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We’ve just spoken to a spokesperson for Brendan O’Connor who has let us know that R18+ is on the morning agenda, and we should hear news, if there is any news, around 12 midday.
At this stage I think the best we can hope for is some sort of consensus around an R18+ for video games, with the details to be ironed out after the ALRC report back.
But let’s remain optimistic!
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Thanks for keeping us all up to date on this with these articles, but man, I don’t like this one :S Purely because just reading the title lights a glimmer of hope in me 🙁
Hard to remain optimistic when it’s obvious it’s going to be delayed again.
I swear, the day Australia gets an R18+ rating for video games, every gamer is going to die from a surprise induced heart attack
Well thank you very much. Now we can look forward to this being bandied about by the ACL in their next campaign – “R rated games cause heart attacks! In CHILDREN!”
I question whether its even possible to remain optimistic at this point.
Do we know if the ACL is going to be given an audience with the AG’s during the discussion like last time?
I do not know if they have been granted an audience but already they are shrieking non-fiction on their Web site.
To be fair they aren’t just attacking games there. Also accuse R rated films of destroying the moral fabric of our society. So they arent unbalanced mental cases. They are quite level headed. The sh*t dribbles out both sides of their mouth.
I think we can expect the ALRC review to come into play for sure. I think arriving at any kind of consensus around R18+ would be a massive leap forward that would be too much to hope for. Instead we’ll get a consensus to wait until the review comes back.
I agree, the statements from a few AG’s in the last few months have indicated the will wait, it is the easy option, so I am guessing they will take it.
It’s hard to care anymore. I know it’s important, but I’ve got a serious case of R18+ gamer fatigue.
The chances of the State AGs agreeing to introduce R18+ is about as good as the ACMA adding the website for the Australian Christian Lobby to it’s blacklist based on it’s homophobic, racist and anti-Christian religion articles that are often posted there.
It’s not going to happen.
I’m still waiting for a decent argument from those opposing the R18+ classification that cannot be used as an argument for banning the Bible.
It would be nice if there was a decent argument – full stop.
Every claim they have made is baseless and/or cannot be verified.
For example, the keep saying *gratuitous* games will flood in. Yet has anyone actually seem then name one?
Even Michael Atkinson had the nerve to name the games. He was wrong, granted, but at least he named them. The ACL is not even doing that.
After the whole SW:TOR thing yesterday I’m finding it incredibly hard to remain optimistic about anything related to Australia and gaming.
I think you will find that MC got banned because of the dismemberment and the accurate detail of internal organs.
I’m not making this up – this is how inconsistent the system is. Both games are a clear example of something rated R 18+ in all other countries yet GTA is only rated MA 15+ here.
I know that the violence is completely different, but be it dismembering someone and shoving their head into their ribcage, or mowing down innocent civilians in a hospital – Violence is still violence. Both of the games are just as bad as each other, and yet kids can just buy a copy of GTA and start splattering people with a sports car. That proves our classification system is just plain screwed.
Ah well, later tonight I’m gonna play some Mortal Kombat I imported from our NZ friends. YOU’RE GONNA GET CAGED!
Cynical engine tuned and started? – check
Angry emails prepared, ready to send? – check
Chocolate and Cigarettes within grasping distance to offset inevitable feelings of disappointment? – check
While all the evidence points to the decision being delayed (yet again) I can’t help but maintain a small glimmer of hope if Brendan O’Connor is present and pressuring them to make the call or have it given to the ACLR.
The research says there’s no causal link, public oninion is overwhelmingly for it, the majority of gamers are adults.
Perhaps while they can’t agree to change the rating they can agree to give the decision to someone else.
The thing that annoys me the most is that here (in WA) Kronic became illegal (almost overnight as far as politics is concerned) yet it takes months and months for them to consider possibly changing the system and then maybe possibly deciding to create a comittee who create a sub comittee who decide they need to do more research
On ABC radio this morning they said the chances of any decision being made was very unlikely.
as usual they’ll need more time to “review the situation to come to a decision that will be well informed and not rushed” blah blah fucking blah
what’s the bet they’ll say they need more time (probably use the ALRC review as a scapegoat) and in the time between now and the next AG’s meeting more state AG’s will be replaced and when the next meeting comes around those who replaced them will ask for more time to review the information and this will go on for f*cking ever
Bah! Raged at the ACL on that blog you linked to WiseHacker… seriously. As someone you is religious myself, these people make me SICK! It’s ridiculous
I do not mean to be rude, 4len, but your rage is making it hard to follow your last sentence.
Could we have it again please? At the moment, I cannot tell if you are saying your are religious or I have somehow made myself look the religious type.
For clarity, I am a atheist but I still quote from the Bible time to time as some of its passages are sound.
My personal favorite: Do unto others was you would have them do unto yourself.
Ahh! Sorry mate. No, I meant that I myself am religious, but people like the ACL just make me resent it… Those idiots speak as if they represent all christians etc, it’s a fucking joke.
I’m expecting to hear no decision again and I’m not holding my breath around this time too.
Imagine if their indecision applied to other areas.
-What should we have for lunch?
-I don’t know, let’s discuss it.
-I want pizza.
-Research shows that pizza is dangerous to children.
-That research was flawed!
-I don’t care, I still maintain my position.
-We should get some feedback on the lunch menu.
-That feedback was tainted by people with a vested interest in the lunch menu.
-Well I agree with pizza.
-Me too.
-Research shows that pizza is dangerous to children.
-Stop saying that! You’ve been talking with the Anti-Pizza-Lobby too much.
-The ACT will go it alone with pizza at our own lunch table if the rest of you can’t reach a decision.
-c’mon guys just make a decision already I’m hungry
-SA will re-label pizza as garlic bread in an effort to pretend we are doing something.
-Research shows that pizza is dangerous to children.
-That’s it we’re not eating until the federal lunch review is completed next year
Oh god, I was on a call with a client at the time of reading this, and I had to clamp my hand over my mouth to stop my laughing like crazy down the phone line!
+1
I think there is zero chance of anything coming out of today, except maybe a “We agree in principle” statement that then goes on to say, “however, the matter will be carried over until the outcome of the ALRC findings”
At that point, I also think that the SCAGheads will have done them selves out of a job, as either O’Connor or the ALRC will simply be saying by early next year, “we are overhauling the system, this is now a Federal issue, thank you for proving to Australia that you are incapable of doing this job, R18+ for games and national/international classification consistency will be implemented shortly…”
If you know of a twitter account covering this, now would be a good time to share it.
Slight correction needed. Instead of “we should hear news, if there is any news, around 12 midday.”
Should say
“we should hear…Excuses… around 12 midday.”
Left my comment under the name ‘Steve’
[url]http://australianchristianlobby.org.au/2011/07/mr-acl-calls-on-classification-ministers-to-delay-r18-games-decision/comment-page-1/#comment-11968[/url]
tag fail… O_o
[link]http://australianchristianlobby.org.au/2011/07/mr-acl-calls-on-classification-ministers-to-delay-r18-games-decision/comment-page-1/#comment-11968[/link]
Probably won’t work either… cut and paste the damn thing.
I don’t think anyone will see this except you unless their admins approve it.
I am sure it was a well thought out rebuttal of all their points leaving them no leg to stand on
… so their admins wont approve it anyway.
Can’t see anything sadly,
Also the ACL are notoriously strict when it comes to posting comments on their site, if you said anything to slightly imply that you disagree with what they’re saying it will not be put up.
little over 30 minutes now. . . I’m assuming everyone is readying their facepalm images at the moment?
Swoit thanks Trjn. Too used to other sites with simpler tags. lol. Btw initial feedback on twitter is not good…
Just saw some news, all AG’s except for the NSW AG agreed to the r18+ classification in principle. NSW AG abstained from the vote.
…f*<! that guy. What an asshole.
and next time they meet to vote, NSW will agree to it, but one of the other State AGs will abstain or vote “No”..
It’s what happens each time they meet now and seems to be working well in keeping the Australian Christian Lobby happy.
And yes, NSW AG is a asshole!
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