THE debate for Australia to introduce an R18+ rating for video games has been a hot topic in the Australian Blogosphere lately, with the EFA launching a new website dedicated to campaign against the existing laws restricting games from being released in Australia.

Electronic Frontiers Australia point out…

“According to recent surveys, the average age of gamers in Australia is around 30 years old. The lack of an R18+ rating for games hurts both Australian adults and Australian developers.”

“An R18+ classification would require the unanimous support of all Attorneys-General, and in the past moves to change the current classification have been blocked on the vote of a single state Attorney-General.”

With game developers in mind, a previous site set up by a 23-year-old games developer, Tim Colwill, describes why the law should allow for r18+ games.

Tim points out that the current laws restrict freedom of choice, encourage piracy and place adult material in the hands of children.

“… when it comes to video games, adults in Australia are treated like children who cannot think for themselves. Under the current Australian law, mature and responsible adults are prevented from being able to access the same themes, images and stories that they would see in any film or television show, simply because they are delivered through a video game. This is an unacceptable and short-sighted restriction that hurts freedom of choice, and should not be tolerated.”

I don’t play games myself, but having such restrictions in place seems ludicrous, especially with movies being allowed to have a classification of r18+.

South Australian Attorney General recently explained his side of the story on South Australian’s Stateline: