An R18+ rating for videogames and the Internet filtering proposal are the two biggest topics we've seen in a long time in the digital world down under. Australia is the only developed country not to have an adults only rating for videogames, and it doesn't seem like that is going to change any time soon. The next episode, in the never ending saga, comes today as the Australian Federal Government added R18+ videogames to their proposed ISP filtering plan.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that should the proposal from Stephen Conroy, Minister for Communications, come into effect any website that sells or hosts a game that is not suitable for a 15-year-old would be blocked.
Sites that could potentially be blocked include
- A website, local or international, this sells games that have been refused an MA15+ or below classification. This would include online stores such as Play-Asia and eBay.
- Any site that allows downloads, or hosts games that contain content that is deemed inappropriate for 15-year-olds. This includes services such as Steam, and could potentially cripple the future of digital distribution in Australia.
- MMOs that contain content that falls outside of the MA15+ rating. That will be hard to police given the nature of online play. Up until this point MMOs have generally been exempt from classification.
"Computer games such as web-based flash games and downloadable games, if a complaint is received and the content is determined by ACMA to be Refused Classification," said a spokesperson from the Minister for Communications' office.
Essentially this means that if an adult wants a game above the MA15+ bracket they will be unable to access it through online means. This will no doubt raise some eyebrows as data indicates that they average age of a gamer in Australia is 30, double that of the current highest age classification.
"This is confirmation that the scope of the mandatory censorship scheme will keep on creeping," said Colin Jacobs, spokesman for the online users' lobby group Electronic Frontiers Australia. "Far from being the ultimate weapon against child abuse, it now will officially censor content deemed too controversial for a 15-year-old. In a free country like ours, do we really need the government to step in and save us from racy web games?"
Games that are distributed and played completely online, such as MMOs, are generally exempt from classification. Mark Newton, an ISP engineer and internet filtering critic, explains "that exemption is the only reason why multiplayer games with user-generated environments are possible in this country; without it, it'd only take one game user anywhere in the world to produce objectionable content in the game environment to make the Australian Government ban the game for everyone."
What will game publishers have to say about this? If anything this is going to force people to pirate games.
Submitted by ICC_06
25/06/2009
270
11
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