Everyone Plays, a PALGN initiative supported by GAME, sent a release yesterday with concerns that SCAG meeting agendas are not available to the public.

“Neither the gaming industry nor the media have been able to ascertain confirmation that any preliminary results from the public’s submission to the R18+ PC and video games discussion paper will be presented to State Government Attorneys-General at the next SCAG meeting in late April.” said Rob Lukic, Managing Director at GAME.

While the SCAG agenda for their April 29th meeting is hidden, they are required to provide a communique afterwards listing the items discussed. But Roland Kulen, spearhead of the Everyone Plays campaign, believes the secrecy opens the possibility of the matter being delayed inevitably.

“The agenda of this SCAG meeting is kept in confidence by the AG department. So we just don’t know what’s on the agenda, nor will we know any results from the submissions to the discussion paper,” says Kulen.

David Doe, of the Gamers4Croydon party, wouldn’t be surprised:

“With the sheer overwhelming weight in numbers in the discussion paper, they might still even be processing them all when the next meeting rolls around. There was a massive amount of submissions. But they’ll definitely get a good idea of the community sentiment.

According to the Interactive Australia 2009 study from Bond University, 91% of Australian adults are in favour of the proposed rating.

Despite the rating not being the sexiest topic for politicians to talk about, it has received a generous amount of media attention. And with resources already spent on the discussion paper, how likely is it that the SCAG might snub the issue altogether?

“Unlikely,” says Kulen, “but really the discussion is ‘to what degree.’ It’s difficult to determine from the communique how seriously the issue is taken. It’s very brief, and it won’t let us know what level of research the AGs were provided with.

“I’ve seen it before, where discussion papers have been dragged out for long periods of time. We’re also in an election time, two states and one federal. The last thing the pollies want to do is present a definitive view on something like this, which could anger more people than it pleases.”

To that end, Everyone Plays has been working together with GAME on a petition that has so far gathered 35,363 signatures in two and a half weeks, and is expected to break 40,000 before the end of the third week. Existing signatures were sent to South Australia Attorney-General Michael Atkinson’s office today, as well as that of Vick Chapman, Shadow Attorney-General, to encourage the committee to take the matter seriously.

“At the end of the day, I have two children, 16 and 10. I will not send them to see an R18+ movie, but an MA15+ movie, sure, I feel comfortable with that. But with games, I’m only left one rating, so there’s real discomfort there.”

The Everyone Plays petition can be signed in all GAME stores.

[GAME]
[Everyone Plays]

Ron Curry, CEO of iGEA, points to overwhelming community support for an adult rating as central to why this R18+ rating must be introduced.

“Australia needs an adult rating so adults can play games that are age appropriate for them and parents can make educated choices for their families based on clear, consistent guidelines. With the deadline for submissions closing on February 28, we urge the community to make their voices heard in support of an adult classification,” said Curry.

Reminder: we’re the only Western country without an adult classification for video games. And according to recent research and polls, Australians are widely supportive of the concept of the consistent use of R18+.

- News Limited’s poll shows 95.5 per cent of respondents vote for an R18+ classification
- A Fairfax poll indicates 97 per cent of respondents believe Australia should introduce an R18+ rating
- Channel 7 Sunrise’s poll reveals 97 per cent of respondents would like R18+ games permitted
- Furthermore, the Interactive Australia 09 report by Bond University found that 91 per cent of gamers and non-gamers believe the classification should be introduced

“There have been some claims an R18+ classification will expose Australia to unlimited high level content but this is simply not the case. The Classification Board will still refuse games that exceed the adult rating guidelines. An R18+ classification is essential to protect consumers whilst providing them with the full information to make educated decisions about their entertainment choices,” said Curry.

UPDATE: At a quick scan of the iGEA document, there is an excellent point raised on the question of games being modified for local release to suit the MA15+ category. Examples raised were GTA IV and Silent Hill: Homecoming. With the negative comment suggesting these modifications are a “great result for consumers.”

In response, the iGEA submission states: “These are ‘adult themed games’… Is it better to have them modified for an adolescent audience, or have them restricted to an adult audience?”

This is the first time the industry itself has pointed to the possibly negative effect of allowing games that should rightly be rated R18+ into the lower MA15+ category through a few simple modifications.

To sign a petition for an R18+ classification for video games, you can log on to www.growupaustralia.com or directly at the Attorney-General’s Department at http://www.ag.gov.au/gamesclassification.

The iGEA’s submission can be found here. This is well worth a read as it contains many useful insights for those still writing their own submissions as well as great foundations for informing others around you who don’t understand what this argument is all about.

Submissions close February 28. That’s less than two weeks, people! Once you’re done, don’t forget to email us your closing comments so we can share the best argued statements with the rest of the community.

That was then. Now, we have the notes from the March 28 meeting that includes all the details.If you’d like to take a peek, they’re freely available on the SCAG website (Word and PDF formats).

Essentially, the SCAG’s plan involves putting together a discussion paper that “canvasses options and seeks submissions” on the R18+ rating. The paper will include “relevant research and literature” as well as any amendments to the various Acts that govern the National Classification System (NCS).

This paper, once approved by the SCAG, will be made available to the public and relevant interest groups, such as the IEAA.

It sounds like a passive, round-about approach, but I believe the committee should be as informed as possible before it makes a decision. These guys deal with a lot of issues, not just classification, so while we might know the whole story, they don’t.

Regardless, if you can’t wait for the discussion paper, there are several avenues you can pursue to get the message across.

Office of Film and Literature Classification e-Enquiry form
A web form-based suggestions page for the OFLC. But it’s not just a suggestions form! According to the page, you can also throw “an enquiry, compliment, complaint or comment”, as long as it involves the Classifications Board. There’s also a link to the SCAG’s classification policy page, but it has no contact details.

Show Rob Hulls, the Attorney-General for Victoria, your support
Simply put, Rob Hulls is a champ. Here’s what he had to say regarding the SCAG’s decision to consult the public, taken from his official statement:

I believe that censorship laws should strike an appropriate balance between freedom of expression and community concerns about depictions that condone or incite violence, as well as the principle that minors should be protected from material likely to harm or disturb them.

As well as:

It seems inconsistent that in Australia, adults are allowed to view ‘adult only’ films which have been classified R18+ by the Classification Board, but not computer games with an equivalent high level content.

Yes, Rob has the right idea. You can email him at rob(DOT)hulls(AT)parliament(DOT)vic(DOT)gov(DOT)au, if you feel you can provide him with information for the discussion paper. Sorry for the extended email address, but I’m sure Rob doesn’t appreciate the Viagra spam.

It should also be noted that Bob Bebus, the Minister for Home Affairs, has taken an interest in the issue. From his statement:

Seeking community views will ensure that my fellow Censorship Ministers and I can be better informed about community views on this issue.

However, he’s sitting on the fence in regards to the rating itself.

“I share concerns about the impact that high level violent content has on minors,” Mr Debus said.

“This is not consultation on a proposal to introduce an R 18+ level for games. It is a public consultation process seeking community views to inform our position.”

“For example, I am very interested to find out whether parents would be empowered by an R 18+ classification, which is legally restricted to adults, and whether they would find the clear labelling of high level games as R 18+ a useful tool to assist them in knowing what games minors should not play.”

Finally, write an old-fashioned letter to the Secretary to the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (Censorship)
If you happen to adore the magical invention that is the ballpoint pen, you can scribe your concerns and arguments on papyrus and post it to the SCAG. Here’s the address:

Secretary to the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (Censorship)
Australian Government
Attorney-General’s Department
National Circuit
BARTON ACT 2600

Sadly, there’s no email address you can attack directly, but this is better than nothing.

So don’t feel like you have to sit on your hands, or your feet, if you happen to have the aforementioned appendages swapped. There’s is something you can do. If anyone feels like they can contribute with other ways to inform our government, please post in the comments section. If we get enough, I’d like to put up another post compiling the options.