Legal Niches

R18+ Discussion Scheduled for April

By pete_gallagher

As reported by Adelaide Now, the discussion over whether to add an R18+ ratings category for videogames in Australia has been scheduled for an undisclosed date in April.

The timing of the discussion means that it will take place after state elections in South Australia and Tasmania on March 20. South Australia is, of course, home base for anti-game Attorney General Michael Atkinson, often fingered as the lone holdout among his fellow AGs when it comes to backing an R18+ rating category.

In related R18+ news, the Australian website GoldCoast penned an editorial backing the addition of an adult videogame rating category, stating that it should be up to parents to decide what their children view.

The editorial offered:

…banning a game does not in any real terms restrict its availability -- long gone are the days of being able to keep something out of the public's hands simply by keeping it off the shelves.

Banned games can be downloaded over the internet and shared -- circumventing the classification system. What is concerning is that if children are downloading these games, parents may not be aware of the content.

An R18+ category would at least allow them to be aware of the content of a game and its rating, and make an informed decision on whether their children should be exposed to it or not.

We do, after all, give parents that responsibility when it comes to DVDs and books.

Lastly, Gamers4Croydon posted a recent image that shows off the unbelievably fortuitous placement of one of their ads on the cover of the Adelaide Independent Weekly.

Thanks HarmlessBunny!

Full post as published by GamePolitics.com on March 03, 2010 (boomark / email).