Australia has a(nother) problem with GTA
Category: Industry, Posted: 04/07/2008 at 01:29PM CDT by Creighton DeSimone, Staff Writer
Since the Grand Theft Auto franchise moved from the top down world to a third person, 3D environment, Australia has recieved toned down versions just for them. It appears Grand Theft Auto 4 is no exception -- but why? (Warning: American understanding of Australia incoming.)
The problem stems from Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification, the same office that rates videogames. Currently their highest rating is MA15+. The US has MA17+ while many European countries and New Zealand have R18+. The difference between the Australia and the US ratings may look like only two years, but they are important years. You're talking about the difference between someone in High School, and someone who has graduated High School.
It's strange to think that Australia doesn't have a restriction higher than that for a 15 year old. There are lots of things I wouldn't recommend a 15 year old play, but would be A-OK for a 17 or 18 year old. Instead of adjusting the ratings system to fit with the times, developers have to strip things out so it’s age appropriate for 15 year olds, and that sucks.
Thus far Rockstar has not commented on what content was removed this time to allow it to limbo under the MA15 bar, but I assume things like less blood, no prostitutes and no robbing old women and stealing their purses are high on the list.
Australia has to get its act together and make a decision. Either, 15 is old enough to be an adult and therefore play any videogame, including not-crippled versions of GTA OR they have to add a 17+ or 18+ level to their current system, and then sell unedited versions of games under that rating. This special version thing needs to end, and I'm sure many Australian gamers agree.
[via The Age]
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Sucks to be down under, I suppose. I'd import all my games if that were the case here.
It's stupid to restrict content, it is a double problem for developers: they have to ensure the content is appropriate, and they have to do the effort to make it appropriate.
So, how do they regulate movies that are violent, with cussing, nudity, etc. over there? I know I have seen Australian films that were quite R-rated... For that matter, how do they regulate porn?:p
They should go ahead and make an 18+ rating down there... no reason why it should be stuck at 15+
There's actually a good article going on at Gamespot.au called Censory Overload for those interested. I for one was very pissed off when I heard that GTA was yet again being antagonised by our stupid government, but then I became skeptical of that news source. I'm waiting for official word from R* before I either have to Import it or buy it locally. Many people have outright canceled their preorders and decided to import, meaning Aussie dollars going overseas. Hope it's a wakeup call for the old farts in the OFLC.
You'd actually be surprised how little they pick out to get under the line.
So stupid, Australia can screen a show like underbelly at 8:30 at night which contains prostitutes having sex (complete with real breasts bouncing all over the place and nude arses in just about every episode), drug deals, murders, beatings, gangs, car jacking, kidnapping and the list goes on and yet a game with I suspect zero nudity and non photo-realistic killing etc needs to be toned down? O.o Makes about zero sense to me.
There have been plans to introduce a R18+ games rating in Australia for a while. The only problem is that such a move would require the unanimous support of every single state Attorney General.
The good news is that they almost all do support the move. The bad news is that the South Australian Attorney General (Michael Atkinson) has a Jack Thompson-style vendetta against video games, and refuses to agree to the changes. He is under massive pressure from his own party to just go along with the R18+ plan, but won't budge.
The worse news is that he is apparently pretty popular otherwise, has a high profile, and is generally competent at his job... so there is no chance that he will be sacked over this issue.
So, until he steps down (or is finally swayed), the R18+ rating has to wait.
You can contact Michael Atkinson at:
http://www.ministers.sa.gov.au/ministers.php?id=7
I doubt it would help... but if someone thinks they can make a persuasive enough argument, then it might be worth a shot.
R18 means Restricted 18 in the UK. You need a license to sell that stuff. 18, on the other hand, is 18+ which you don't need a license for.
In Australia, R18+ just means that it is restricted to people over the age of 18. Stores aren't allowed to sell R18+ products to anyone under 18.