Another big title falls to the whims of Australia’s incomplete censorship laws around interactive entertainment.  This time it is Electronic Art’s reimaging of a seminal favourite Syndicate.  As EA says, this game was made for a mature audience and any changes would significantly affect the games quality and appeal, so Australians will miss out.

Following public outcry and world-wide ridicule, Pakistan's telecommunications companies have just announced they will hold off on plans to block 1,695 words and phrases in SMS messages.

The House of the Dead: Overkill – Extended Cut has been refused classification by the Australian Classification Board.  Slaughtering zombies is just too barbaric down under.

With NSW finally giving its “in-principle” support to R18+ ratings for games after the recent SCAG meeting saw South Australia give its support and NSW end up as the new roadblock on the runway, but while it’s now clear, gamers are still waiting.

There is still some thrashing out to be had, but the Australian video games industry is welcoming an in-principle agreement for the introduction of a long-awaited R18+ classification for interactive entertainment. 

Two of Australia’s biggest ISPs (and telcos), Telstra and Optus, will commence “voluntary” censorship of 500 websites to defend against “child abuse”, even though the child abusers moved off the standard web a long time ago to a galaxy of underground webs far, far away from what you’ll find on Google.

The UN's special rapporteur on freedom of expression, Frank La Rue, has tabled a report saying that there should be minimal restriction of information on the Internet but warning that Governments are increasingly controlling the Internet because of its potential to mobilise people to challenge the status quo.

From the storm in a teacup file comes the story of Dead or Alive: Dimensions possibly being banned due to the possibility of child pornography being part of the design.  How ridiculous.

A few years back, when Michael Atkinson was Attorney-General of South Australia, it would have been unheard of to write the heading above.  But now that John Rau is AG in that state it seems sensible discussion about Australia’s video-game rating system can be had.

When a website “accidentally” bans a gay kiss, stops Kate Middletons who aren’t princesses-to-be from accessing their own accounts, becomes an all-around time-waster that ruins relationships and invades your privacy, and its owner suggests there is too much “free speech”, it’s time to take stock.