International Law

Australia may not have an R rating for games after all

The Australian reports that South Australia may stop Australia from introducing an R18+ rating for computer games:

SOUTH Australia will quash any plans to introduce an R18+ classification for computer games at an upcoming Standing committee of attorneys-general (SCAG) meeting.

In Australia, the highest rating for computer games is MA 15+, but the argument for introducing an R18+ rating, which would allow the sale of games depicting far more explicit sex and violence, was resurrected when it was added to the agenda for the SCAG meeting on March 28.

However, the idea has been gunned down by South Australia Attorney-General Michael Atkinson after a spokesperson confirmed he would be voting against the proposal.

"The Attorney-General remains very firmly opposed to introducing an R rating for computer games in Australia," the spokesperson said.

Any modifications to the classification system must be agreed upon by all the Commonwealth and state and territory attorneys-general.

The spokesperson said that over the past three years, the AG's office has been lobbied by computer game retailers and computer game players over its opposition to an R18+ classification.

Read more here.

Full post as published by Freedom to Differ on March 01, 2008 (boomark / email).