Sex and Violence in R18+ Rating Should be Identical to MA15+, Says ACL

[News Portal]

Jim Wallace, director of the Australian Christian Lobby, has claimed that an R18+ rating for games "will not work" unless it has the same sex and violence restrictions... as the current MA15+ rating. "If [R18+] is described in looser terms, or is less demanding than the existing MA15+ — which is already letting [in] things that shouldn’t have been there," said Wallace, "then it’s not going to work". Wallace is also the man who famously claimed that "The Australia ANZACs fought for wasn't gay marriage and Islamic", though, so we can probably take what he says with a boulder of salt.

Source: Kotaku

Read full article by GON News

[SilenceOz]

If the R18 guidelines are the same as the MA15+ guidelines.

Then it definitely is pointless

[kargar]

This is why we cant have nice things cause idiots in their own little bubble think they can censor the world and take away all the bad guys by doing it. maby if they didn't make these "bad things" so illicit people wouldn't be committing crimes. remember reading somewhere that in country's where nudity wasn't shunned sexual crimes were much lower then places like america and other western country's.

[Mekon]

Keep in mind that the ACL was already opposed to the R18+ rating for vidoe games anyway.

They lost that battle, so now they're trying to achieve the same result via a different argument. I'm quite happy to just ignore their idiocy - the legislation got through without their support.

[Chucky]

Not much hope for the ACL if that guy is the director

[SilenceOz]

I am unsure of why, but every time I hear of the ACL, they just seem to be "cartoonishly evil" or very unaccepting of other peoples morals or opinions...

[Unworthy King]

....heh?

I just want to rip a guys face off in a video game; is that too much to ask? Far out.

[halfacow]

Wallace is also the man who famously claimed that "The Australia ANZACs fought for wasn't gay marriage and Islamic"

totally relevant to the topic at hand.

[Vencha88]

Wallace is also the man who famously claimed that "The Australia ANZACs fought for wasn't gay marriage and Islamic"

totally relevant to the topic at hand.

I think the relevance is in pointing out to people who don't know him, that the guy is obviously a bit crazy-pants.

[Bugalugs McScruffin]

Wallace is also the man who famously claimed that "The Australia ANZACs fought for wasn't gay marriage and Islamic"

totally relevant to the topic at hand.

I think the relevance is in pointing out to people who don't know him, that the guy is obviously a bit crazy-pants.

Random quote taken out of context which happens to be true and he is a bit crazy-pants? Sure, his views on video-games and ratings are outdated to say the least and I do not agree with them, but I doubt the diggers thought they were fighting for gay marriage and the Islamic community. Our freedom and free rights maybe, but it's a bit of a jump. I am tempted to track down that quote and see where/when it was actually used.

[Lord_Apophis]

That guy brings this to mind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aotlEpmAFVQ
Total douche basically.

[Makena]

I am tempted to track down that quote and see where/when it was actually used.

From memory he deemed it suitable to tweet on the morning of Anzac Day, which perhaps isn't the best day to try and dictate what was, or wasn't, fought for.

I don't see his idea holding much water, but they won't just let it happen, they think it's bad, so they want everyone to agree.

[Bugalugs McScruffin]

I am tempted to track down that quote and see where/when it was actually used.

From memory he deemed it suitable to tweet on the morning of Anzac Day, which perhaps isn't the best day to try and dictate what was, or wasn't, fought for.

I don't see his idea holding much water, but they won't just let it happen, they think it's bad, so they want everyone to agree.

Yeah, I found some news articles about it. Bad time to tweet it, and I agree he isn't particularly sensitive about these issues. I do hope the reason he tweeted it in the first place was true.

As for the R18+ rating essentially being the MA15+ rating, I doubt it will be paid much attention. At least I hope not.

[PalZer0]

Since when does anyone take the ACL seriously?

[meji]

He has a bad/blunt/undiplomatic way of saying what he thinks, something many people are folly to.

He does raise a valid point in that there are enough MA15+ games out there that feature content that should be in an R18 Category. Often those games who fit that criteria have already had content removed to bring them down from an unclassified rating.

An R18 category should shift those quasi-Ma15+ titles to where they belong and allow current games that have had content removed (to make the current max classification scales) reinstated and moved to the R18 scale. Games like (the new version of) Syndicate should then escape an RC restriction and be available within the new R18 bracket. R18 should be a step up from MA15+ but not an all inclusive "everything else that is available but RC" (which many seem to hope it will be).

The RC system remains in place for games which go beyond that level - ie your perversion style of games.