EB Games launches R18+ petition

Another snap of the poster...

Attachment 6410

Petition can be found here:

Discussion Paper Submission & EB Games Petition | Grow up Australia

signed, yay - now go setup the GU fleet in STO, Dan!!

Switzerland now faced with similar problems:

Switzerland pursues violent games ban | Games Industry | MCV

EB Collects 46,000 More Voices For R18+ | Kotaku Australia

Gamers' push for R18+ category angers Christians - The Age

Gamers have flooded a government inquiry to support the case for an R18+ rating for interactive games, but a Christian group opposed to the change has warned that the strong response was the result of a biased consultation process and that little weight should be attached to the gamers' submissions.

The Attorney-General's department is currently reviewing censorship rules that ban games with content beyond the current MA15+ rating, opening up the possibility R18+ games could be legalised in line with rules for films and DVDs.

Any change would have an impact on the ability for Australians to legally access games such as Left 4 Dead 2, which was banned in Australia last year because of its "graphic depictions of blood and gore".

A campaign by the gaming industry yielded tens of thousands of submissions from game designers and fans frustrated at being denied legal access to games available elsewhere because of what they say is the outdated perception that games are intended for children.

But the Australian Christian Lobby says the surge of submissions is the result of an flawed process that involved a biased discussion paper and encouraged people to fill in a simple template form.

"The consultation process appears to be structured in a way to primarily encourage participation from people with a pre-existing understanding of the R18+ gaming debate, or from those who have a prior stake or interest in its outcome," the Christian lobby wrote in its submission. "It seems to be geared strongly in favour of gaming interests."

Because of the high level of public interest in the process, the Attorney-General's department took the unusual step of producing the submission template.

The Christian lobby groups said that framing the consultation around the central question of whether the classification system should include an R18+ rating for computer games was problematic because the question is innocuous and without context, ignoring the content of R18+ games.

The group warned against using the volume of responses on either side of the argument as a reflection of public attitudes, saying that more thorough submissions from community groups should be given greater weight.

"Certainly the predictable weight of numbers for submissions in favour of the legalisation of R18+ games will be presented by gaming interests as conclusive evidence of widespread community support for their sale and distribution in Australia, when no such support actually exists."

It has called for public hearings into the issue that give equal weight to those supporting and opposed to the introduction of the R18+ classification for games.

Game retailer EB Games combined with lobby group Grow Up Australia to encourage 46,000 submissions from gamers, contributions it says equate to 158 kilograms of paper. EB Games managing director Steve Wilson said the volume of submissions was an indicator of public attitudes.

“This groundswell of support has proven in no uncertain terms and once and for all, that there is not just a minority calling for this change, but rather everyday Australians,” he said.

The Christian lobby group used its submission to argue that there is good reason for stricter rules to apply to interactive games than films and DVDs.

"The interactive nature of computer games causes their content to have a greater impact on players than the effects of similarly rated filmic depictions of violent or sexual conduct on viewers of movies," the group wrote in its submission.

In backing its case, it cited 2003 research by game academic Craig Anderson that found “Violent video games are significantly associated with: increased aggressive behavior, thoughts, and affect; increased physiological arousal; and decreased prosocial (helping) behaviour”.

Submissions to the consultation closed at the end of February.

http://www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf...icConsultation

Dear ACL, FUCK OFF.

Why are they getting all antsy about it?

The consultation process appears to be structured in a way to primarily encourage participation from people with a pre-existing understanding of the R18+ gaming debate

Shock horror, people who know what they're talking about and not just spouting what they've been told to say.

and decreased prosocial (helping) behaviour

clearly they've never played a Battlefield game.

but yes,

Dear ACL, FUCK OFF.

QFE

Looks like the ACL doesn't understand the issue either.
We want tighter controls on games by adding a rating category that will reduce access to violent game by minors.
Instead of the current system where everything get crammed into the M15 rating.