Aussie Attorney-General says no to R18+ rating for games
By Arnold Zafra
South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson remains steadfast in opposing any moves to allow games in Australia with an R18+ rating. According to Atkinson, games that do not meet the Australian MA15+ standard should be banned by the Classification Board. These games include those with excessive violence or sexual content.
The Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia (IEAA) is hoping that Atkinson will change his position when the issue is discussed again later this month.
However IEAA CEO Ron Curry is afraid that Atkinson will not change his mind when the issue is tackled at the Standing Committee of Attorney-Generals.
"I don’t see any chance of him (Atkinson) changing his mind - I think a lot of his arguments are easily rebutted but I can’t see him changing his mind," Curry told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Somehow Curry’s fear may have been validated by Atkinson’s speech in South Australia’s State Parliament recently. Atkinson acknowledged that his position may be denying adults their choice, but this is for the good of Aussie children he argued. Continuing to block the R18+ game rating would prevent children from having access to unsuitable games for their age.
"Games may pose a far greater problem than other media - particularly films - because their interactive nature could exacerbate their impact," saidAtkinson.
Whether Australian gamers have access to games such as Blitz: The League, Reservoir Dogs, 50 Cent: Bulletproof, Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure and Narc, among other mature games, may be finally answered later this month. The IEAA better hope that Atkinson finally changes his mind or Australian adults will never have access to R18+ rated games.
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