Politicians and games classification. Like a bag of jelly babies, you get all sorts. There are those that can't see beyond their own ideals, others who should be shot, a few who believe games are some kind of mystical contraption that can't be monitored and the educated rebels who are fighting for reform.

Now, the Greens has weighed in with its thoughts and sadly, they're not in our favour:

According to WAvotes.org.au, a website run by the Australian Christian Lobby where parties respond to questions likely to be raised by Christian voters, the Greens oppose the introduction of R18+ computer games 'because of the levels of violent content, sexual objectification of women and drug references that provoke this rating.'

The party's a bit of a mixed bag however, as last year it was all for tax breaks for game developers. A case of candy in one hand and a crotch punch in the other?

WA Greens oppose R18+ game rating, so which party supports it? [Somebody think of the children, thanks Michael]

Those questions for the Classification Board? They came back. Alive. The replies read a lot like paragraphs from an official board report, but it's not like I was expecting riveting prose.

This doesn't mean the answers are no good. Not at all. Yes, a few of them are extended "no comments", but for the most part, they shine a moderately-sized shard of light on our classification system - where the power lies, who makes the decisions and why certain decisions were made.

Here are a few highlights:

Who should I be contacting to push the need for an R18+ rating for games?

Currently, the Censorship Minister is the Attorney-General for each State or Territory and the Australian Censorship Minister is the Minister for Home Affairs.

Can I import games that have been refused classification?

Customs may detain or seize any items that are suspected of contravening the Regulations. The maximum penalty for this type of offence is a fine of up to $110,000.

In the eyes of the Board and the guidelines, what constitutes an incentive or reward?

An incentive may be the ability to progress faster through the game. A reward may be a gain in points or access to a wider choice of weapons.

Does the Board play the games it classifies?

An application for the classification of a computer game must include a copy of the game ... For computer games likely to be classified G to M, industry can access a scheme that permits trained assessors to provide a recommendation for the likely classification of a computer game ... Board members do not usually play a game to in order to make a classification.

This is just a taste; the full Q&A can be found after the jump. If you're even remotely interested in games classification in this country, I highly recommend you read it.

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Reader Dean has sent in a letter he received from the office of the honourable Kerry Shine, Queensland's Attorney General, regarding the need for an R18+ rating for video games. While the AG wasn't in a position to reply, Derran Moss, his Senior Policy Advisor, was. His response is thought-out, if a little generic, and makes mention of the SCAG discussion paper. Sadly, in the sixth paragraph Mr Moss shows just how narrow-minded our politicians are about video games:

Effective enforcement of the R18+ classification may also be difficult to achieve where the product is located in the home and parents/guardians are unlikely to have the skills, time or opportunity to appropriately monitor computer game use by minors under their supervision.

The sheer dumbness of this statement stuns me. What sort of skills does a parent need to stare at a computer screen or the classification sticker on the box? How hard is it to not buy an inappropriate game or take it away if a mistake is made? No harder than doing it with DVD movies, which do have an R18+ rating and haven't caused kids to go on murderous rampages, despite being available in homes.

To Moss' credit, he does admit that adults "should be entitled access to R18+ classified computer games", so there's hope yet for Queensland and the rest of Australia.

Oh, and to any politicians against R18+ who may be reading this, please stop with the "can't be regulated at home" argument. It's bullshit.

I've included JPEGs of the letter after the jump, if you'd like a read.

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Well, we've hit a bit of a brick wall for now. After repeated attempts to get anything from distributor Red Ant, and an expanded "no comment" from Bethesda, it's unlikely we'll know what the exact differences are between our version of Fallout 3 and the original. Well, that is until the OFLC report is leaked.

According to Bethesda's PR dude Pete Hines, the developer does not "publically discuss" the classification of any of its games, which is understandable, if unfortunate. As for Red Ant, it's like there's no one home. Anything Fallout 3-related is flat out ignored. Not the most professional approach, but hey, what can you do?

Retailer rumours? Bah! This is more like it. The Office of Film and Literature Classification has acknowledged that it is has a new version of Fallout 3 from Bethesda, and is in the process of judging its appropriateness for our market. Note this build could also be refused classification, though it's highly unlikely.

Last month, Fallout 3 was refused classification by the OFLC for its depiction of real-world drugs. An edited version will assure the game gets into the hands of the average consumer, however, those seeking sane pricing and a "pure" experience will still look to the miracles of importing.

Fallout 3: May see an Australian release, after all [Internode Games Network]

Gamerchip is reporting that Fallout 3 has been edited and is on-track for a local release. Excellent. Awesome. Fantastic. Well, it would be all three of these if I was to believe the story.

The piece mentions that the game is due out later this year, with all drug references removed. Apparently this info came from "EB and Game representatives". That's great, EB Games and GAME can say whatever they want, but until I hear word from the OFLC, Red Ant or Bethesda, Fallout 3 is still refused classification.

There's also mention that the two retailers are taking preorders, yet, as far as I can tell, the title remains in exile from EB's Oz site. Even if they are, why wouldn't they? That's what retailers do - they take your money. If they have to refund it later, they'll cross that bridge when the come to it.

Saying the game is "confirmed" is wishy-washy anyway. It's unlikely Bethesda won't create an edited version of Fallout 3 for our market, and perhaps others like Germany. It's not a matter of if, but when, and the degree of content that's altered. Only when I have this information in hand will I be confident enough to throw around words like "it's confirmed" and "import it anyway".

Fallout 3 Confirmed For Australian Release [Gamerchip, thanks Nick]

I know many of you have tried to forget it ever happened, but try to recall that horrible Q&A panel on the ABC. Not wanting to leave the issue without some expert comment from the other side, GDAA prez and Tantalus CEO Tom Crago has offered his opinion on the ABC News website. In it, he criticises not only the panel, but the classification system and Michael Atkinson.

While Crago covers ground we've talked about before, he still makes a compelling argument, and provides something most of us cannot - the point of view of a developer. From the piece:

As game developers, we are trying to make games that provide entertainment to players of all ages. Video games are not going to turn your children into criminals. They are, in fact, the modern face of the entertainment industry, and something that we in Australia are very good at producing.

The focus of this debate should be upon how the Australian classification system can best give adults the information they need to chose video game content for themselves and their children, without burdening our country with unjustified and draconian censorship to the amusement and pity of the rest of the world.

I think the world alternates between pitying and mocking, but any attention is good attention, right?

Unlike a specialist blog such as Kotaku AU, the ABC site attracts a range of personalities. Even so, most of the comments to the piece are positive, though I couldn't help but notice this rather, well, insane post:

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Games classification in Australia is in a bad place at the moment. It'd be in a better position if someone gave Michael Atkinson a reality check, but failing that, having even one informed politician throwing their weight around would ease our pain. Well, if you live in the ACT, Greg Tannahill could provide you with that opportunity. Tannahill is the Democrats' electoral candidate for the seat of Molonglo in the ACT. It's not exactly the seat of Croydon, but it's better than nothing.

From the release:

"There's good reason for people to be angry about the way games are treated by our parliaments, our media, and our classification board. I think gamers want to see leaders who have real respect for what they are passionate about, both as a pastime engaged in by millions of Australians from all walks of life, and as a multi-billion dollar industry which our governments should be attracting and nurturing".

The full announcement, which you find after the jump, includes a link to Tannahill's blog, if you'd like to have a read and form your own opinion. Most recently, he posted about the gigantic failure that was the ABC's Q&A panel on the topic of games classification.

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The above snippet is taken from a relatively new ABC show called Q&A, which gives everyday people the chance to pose questions to politicians, journalists and the like. The latest episode saw the panel field a question about the lack of an R18+ rating for video games. The result... well, all I can say is wow. At this rate, we don't stand a chance.

Thanks to Daniel Silk, who pointed me in the direction of the clip. Daniel also went to the trouble of putting together a letter to complain about the panel, which I've included after the jump.

If you'd like to read more information about games classification, I urge you to check these out:
Michael Atkinson, No R18+ For Games In Australia: Why It Hurts Children
R18 Classification & Video Games: What You Can Do
Why Michael Atkinson's Opposal Of An R18+ Rating For Games Does Bugger All To Protect Kids, Promotes Crime

Q&A episode 10 [ABC TV]

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Looking to import Fallout 3? Might not be such a wise idea - at least while the game remains without classification. Australian Gamer decided to get the final word on the legalities by contacting someone at the Australian Customs Service. Here's what it came up with:

...this was also confirmed by the Senior Customs Officer I spoke to, who told me "if they are refused classification they are deemed to be prohibited imports". When I pressed him as to what the repercussions of this would be if you went ahead and tried to import it anyway, he told me "Generally, Customs will seize the goods".

Well, "seize" is better than "fine", which is better than "gaol", which is better than "strip search", etc. The lesson? It's not so much you can't do it, just that you do so at your own risk.

The plot thickens ... Fallout 3 importation rules [Australian Gamer] [Pic]