Somebody Think of the Children
Game Censorship

Liberal MP wants drinking board game banned

Liberal MP Steve Irons wants a board game that he says encourages alcohol abuse banned from sale in Australia. The game in question, Pass-out, has players travel around the game board taking drinks and reciting tongue twisters. It’s been around in board game form since at least 1962. But Irons says ‘In a society now...

Michael Atkinson explains R18+ game block, not the only A-G opposed

In an exclusive letter to GameSpot UK explaining why he won’t permit R18+ games, SA A-G Michael Atkinson claims he is not the only Australian censorship minister opposed to introducing an adults only classification: I don’t support the introduction of an R18+ rating for electronic games, chiefly because it will greatly increase the risk of...

F.E.A.R. 2 fifth game ban this year, 2008 worst year yet

PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 game, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, has been refused classification because of high-impact violence. It brings the total number of banned games this year to five, making 2008 the worst year for game bans according to Refused-Classification.com (and it’s not even over yet). GameSpot obtained the ACB’s report: “The violence is...

Australian Sex Party will challenge filtering, what about R18+ games?

The Australian Sex Party launches tomorrow with the slogan ‘serious about sex’, but is this Eros backed party serious about reducing censorship as reported? While the Australian Sex Party will work at abolishing the government’s proposed internet filter, their links with Eros suggest their commitment to reducing censorship may not extend beyond pornographic material. Eros...

Watch Stateline’s piece on games classification

Hey folks, hope your weekend is coming along nicely. Here’s Stateline South Australia’s piece on introducing an R18+ classification for video games. They speak with Michael Atkinson, Elizabeth Handsley from Young Media Australia, and some gamers. Watch below thanks to No Censorship Australia: News out of this weeks SCAG meeting is that they will soon...

Upcoming TV: Stateline SA look at R18+ game rating

Stateline South Australia on ABC takes a look at the fight for an R18+ classification for video games tomorrow evening (November 7), interviewing SA A-G Michael Atkinson. From what I hear it’s an interesting one. Watch: 7:30PM ABC1. Tip off thanks to TheWomp on the STOP Censorship discussion list.

EFA launches R18+ game classification campaign

EFA has just launched their new R18+ for games campaign website, R18games.com. An R18+ classification would require the unanimous support of all Attorneys-General, and in the past moves to change the current classification have been blocked on the vote of a single state Attorney-General. EFA is now sponsoring a campaign to have the R18+ classification...

ABC apologises for Q&A game classification mistake

The ABC has apologised for the ‘misleading’ information that Tony Jones provided in the now famous ‘games’ episode of Q&A this year. Jones said that there is no rating system for video games in Australia. ABC investigations officer Claire Gorman said: ‘The ABC apologises for the information provided by presenter Tony Jones in the middle...

Latest Silent Hill game banned for high impact violence

Silent Hill: Homecoming, the latest game in the survival horror franchise from Konami, has been refused classification by the Australian Classification Board. The local distributor of the game, Atari, told GameSpot that the ACB found issue with the high impact of Silent Hill’s violence. Examples used by the board in its report include copious blood...

Gordon Ramsay’s Hell Kitchen game rated PG

Gordon Ramsay now has a video game and it’s been classified PG for its mild coarse language. At least those people who complain that games are all violence and sex can now add roasting to their list. Cheers Ben.

Aussie censors cause worldwide revision of Fallout 3

Watch out world — The reach of the Australian Classification Board now extends well beyond our sandy shores. The censored Aussie version of Fallout 3 will be the version of the game that is released worldwide. Gaming website Edge has the full details. Here’s what the game’s PR head Peter Hines had to say: Calling...

WA Greens confirm opposition to R18+ game classification

Greens member for Western Australia’s North Metropolitan Region, Giz Watson, has confirmed with me via email that the WA Greens do oppose the introduction of an R18+ game classification. She says that the Greens do not want computer games that have high levels of violent content, sexual objectification of women and drug references available to...