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FutureZombie · Dec 18, 2009

If this happened in my country I would be so offended and outraged that I wouldn't be able to sit still.

I'm sure this is the future here in the US as well. Freedom is never a priority. Making rules to force your personal opinions on others is the real priority.

VOOK · Dec 18, 2009

For the new page...

Aliens vs Predator banning reversed with no content changed or removed

SEGA Australia today confirmed that the Classification Review Board has overturned the original decision to Refuse Classification for Aliens vs Predator and has given it an MA15+ rating.

It is with great pleasure that we announce the success of our appeal. We are particularly proud that the game will be released in its original entirety, with no content altered or removed whatsoever. This is a big win for Australian gamers. We applaud the Classification Review Board on making a decision that clearly considers the context of the game, and is in line with the modern expectations of reasonable Australians, Darren Macbeth, Managing Director, SEGA Australia.

Updated title please mods!

speculawyer · Dec 18, 2009

So . . . are gamers & game developers in Australia going to do anything about this?

You guys should be revolting. This is nanny-state garbage. This clown thinks games are just for kids. The average age of gamers is like 30 these days.

That guy is telling adults in Australia that they can't have video games.

I mean jeez, you can get porn and violent movies. But no video games made for adults? WTF?

Edit: Nice for AvP . . . but Australia needs an 'M'(ature) or 18+ rating category.

ClovingWestbrook · Dec 18, 2009

speculawyer said:
So . . . are gamers & game developers in Australia going to do anything about this?

You guys should be revolting. This is nanny-state garbage. This clown thinks games are just for kids. The average age of gamers is like 30 these days.

That guy is telling adults in Australia that they can't have video games.

I mean jeez, you can get porn and violent movies. But no video games made for adults? WTF?

Edit: Nice for AvP . . . but Australia needs an 'M'(ature) or 18+ rating category.

Porn and violent movies are next. With the government close to passing a law that would ban certain types of websites (China anybody?), porn and violent movies are next. One reason that such a breach of rights would be difficult in the states is because we have civil liberty groups fighting tooth and nail.

Sew · Dec 18, 2009

The goverment has released the R18+ discussion paper, finally. This means that all Australians can now have their say on the issue, via a multiple choice questionnaire. The discussion paper itself actually debunks some of Atkinson's fearmongering.

Great news for AVP, promising news for R18.

[edit] http://www.ag.gov.au/gamesclassification

Darklord · Dec 18, 2009

VOOK said:
For the new page...

Aliens vs Predator banning reversed with no content changed or removed

Updated title please mods!

jim-jam bongs · Dec 18, 2009

I'm deeply conflicted here, GAF. This is deeply disconcerting. And by this, I mean the fact that the banning has been reversed.

AvP is a seriously violent game. The material that I've seen from it was extremely graphic and confronting. I was just saying to someone today that it was one of those cases (Manhunt being another) where I really felt a little uneasy with defending it because of just how gratuitous it actually is. Without knowing why the banning decision was reversed by the OFLC, it's hard to know what to think to be honest, but anecdotally I think the earlier decision seemed to be about right given what they have to work with.

Now if the question being asked is: should adults be allowed to play it? Yes, I absolutely think that they should. That's not what has happened here, however, and this is exactly the problem with not having a R18+ rating for games.

This is a win for adults who play games, for sure. I don't think it's an altogether good thing though.

Darklord · Dec 18, 2009

jim-jam bongs said:
I'm deeply conflicted here, GAF. This is deeply disconcerting. And by this, I mean the fact that the banning has been reversed.

AvP is a seriously violent game. The material that I've seen from it was extremely graphic and confronting. I was just saying to someone today that it was one of those cases (Manhunt being another) where I really felt a little uneasy with defending it because of just how gratuitous it actually is.

Manhunt is meant to be more realistic, brutal murdering. AVP is aliens, monsters and space marines fighting it out in a sci-fi/horror setting.

jim-jam bongs · Dec 18, 2009

Darklord said:
Manhunt is meant to be more realistic, brutal murdering. AVP is aliens, monsters and space marines fighting it out in a sci-fi/horror setting.

The context is definitely important. There's a fair amount of quite graphic human mutilation in the predator and alien stuff though. I just think it's graphic to a level that should be kept for adults.

Alphahawk · Dec 18, 2009

jim-jam bongs said:
I'm deeply conflicted here, GAF. This is deeply disconcerting. And by this, I mean the fact that the banning has been reversed.

AvP is a seriously violent game. The material that I've seen from it was extremely graphic and confronting. I was just saying to someone today that it was one of those cases (Manhunt being another) where I really felt a little uneasy with defending it because of just how gratuitous it actually is. Without knowing why the banning decision was reversed by the OFLC, it's hard to know what to think to be honest, but anecdotally I think the earlier decision seemed to be about right given what they have to work with.

Now if the question being asked is: should adults be allowed to play it? Yes, I absolutely think that they should. That's not what has happened here, however, and this is exactly the problem with not having a R18+ rating for games.

This is a win for adults who play games, for sure. I don't think it's an altogether good thing though.

Kids can handle alot already, more than we as a society give them credit for. How many 15 year olds have seen movies such as Saving Private Ryan and/or Se7en. The kids will be fine, and hopefully this will spark up enough debate in the government that Austrailia will be forced to adopt an "18+" rating.

Sew · Dec 18, 2009

I do agree with those concerns. I've got a 15yo nephew, and I wouldn't be too bothered about him playing this. But he's got three younger brothers. How do parents buy one kid a game and keep it away from three others? They can try to police it, but they can't police it 24/7. If Australia had an R18+ rating, the game wouldn't even be in the house.

Alphahawk · Dec 18, 2009

Sew said:
I do agree with those concerns. I've got a 15yo nephew, and I wouldn't be too bothered about him playing this. But he's got three younger brothers. How do parents buy one kid a game and keep it away from three others? They can try to police it, but they can't police it 24/7. If Australia had an R18+ rating, the game wouldn't even be in the house.

Until he's 18...

Sew · Dec 18, 2009

Pretty sure he'll be out on his ear by then :lol

Grooveraider · Dec 18, 2009

Fuck 'em ! Just mod your system or do what you have to do to import it.
Problem solved... Unless Austrailia inspects incoming packages from other
countires - that would suck.

Mohonky · Dec 18, 2009

jim-jam bongs said:
The context is definitely important. There's a fair amount of quite graphic human mutilation in the predator and alien stuff though. I just think it's graphic to a level that should be kept for adults.

Tell it to Atkinson

Grooveraider · Dec 18, 2009

MidnightScott said:
Must suck to be a gamer in Australia.

America was just like this back in the day with Japanese games.
My prayers go out to you Aussie gamers

Grooveraider · Dec 18, 2009

Sega / Rebellion could do just like Konami did back in the day with Contra series in the U.K.
and Austrailia. Turn all the characters into ROBOTS and call it "Probotector Vs Probotector". I mean why not? :lol

Grooveraider · Dec 18, 2009

INDIGO_CYCLOPS said:
Sounds like there isn't much to miss! Reading that short bit from the report got me thinking about

Event Horizon (best ever)

"We're leaving!" - Lawrence Fishburne aka Captian Miller :lol

Zenith · Dec 18, 2009

jim-jam bongs said:
I'm deeply conflicted here, GAF. This is deeply disconcerting. And by this, I mean the fact that the banning has been reversed.

AvP is a seriously violent game. The material that I've seen from it was extremely graphic and confronting. I was just saying to someone today that it was one of those cases (Manhunt being another) where I really felt a little uneasy with defending it because of just how gratuitous it actually is. Without knowing why the banning decision was reversed by the OFLC, it's hard to know what to think to be honest, but anecdotally I think the earlier decision seemed to be about right given what they have to work with.

Now if the question being asked is: should adults be allowed to play it? Yes, I absolutely think that they should. That's not what has happened here, however, and this is exactly the problem with not having a R18+ rating for games.

This is a win for adults who play games, for sure. I don't think it's an altogether good thing though.

I saw the finishers on humans, weren't that impressive.

Plus would you feel uneasy defending the gore in movies they were based off? I don't know if they got cut for Australia but movies can do gore far more realistically than games could ever hope to achieve. The acid burning off that guys face in Aliens, the General looking at a piece of his own brain in Resurrection, the attempted rape in Alien3, etc.

Grooveraider · Dec 18, 2009

julls said:
immediately what i thought of

"it's really sad!"

"Its pathetic!":lol

Grooveraider · Dec 18, 2009

How About No said:
Aliens, man, ALIENS!

Wait they showed that in Australia right?!

:lol

Darklord · Dec 18, 2009

Sew said:
I do agree with those concerns. I've got a 15yo nephew, and I wouldn't be too bothered about him playing this. But he's got three younger brothers. How do parents buy one kid a game and keep it away from three others? They can try to police it, but they can't police it 24/7. If Australia had an R18+ rating, the game wouldn't even be in the house.

You can't shield them from everything. And with parental controls on consoles you can police it 24/7. If they can't run it, they can't play it.

Nemesis_ · Dec 18, 2009

Zenith said:
I saw the finishers on humans, weren't that impressive.

Plus would you feel uneasy defending the gore in movies they were based off? I don't know if they got cut for Australia but movies can do gore far more realistically than games could ever hope to achieve. The acid burning off that guys face in Aliens, the General looking at a piece of his own brain in Resurrection, the attempted rape in Alien3, etc.

Movies and games are treated very very very differently in Australia. That's half the problem really.

Sew · Dec 18, 2009

Darklord said:
You can't shield them from everything.

I'm talking about 4 and 6 year olds here. I don't believe in wrapping kids in bubblewrap or anything, but I'll sure as hell try and shield them from stuff like this until they're older.

I'll look into the parental lock stuff for my nephews. I own a 360 myself, but it's not a feature I've ever had to learn about!

hirokazu · Dec 18, 2009

Meh, should've stayed banned until we got an R18+ rating. :3

Bitmap Frogs · Dec 18, 2009

Sew said:
I'm talking about 4 and 6 year olds here. I don't believe in wrapping kids in bubblewrap or anything, but I'll sure as hell try and shield them from stuff like this until they're older.

I'll look into the parental lock stuff for my nephews. I own a 360 myself, but it's not a feature I've ever had to learn about!

Most parent's aren't geeky/nerdy enough to use these features

ATM they are just there as a legal shield for console makers to default on the parents the blame of having 5 year olds be witness to pixelated violence and side boobs.

SenorDingDong · Dec 18, 2009

Grooveraider said:
"We're leaving!" - Lawrence Fishburne aka Captian Miller :lol

I was just rewatching this last night. That video log of the last crew is still so utterly disturbing. The morbid grin on the guy speaking latin and holding his eyes always freaks me out.

As to the topic, good news I guess, at the very least it's seemed to have pushed ratings debacle back into the spotlight.

Winterblink · Dec 18, 2009

SenorDingDong said:
I was just rewatching this last night. That video log of the last crew is still so utterly disturbing. The morbid grin on the guy speaking latin and holding his eyes always freaks me out.

Wait until you watch it frame-by-frame.

Great news about AVP though. Aussie classification board's pretty messed up.

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