, if our Attorneys-General played more video games they might find they have less desire to play with the Australian gaming public instead.

tags: Common Sense