Game Ratings and Australia
DQ reader Dancer Vesperman sent in two very interesting links from Australia on the state of game ratings down under.Here's an excerpt from the first article
(http://tinyurl.com/apvnx):
The computer games industry has released the first major survey into Australia's gaming habits in six years, finding overwhelming support for an R (18+) classification for the most violent or explicit games.
Entitled Game Play Australia 2005, the survey found that 88 per cent of respondents, regardless of whether they played games, supported an R(18+) classification, similar to that used for films, for interactive and video games
However, only 27 per cent of those surveyed were aware no such classification existed for games. At present, the Office of Film and Literature Classification will only classify games up to MA(15+).
The gaming industry puts out a survey supporting the addition of a rating that excludes consumers under eighteen from buying a game? What the?
If you live in the U.S. and think that sound fishy, it does--at least, if you're aware of the existing regulations in Australia. Here's the other shoe dropping
(http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200511/s1496322.htm):
The Victorian Government will push for national laws to allow Australians to buy and play R-rated video games.
Video games deemed to be higher than a MA 15-plus rating are currently refused classification in Australia.
What happens now in Australia is that if a game is unable to get at least a MA15+ rating, it can't be sold in Australia. Period. So pushing for a new game rating is an attempt to open up a market, not further regulate it.
The ratings board in Australia also differs from the U.S. in that it is a government board (Office of Film And Literature Classification) and submitting a game for rating is compulsory.
Don't consider this an endorsement or promotion of the Australian system. I just thought you guys might find it interesting to see how it worked in another country.
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