Download the paper here: DOC | PDF.

According to the sixteen page paper, the government aims to summarise some of the key arguments for and against an adult game rating and gather community views. It does not intend to ‘promote or oppose the introduction of an R 18+ classification for computer games’.

Despite claims in the past from some of those opposed that an R18+ classification would see a flood of sexually violent games hitting Australian shores, the paper is quick to point out that even with the introduction of an R18+ classification, games which would be classified Refused Classification for content such as sexual violence would still be refused classification.

Submissions can be made by downloading and completing the submission template available on the Attorney-General’s website. Submissions must be received by close of business 28 February 2010.

The Facebook group for the event lists 74 confirmed guests, so hopefully most will show. More information at Treat Us Like Adults.

- Mike

It didn’t take long. Another video game has been banned by the Australian Classification Board. This time Left 4 Dead 2, the high-profile sequel to the 2008 first-person zombie shooter which was classified MA15+.

The ACB handed down a Refused Classification rating to the new game, citing high in impact violence making it unsuitable for persons aged under 18 to play.

“The game contains realistic, frenetic and unrelenting violence which is inflicted upon “the infected” who are living humans infected with a rabies-like virus that causes them to act violently” the board’s report reads.

Read the ACB report here, courtesy of News.com.au (via IGN).

“The player can choose from variety of weapons such as the pistols, shotguns, guns and sniper rifles. However, it is the use of the “malee” weapons such as the crowbar, axe, chainsaw and Samurai sword which inflict the most damage. These close in attacks cause copious amounts of blood spray and splatter, decapitations and limb dismemberment as well as locational damage where contact is made to the enemy which may reveal skeletal bits and gore. Projectile shots to infected humans can cause abdominal wounds which can reveal innards or even cause intestines to spill from the wounds.”

The ACB also states in the report the interactive nature of the game increases the overall impact of the frequent and intense depictions of violence.

The ban comes just days after Game Spot Australia revealed that progress on the planned public consultation on the introduction of an R18+ game classification is still delayed. Minister for Home Affairs Brendan O’Connor told GameSpot AU that it would be premature to give an indication about when an R18+ classification for computer games could be introduced.

According to IGN, EA Australia has issued the following statement about the Left 4 Dead 2 ban: “[We] are still working through the submission process with OFLC and want to explore all opportunities before making any comment.

A minority of the board recommended Left 4 Dead 2 be classified MA15+ with strong violence classification.

A pair of overly tantalizing in-game breasts mock the foundations of a moral Australia.

According to the Wikipedia entry, the game centres around a protagonist shipwrecked after a storm on Faranga, an island home to an active volcano. Ancient temple ruins have recently risen from the ground, and bizarre creatures infest the island. Added to the situation, the Inquisition forbids anyone to exit the city of the island.

Sounds interesting, but here’s what probably caught the attention of the ACB. R-C writes:

The ESRB describe the sex and drug content as follows.

“During the course of the game, players can interact with prostitutes (referred to as “whores” in the game) at a local brothel. Players can trigger a lengthy dialogue to engage in their services; sexual activity is strongly implied, but never depicted on screen”

Many of the characters in the game smoke a fictional drug called “brugleweed.” The “wood reefer” plant is described as having a mild relaxing effect on users, and can be bought, sold, and used by players.

Sex, drugs and one hell of an out of touch classification system. Rock on.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jemsweb/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

The Use of electronic media and communications: Early childhood to teenage years report brings together ACMA’s research on media use by 8-17 year olds and new findings about 3-4 and 7-8 year olds from the Australian Institute of Family Studies study Growing Up in Australia; The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children.

According to the report, the majority of parents of younger children found it easy to manage their child’s internet use (97 per cent of parents of 7–8s including 69 per cent very easy; 92 per cent of parents of 8–11s including 50 per cent very easy). Only twenty-two per cent of parents of 12–14s and 24 per cent of parents of 15–17s found it very or fairly difficult to manage their child’s internet use.

The report also states that the majority of parents in both studies (86–95 per cent) found it very or fairly easy to manage their child’s video/computer gaming.

Maybe it’s time politicians stopped using that old excuse about how censorship is needed because parents don’t know how to manage their children’s access to the Internet and video games. I think it’s long overdue.

This means that even Australians who are aged above 15 and want to obtain the adult-level games online will be unable to do so. It will undoubtedly raise the ire of gamers, the average age of which is 30 in Australia, according to research commissioned by the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia.

[...]

Senator Conroy’s spokesman said the filter would cover “computer games such as web-based flash games and downloadable games, if a complaint is received and the content is determined by ACMA to be Refused Classification”. All games that exceed MA15+ are deemed to be RC.

The filtering could also block “the importation of physical copies of computer games sold over the internet which have been classified RC”, the spokesman said.

[...]

Mark Newton, an ISP engineer and internet filtering critic, said the move to extend the filtering to computer games would place a cloud over online-only games such as World of Warcraft and Second Life, which aren’t classified in Australia due to their online nature.

Read the full article here.

Ah. It just keeps getting better doesn’t it.

GameSpot reports:

“In the Board’s view Sexy Poker offers depictions of nudity as an incentive or reward to interactive game play. In the Board’s view, the general rule in the Guidelines for the Classification of Films and Computer Games prohibiting depictions of nudity as an incentive or reward, applies to the game play described above, as the player is shown increasingly detailed amounts of nudity following successful game-play,” the statement said.

“In the view of the Board, the impact of the game exceeds strong as except in material restricted to adults, nudity and sexual activity must not be related to incentives or rewards. As such the game cannot be accommodated in a MA15+ classification.”

Although this information has been available to the public in the past (unlike the contents of the ACMA blacklist of banned websites), to the best of my knowledge the grouping of this data has not been so easily accessible.

Screenshot of the Classification Board Database, Sunday May 17 2009

Using the the classification database search engine, visitor’s are able to display a list of banned films, books, magazines, publications and games dating back to 1972 with a few clicks. Click here to see a list of titles dating back to 1972 and here for a list containing more recent titles (some listings are duplicated in both lists).

The list also reveals the titles of content sent to the board for review by ACMA and Australian law enforcement agencies. In most cases specific details like URLs are not attached to these listings, but details of police operation names, exhibit and job numbers, and some file names are included. However, some URLs attached to CD-ROM submissions are included.

Because the list maxes out at 1000 listings, at this stage I cannot verify whether the list is complete.

Breakdown of lists:

- Banned Games
- Banned Films (includes ABA, ACMA & law enforcement submissions)
- Banned Publications

Overview:

‘Recent controversy over whether games that are exclusively played online must be classified to be legally sold or exhibited in Australia has added to a growing chorus of criticism over the Australian content regulation regime. Most online-only games such as and including WOW have not been submitted by their publishers for classification by the Classification Board.

James Beniger’s (1986) notion of a ‘crisis of control’ will be used to contextualise the contemporary regulatory environment and its failure to accommodate the rapidly changing medium of computer games.

Suggestions and probable scenarios will be offered and canvassed to evaluate the policy and technical trajectory of ratings and classification in Australia.’

Online games are an interesting area in terms of censorship here in Australia and an area I expect we’ll here more about this year or next. Certainly one I’d like to look more into here on STotC (a dedicated game censorship writer perhaps?).

Event Details:

Wednesday 13 May 2009 @ 06:00 pm – 07:30 pm
Theatre 3, Alan Gilbert Building (bldg 104) Corner of Grattan and Barry Streets, Parkville
University of Melbourne

GameSpot reports:

It is expected the discussion paper will propose changes to Australia’s current classification guidelines and will include relevant research and literature on the classification of video games. No specified time-line has yet been given for its release.

“Because there was no unanimous agreement amongst all States and Territories about the release of the discussion paper, the Commonwealth is circumventing our requirements for unanimous agreement and will release the discussion paper under their own name,” ACT Attorney-General Simon Corbell said today. “The paper will be released shortly.”

Of course, it’s not all good news. While the release of this discussion paper is long over due, the chances of state and territory Attorney’s-General all agreeing to introduce an R18+ classification for games is slim to none.

South Australian A-G Michael Atkinson said today that he’s open for discussion, but his position now is that he’s opposed to an R18+ classification. He said:

‘Let’s see how the debate progresses. Let’s see what concessions gamers and the industry are prepared to make. This would involve the Classification Board applying the guidelines correctly.’

I’ve got a feeling he’s not the only A-G opposed.