By now, you've probably already heard about Australia's never-ending debate on video game censorship. No? Basically, the country has no proper "mature" rating for video games, with MA15 being the highest. This means a lot of games either come in censored or not at all (banhammer).
Aussie gamers have put up quite a fight, from demonstrations to open discussions, and yet the government hasn't budged, citing reasons that mostly revolve around inconclusive studies regarding violence and video games.
However, another opportunity for gamers and concerned citizens to speak out is coming next month. Attorney General Robert McClelland notes that the public's discussions papers and submissions may come into play during the upcoming April debate, and the Australian National Classification Scheme will be addressing their concerns on piracy, which is exacerbated by the nation's current policy on video game ratings.
McClelland states that the National Classification Scheme "is a co-operative scheme and these decisions are best made on that co-operative basis." By consensus, in other words. That being said, any such consensus can be overturned by Attorney General Michael Atkinson.
Yep, Australia's stanchest opponent of the MA18 rating is also the man who can veto everything.
Source:Adelaide Now
Alternate Source:GamePolitics
Sections:Console Games, PC Games
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