Aussie Government Back Adult Rating

Finally, common sense has prevailed down under, as the Australian government backs the introduction of an R18+ rating.  Ranking alongside Germany for its tough, censorious stance on ‘violent’ games, the Australian government has previously denied calls from frustrated gamers to introduce an adult rating.  The biggest obstacle in obtaining an adult rating for games was Michael Atkinson, the South Australian Attorney-General who resigned earlier this year to a sigh of relief from the Australian gaming community.  Atkinson has previously always squashed and vetoed any move for an adult rating, however, with him gone, the road seems much clearer.

Previously, the highest rating that a game could obtain in Australia was MA15+, which sadly left  many titles out in the cold and without a release, due to their content.  Grand Theft Auto IV and 50 Cent: Bulletproof were both edited in order to secure the lower rating, as was Left 4 Dead 2.  Alien Vs Predator was famously refused a rating and the developers steadfastly refused to modify it; fortunately the ban was later overturned.

A Standing Committee of Attorneys General will meet on Friday to come to a decision, though nothing is certain at this stage due to the fact that the deal still needs approval from each state’s Attorney-General, and the vote has to be unanimous or it simply won’t get passed.  Fingers crossed, mates.   Now, if only our German friends were so lucky…

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