Crikey! Is Australia finally getting an R18+ rating?

I’ve always maintained that when it comes to gaming scenes in a country, nobody has it as bad as Australia. Well, maybe ze Germans also have it bad, but the Australian government seems to get their panties in a bunch a lot more often than those from the land of pretzels and lederhosen.

When I hear South Africans moaning about how “terrible” the gaming scene is in our country, I have to stifle the urge to kick them in the nuts before I point out that our government couldn’t care less whether we butcher digital zombies or not. This is not the case in Australia though, as the country has been without a higher games rating than 15+ forever. It looks like that could finally be changing. Why does it matter to us? Well, because games have been globally altered in the past so as to appease the Australian sensitivities; games like Fallout 3 for example.

Australia’s Home Affairs Minister, Brendan O’Connor, could be the guy to actually get what Australian gamers have been nagging about for years. He’s promoting the alteration of the current classification system to include a new R18+ rating for games. Of course, he’s doing it for the kids and not for older gamers who are have to import banned titles or those that have been toned down for the Australian market.

According to O’Connor, “children and teenagers shouldn’t be exposed to the gratuitous sex, violence and adult themes that are contained in some computer games. Over time, we’ve allowed games to get into the hands of 15-year-olds that would not have been available in comparable countries; that should not have happened”.

Why hasn’t somebody approached it from this angle before? Don’t alter it so that the depraved masses can access the more violent stuff; alter it to protect the children! Think of the little darlins!

If O’Connor manages to get this right, and indeed it is looking likely, he’ll probably get free beer for life from ever-thankful gamers all over the land down under. He’d become the gaming masses’ hero; statues of him high-fiving a Left 4 Dead Boomer will be erected in his honour.

Source: The Daily Telegraph [via Destructoid]

Last Updated: December 6, 2010