Aliens Vs Predator ban, Atkinson comments

Mike Bantick
Monday, 14 December 2009 09:21

Opinion and Analysis

Temperatures rise again in the battle for an Australian R18+ classification for interactive entertainment.  This week’s round sees Attorney General for South Australia, Michael Atkinson continue his stance on refusing the introduction of an adult classification, meaning games such as Aliens Vs Predator would continue to be banned.

Given the developers of Aliens Vs Predator are not too fussed with modifying the game in any way for the tiny Australian market , it looks as if fans of the franchise will be hitting import websites when the release date rolls around.

That is due to the lack of an R18 Classification for interactive entertainment in Australia.  A recent ABC News report featured the games banning along with conversations with the Ron Curry, CEO of the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association and the now (in)famous Senator Michael Atkinson, Attorney General of South Australia and advocate of keeping the classification laws as they are today.

Senator Atkinson believes the impact of a lack of R18+ Classification is minimal; “This is a question of a small number of very zealous gamers trying to impose their will on society, and I think, harm society.  It’s the public interest versus a small vested interest.” Atkinson said.

According to the APC report, Atkinson’s continued view is that the interactive nature of violent games can encourage people to act out their fantasies, a position supported by many family groups.

“I accept that 95, 98 percent of gamers will tell the difference between fantasy and reality,” Atkinson continued “but the one to two percent could go on to be motivated by these games to commit horrible acts of violence”

That is an awful lot of people that could go postal, given the amount of adults that consider themselves gamers in Australia.  “It doesn’t seem democratic that a single Attorney-General can dictate what the vast Australian population can interact with.”  said Ron Curry.

Atkinson does not see the demand for games such as Aliens Vs Predator; “You don’t need to be playing a game where you impale, decapitate and dismember people”

Curry ripostes; “The Government trusts us to be adults with film, but now they want us to be children with games”