The period of public consultation on the issue of whether Australia should have an R18+ rating for videogames is drawing to a close. You have until February 28 to make a submission. Many Kotaku readers already have, and we’re going to share them with you.
Last week we asked you to send us your submission to encourage your fellow Kotaku readers to have their say as well. We said we’d publish your closing 250-word comments. So for the rest of the week we’ll be highlighting some of the best in individual posts.
This submission comes from Cameron Chu, who writes:
There should be no question that Australia needs a R.18+ classification introduced. No longer are video games designed strictly with children as their core target. The age of the average Australian that plays computer games is now 28, making it absurd that the Government continues to censor and ban video games that adults are more than mature enough to play. However, it is common sense to prevent minors from obtaining such games which are excessively violent or sexual. That is why a R.18+ classification is a necessity, meeting the demands of both sides of the age spectrum.
There are consequences for being the only developed nation that does not have a R.18+ rating. Inevitably there will be games that blur between what could be considered ‘R18+’ or ‘MA15+’, and risk being shovelled into the latter, the highest that we have as it stands. This has occurred already; with the release of ‘House of the Dead: Overkill’, the Government has ironically unleashed a game with insane amounts of profanity and violence freely available to minors due to the incompetencies of a system that is supposed to prevent it.
While nay sayers of such a scheme will immediately point out that minors can easily bypass such a system, that is not the case. If established into law, there will naturally be penalties for breaking the said law; as such, there will be a disincentive for retailers to sell R.18+ games to minors due to the lingering possiblity of a fine or imprisonment. The Government should not stop the few reckless people that behave irresponsibly at the cost of the majority that don’t.
We are a democratic country that believes in the freedom of choice; the Government should start reflecting it.
In case you’re yet to state your case, here’s how to do it.
The call for public consultation (AG.gov.au)
The Bond University Interactive Australia report (for helpful research insights)
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