R18+ No Saving Grace For Aussies

[Wired Cous]

IGN: R18+ No Saving Grace For Aussies

Article:
Australia, September 11, 2008 - An R18+ video games classification won't guarantee violent or drug-referencing games safe passage onto Australian shelves, the Federal Government has revealed.

Gamers have again been calling for an R18+ classification after the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) initially banned the post-apocalyptic RPG-shooter Fallout 3 from being imported, sold or advertised in Australia because it contained 'incentives and rewards (to gamers) related to drug use' earlier this year.

The game's protagonist administered himself morphine to treat his wounds as he traverses the post-apocalyptic landscape. But Australia's Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus, whose portfolio includes classification policy, last week revealed that an R18+ classification was no guarantee that games such as Fallout 3 would be spared in the future.

"In the board's view, the game warrants an RC classification in accordance with item 1(a) of the computer games table of the National Classification Code," Mr Debus said. "As a general rule material that contains drug use related to incentives will be refused classification. The availability of an R18+ classification would not necessarily have resulted in a different decision by the Classification Board."


Since July's classification 'fallout' at the OFLC, the game's developer, Bethesda, has modified the in-game menus to remove references to real-life drugs (a modification that's recently carried over to all territories), pleasing the OFLC and resulting in it classifying the game as MA15+ on 7 August.

Meanwhile, Mr Debus said a review on the R18+ classification for games was underway with a review paper to be released for public consultation 'once Censorship Ministers agreed to it'. Mr Debus said policy change would require a unanimous agreement from all state, territory and federal censorship ministers.

For gamers wondering whether or not they can import banned titles, Mr Debus said games classified RC 'can not be legally imported, sold or advertised in Australia'.