The Attorney-General Department has called for public submissions on whether Australia should introduce an R18+ rating for videogames.

With South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson, the man in control of blocking the classification, up for re-election next March he might be trying to ease the thunder by finally allowing the public to have their say.

However, Michael Atkinson just last week stated the introduction of an R18+ rating would harm society and is only supported by a small group of gamers.

“This is a question of a small number of very zealous gamers, trying to impose their will on society, and I think harm society. It’s the public interest versus the small vested interest,” he told the ABC.

“I accept that 98 per cent or 99 per cent of gamers will tell the difference between fantasy and reality, but the one per cent to two per cent could go on to be motivated by these games to commit horrible acts of violence.”

Gamers have till February 28th to let their voice be heard and hope Mr Atkinson will bow to common sense. The submission forms are available here from the website and are set out in the form of a questionnaire.

Source: Attorney-General’s Department page