The idea of an R18+ classification in Australia has been a pretty hot topic among gamers in the last few years, but after recent comments from the South Australian Attorney-General the chances were looking slim. This may not be the case, however, as the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General have decided to canvas public opinion on the proposed classification. More inside It looks as though the politicians are finally getting the message that gaming isn’t the realm of children anymore and that maybe the classification system needs revision. Victorian Attorney-General Rob Hulls said in a press release:
“”While computer games have predominantly been considered the domain of children, the most up-to-date research indicates a steadily growing trend in adult consumers of the product, with the current average age of games reported to be 28 years.”"
Hulls also conceded that Australia was “”out of step”" with the rest of the developed world on the issue but that even with an R18+ rating games containing extreme violence, explicit sexual material, instruction in crime or characters using illegal drugs would still not be allowed into the market. Now it’s time for gamers to start getting the word out and hopefully take part in this public consultation, so get your emails ready to go, giving your support to an R18+ rating.
Source: The Age
