|
|
Long-time opponent of an R18+ video game rating, former South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson resigned in March 2010, yet it took another 2 years before the passing of legislation that he vehemently opposed during his time in office.
Essentially there have only been a small number of games banned in this country due to a lack of an R18+ classification. For other mature orientated titles, the developers either modified the content (usually slightly), or decided not to even launch the title at all in the country.
The bottom line is, having a top rating of MA15+ for interactive entertainment has meant adults have missed out on content available around the world, leading to a growing interest in importing titles, local retailers missing out on sales as a result. It has also led to content rated R18+ in the rest of the world instead shoe-horned into an inappropriate rating category that leads to misinformation for parents in particular.
Thus the passing of an R18+ classification is welcome news for the increasingly broadening range of ages playing interactive entertainment, video game developers and parents alike.
Others that welcomed the news include the industry group the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (iGEA).
Continued on Page 2
