Games that have been RC include most recently, Dark Sector, Manhunt, Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, Reservoir Dogs, BMX XXX, Blitz: The League, and Postal 2.
These games most often were banned for violence considered too real, too connected to sex or shown in too positive a light (usually incorporating incentives for violence), however, you'll notice Mark Ecko's Getting Up can shut down because of its portrayal of graffiti. A fuller list of RC titles and their subsequent outcomes can be found here.
There's been a lot of outcry from gamers and industry folks who really, really want the R rating for games so as to stop the absolute banning of games. Similarly, there are those on the other side of the fence who are rather happy it's not around, as it removes unwanted threats. Instead of bitching about it in the dark, I decided to go right to the source - I emailed the OFLC and asked, simply and quickly, Dear members of the classification board, I was hoping you could please answer this simple question for me: Why do you not provide an R rating for video games in Australia? I'm eager to understand why, thanks very much, Simon J. Green.
To my surprise, I received a hard copy letter, mailed to me in the post, from the Attorney-General's Department, Territories and Information Law Division. The letter is a fascinating insight into the minds of those people who make the laws of our country, the very heart of the matter. I invite you all to read it and discuss what you think. (Names and contact details have been blanked for privacy)
Link to Page 1
Link to Page 2
or download in a .zip
For a big fat discussion and history on this topic, I suggest you read the excellent Cnet article Censory Overload: Games censorship in Australia.
1 comment:
Wow, man. That's pretty fuckin' impressive. It doesn't really shed any light on things, as it's all stuff that's come before, but it got me thinking... The whole thing about games being refused classification is because of the interactivity, which may or may not simulate a sexual or violent act (in their minds anyway); what about movies that simulate real life, like My Little Eye -- films presented in the "Big Brother"/reality TV style? Aren't they more of a risk to kids? Until games go back to being FMV (which is massively doubtful), games are never going to come close to the reality that can be presented in those sorts of movies, which brings me to my point -- is "interacting" through button mashing more damaging to a child than witnessing something that is meant to look as real as possible? Don't think so.
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