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.
The second submission comes from Ben Abraham, who writes:
As a doctoral candidate at the University of Western Sydney researching videogames and online writing communities, I feel I have a twofold interest in the introduction of an R18+ classification system.
As an academic, it would provide Australia with much needed parity with the accepted standards towards computer games throughout the rest of the western world, making my own doctoral research easier to undertake and ultimately more applicable to the wider world. As a fan and die-hard player of videogames, it would also allow me, a consenting adult, to view content that neither offends nor unwillingly influences me, without allowing minors to access content that is unsuitable for them. I feel that the current lack of an R18+ rating for games is in actuality counter-productive in this regard, as it forces many games to be shoe-horned into an MA15+ rating that is often inappropriate.
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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