Australia gets game(s)

[Humodour]

http://smarthouse.com.au/Gaming/Industry/K4T2G8K6

[Hell Kitty]

Close, but don't go counting your chickens just yet.

[Orogun01]

It will be a great victory for violent games everywhere

[Hell Kitty]

It's more sex and drugs that the Australian censors take issue with.

[Humodour]

It's more sex and drugs that the Australian censors take issue with.

 

Which is also amazingly hypocritical. But still, one step at a time I guess.

[Tigranes]

All New Zealand based video game sellers have ceased to have any relevance for me a few years ago, but it's nice that Australia has finally got over this.

[Hell Kitty]

The sex thing refers specifically to prostitution, and apparently with drugs the problem is when drug use is shown as positive (like if if gives your character a buff) and/or if it has the name of a real world drug.

[GreasyDogMeat]

The sex thing refers specifically to prostitution, and apparently with drugs the problem is when drug use is shown as positive (like if if gives your character a buff) and/or if it has the name of a real world drug.

Fallout 3's morphine was renamed to med-x and changed for all localizations because of that. Not that big of a deal though as Fallout has numerous alternate world drugs and food items.

[Orogun01]

Now to get Japan to stop being squeamish about dead people.

[Humodour]

All New Zealand based video game sellers have ceased to have any relevance for me a few years ago, but it's nice that Australia has finally got over this.

 

Since digital distributors localise now, censorship hits regardless of whether you buy the product in Australia or not.

[Humanoid]

I vaguely recall being told that it was illegal to buy and/or import RC games, but it was legal to own them. Ah, the law at work.

[Humodour]

Sounds like fireworks. I'm fuzzy on the details, but I think it was you could buy them in Canberra but only set them off interstate, except on the Queen's Birthday (which I believe is multiple times per year...?).

[Humanoid]

After some years of umming and ahhing, finally banned effective this year. Previously they were legal for three days a year, that being the Queen's Birthday long weekend. Stalls used to pop up in shopping centres selling them, was a weird sort of business.

 

 

I believe they're still legal in the Northern Territory.

[Calax]

This may have an interesting ripple given that the aussie government is saying that studies are finding no strong link between Violent videogames and homicide rates.

 

TAKE THAT JACK THOMPSON!

[Humodour]

This may have an interesting ripple given that the aussie government is saying that studies are finding no strong link between Violent videogames and homicide rates.

 

TAKE THAT JACK THOMPSON!

 

Hopefully.

[Humodour]

So the Federal Government is now fully in support of removing game censorship via introducing an R18+ category: http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/games/b...1206-18lkz.html

 

They're speaking common sense, too. Figures considering the huge number of submissions they got in support of the category.

[Hell Kitty]

I caught part of a news report a few days ago and saw a woman saying that games that would get a R18+rating should just stay banned. Because as those ignorant of gaming know, our country will be flooded with all the rape and murder simulators the rest of the world has been enjoying.

 

What people don't realise is that most games the OFLC has issue with get downgraded to MA15+ with either minor cuts or no changes at all. So rather than getting a whole slew of new deviant games, we'll get the same ones as always just that now some will have a higher rating.

[Humodour]

80% of Australians support an R18+ category though Dan - from the government's own poll! :D

[Zoraptor]

I caught part of a news report a few days ago and saw a woman saying that games that would get a R18+rating should just stay banned. Because as those ignorant of gaming know, our country will be flooded with all the rape and murder simulators the rest of the world has been enjoying.

 

What people don't realise is that most games the OFLC has issue with get downgraded to MA15+ with either minor cuts or no changes at all. So rather than getting a whole slew of new deviant games, we'll get the same ones as always just that now some will have a higher rating.

It's stupid too because an R18 rating does not mean anything goes. We've 'always' had an R18 rating and (a few) games get banned outright here, Manhunt being perhaps the most well known.