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.