Despite so many positive moves forward, the Attorneys General failed to agree on updating the classification system to include an adult rating for video games.
As far as politicians go, Kate Lundy is one of our favourites, a position solidified last night by her decision to table the 89,210 strong petition for an R18+ video game rating.
The Australian Christian Lobby may be a bunch of scaremongering misinformation merchants, but their idea to create a form that lets people contact the Attorney Generals directly was a good one. So as part of their READY campaign, our brothers at Kotaku have taken their idea for the pro R18+ games classification side.
This morning, Shay was on Sunrise debating the merits of an R18+ games rating for video games with Damien Tudehope from the Australian Family Association. You have to love it when the opposition to the adult games classification both admits that an R18+ rating would be better than an MA15+ and admits he had no idea what types of games his own kids were playing.
On December 10 2010, the Attorneys-General from across the country will meet for the last SCAG meeting of the year. On the agenda is an issue close to many a Gizmodian’s heart – an adult classification for video games. And leading the charge to build public awareness for the issue are our friends and colleagues over at Kotaku.
If you buy a game for your PC or gaming console, it has a rating from the OFLC. Well, unless it’s been refused classification because of our country’s primitive classifications system, that is. But if you buy a game for your iPhone from the App Store, there’s no such classification. Yet. Michael Bodey over at The Australian has discovered that the government is aware of this loophole and is planning on closing it very soon.
At a public forum in the western Sydney suburb of Rooty Hill last night, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said he would be “happy to look at” an R18+ rating for video games if he won the election. But he said he didn’t know there had even been a debate on the issue…
For anyone hoping that the Standing Committee of Attorneys-Generals would be reviewing the need for an R18+ games classification this month, prepare for disappointment – David over at Kotaku brings us word that the discussion has been delayed yet again.
Stephen Conroy held a press conference this morning around the future of the Cyber safety policy. According to tweets from Crikey’s Bernard Keane, that means putting it off for 12 months while the classification system gets an overhaul. [UPDATE: Added official department statement.]
It’s somewhat amazing that former Queensland premiere not only has an editorial in the Australian today arguing for the introduction of an R18+ rating, but he also attended the recent E3 gaming expo in LA. This makes him the second high profile Queensland politician who’s argued for adult games classification.
