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.
