Slowly but surely, the reality of our skewed classification system has been making its way into mainstream media. This story on GTA IV over at The Australian turthers this point.
If there was any game, past, present or future, that shows we’re in dire need of an R18+ rating for video games, it’s GTA IV. Greg Bondar, Chief Executive of the Game Developers Association of Australia, feels it could be the game that pushes us over the line:
“I think the release of GTAIV is a defining moment; it goes to show how far the games industry has come,” Mr Bondar said.
“The ratings system has not kept up.”
A few statistics pulled from studies by Bond University and the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia also appear in the article. Here’s a sample:
According to the research, 62per cent of people said a games classification had no influence on their buying decision, but it also found there was mass confusion about the differences between M and MA15+ ratings, with 32 per cent believing that MA15+ signified a game was meant only for people 18 or older.
32 percent? That’s no small number of confused individuals. Wouldn’t it be easier if we, like, just had an R18+? Of course it would.
Grand Theft raises R rating prospect [The Australian]
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