Atkinson goes against 90 percent of public opinion on R18+ classification

by Mike Bantick

Saturday, 01 November 2008

Page 1 of 2 ! I always thought politicians simply chased votes by going with the public flow.  Well it is refreshing to see one that sticks to his guns regardless of the overwhelming public attitude against his stance.  Again the rather logical introduction of an R18+ classification for video games seems to be sunk by the South Australian Attorney General's out of step attitude. In the later pages of my earlier article about wasted governmental effort in technology censorship, I hinted that the proposed R18+ classification on video games public consultation process looked likely to never emerge. This was based on some recent senate Hansard reports, and the discussion around both the West Australian lack of input and South Australian opposition to the plan.  It now looks as if the inaction has become reality if recent comments by the South Australian Attorney General Michael Atkinson are taken on face value. During the March meeting of Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (SCAG) an announcement was made of the intention to seek public opinion on the introduction of a R18+ classification for video game entertainment. An R18+ category would then bring video games in line with cinema and DVD ratings, not withstanding the further lack of an X rating. The recent IA9 report from Bond University confirmed a public backing of the R18+ Classification push.  Some 91 percent of respondents backing the idea. And it makes sense, it is win-win making the classification system easier for parents to understand.  Given close to 80 percent of parents are present when offspring purchase new video games, this seems to be a plus. Given that the average age of a video gamer is now 30 years old, it furthermore seems ludicrous to treat interatcive entertainment as a purely childish pursuit. << First page <   1 2 Next page > Last page - Post your comment >>

 

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