When Eros announced they agreed with the Australian Christian Lobby’s stance that the Government should abandon plans to consult the public on whether to introduce an R18+ games classification, they did their own cause more harm than good.
It’s hard to believe Eros forgot that nearly all of the groups who oppose an adult games rating, also oppose relaxing or unifying Australia’s pornography laws. It was only in July last year that the ACL called for the sale of all X-Rated material to be banned nationwide.
And even though Eros has long argued that violence is a much bigger issue than sex in the media, they posted an interview today where CEO Fiona Patten points out that once sex is censored other forms of expression are sure to follow. So why align with the ACL?
I suspect it’s because Eros’s own news announcement on Friday which called for the unification of Australian retail porn laws received bugger all media attention. The games debate completely overshadowed it and like the class clown whose been gagged, Eros wanted the attention back on them. A dirty kick in the balls of the gaming industry was the way to get it.
However, it’s not gamers that came off looking second best. Most developers and players already know that even if the Government determines the public is in favour of an adult games rating, the chances of them introducing it is still slim to none.
It’s Eros who will pay the bigger price (and not just with a damaged reputation). This isn’t a debate about whether more violence (or sex) should be allowed in games; it’s about whether adults should be allowed to choose what media they consume without Government interference.
Be it games or adult videos, the underlying problem is censorship.
Siding with the ACL might be a good way for Eros to win the spotlight, but suggesting that the Government focus their attention on relaxing porn laws instead of those relating to games doesn’t help them make any progress in their goal to get adult products into the hands of consumers. To ‘family’ and religious organisations this isn’t a case of sex Vs violence or games Vs porn, it’s a case of bin it all and don’t stop there.
Sure Eros aren’t advocates of free speech, but you might expect a group which represents the interests of the Australian adult industry to also respect the rights of Australian adults. You know, because they play games too.
- Mike
5 comments
Travesti says:
May 2, 2008
We are not free
Australian Sex Party will challenge filtering, what about R18+ games? - Somebody Think Of The Children says:
Nov 19, 2008
[...] commitment to reducing censorship may not extend beyond pornographic material. Eros continues to oppose the introduction of an R18+ classification for video games despite games of a sexual nature being potentially banned to Australian [...]
Australian Sex Party answers censorship questions - Somebody Think Of The Children says:
Nov 24, 2008
[...] I raised concerns last week about whether the Australian Sex Party (ASP) would fight for an R18+ game classification, given Eros had been opposed to one (a bad move in my opinion). [...]
J Long says:
Nov 26, 2008
Wow just saw this article, had I known about it earlier I would have commented earlier.
I run my own Adult Store in Nrth Queensland, and I am a keen gamer. I use to read EROS every month when it came out as I supported them, and was happy with the progress that they had going in the Adult industry.
That is until I read about their alliance with the ACL. Their reasoning? “One thing this country does not need more of is violence”- I believe it was Fiona Patten who stated that.
Well the above article is exactly why I just couldn’t get my head around this statement, what the hell are they thinking? To this day I have not picked up another copy of EROS.
Australia’s 20 Worst Cases of Censorship and Moral Outrage in 2008 - Somebody Think Of The Children says:
Dec 28, 2008
[...] aligns with Christian Lobby against R18+ games Australian sex lobby group, Eros, announced they agreed with the Australian Christian Lobby’s stance that the Government should abandon plans to consult the public on whether to introduce an R18+ [...]