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Fallout 3 refused classification by OFLC (Australia)
- Thread starter stonedwal
- Start date
overthehill99
Member
This still blows my mind. The adults in Australia are that stupid that they can't decide what games to play and not to play? I mean seriously who ever runs that rating board has got to get their head out of their ass.
Let me ask you guys a question is pornography sold in Australia?
Let me ask you guys a question is pornography sold in Australia?
Blu_LED said:
To be fair, this has really come down to one person - the Attorney General for South Australia. The OFLC is just doing their job, but the legislation allowing R18+ games is being blocked by one out of 7 AGs, which is enough to keep it from happening. Until he retires, anyway.
And yes, we have porn. There are restrictions against any kind of violence in pornography, however - you can't, for example, even have a story section with someone being punched, followed by non-violent sex. It's a bit odd.
There's a bunch of subject matter that gets porn banned here if they contain any of it too.alistairw said:
And sadly, all the people who actually raise concerns about the lack of R18+ rating for games somehow gets drowned out by family and Christian groups. Those people are seriously retarded.
*sigh*
Can't really blame the OFLC for this one, it does appear that they had no choice, whether we agree with it or not.
The question is, does anyone believe Bethesda will be able to edit the game in order to release it here? I for one doubt that very much.
Say hello to plenty of importing/downloading of this game in Australia...
Edit: My first post....in 6 months. Hah.
Can't really blame the OFLC for this one, it does appear that they had no choice, whether we agree with it or not.
The question is, does anyone believe Bethesda will be able to edit the game in order to release it here? I for one doubt that very much.
Say hello to plenty of importing/downloading of this game in Australia...
Edit: My first post....in 6 months. Hah.
Witchfinder General
punched Wheelchair Mike
Blu_LED said:
It's illegal to sell XXX pornography in Australia outside of the ACT (Australian Capital Territory).
SapientWolf
Trucker Sexologist
So he started out with:
and then spent two pages explaining why b outweighs a to the point where it doesn't even need to be on the letter. He also says, "Ultimately, it is up to the parent to decide what is fit for the child." and then justifies government censorship because the parents can't be trusted to do the job. He says cinemas can control access to movies and not games but I assume Australia has DVDs. It's maddening.
Personally, I think stunting a child's mental and emotional growth by sheltering them their whole lives is far more psychologically damaging than exposure to R rated material. But that's a strawman because the issue at hand is government censorship, not parenting. It is not the government's job to parent people's children, and it is certainly not the government's job to parent its adult citizens.
and then spent two pages explaining why b outweighs a to the point where it doesn't even need to be on the letter. He also says, "Ultimately, it is up to the parent to decide what is fit for the child." and then justifies government censorship because the parents can't be trusted to do the job. He says cinemas can control access to movies and not games but I assume Australia has DVDs. It's maddening.
Personally, I think stunting a child's mental and emotional growth by sheltering them their whole lives is far more psychologically damaging than exposure to R rated material. But that's a strawman because the issue at hand is government censorship, not parenting. It is not the government's job to parent people's children, and it is certainly not the government's job to parent its adult citizens.
Michael Atkinson said:
Benjamin Franklin said:
Mohonky
Member
Blu_LED said:
Yes and it's funny because magazines like Picture have full frontal nudity but aren't restricted, 6yr olds can buy it if they want.
[Edit]
Ok I'm confused about that letter you got back Rlan.
Point A of classification code conflicts with B, C & D. The letter states that games and films are classified under the one unified guideline, however later points out specifically, that both games and films are rated differently? Doesn't this undermine the entire point of a unified system to begin with then? Furthmore, not a single argument put forward in regard to the lack of an R rating for games makes any sense when considering the fact there is an R rating for video's and film. The letter specifically states that games with extreme sex (whatever extreme sex is), violence and other controversial matter should not be shown in video games as there is no need for it and that developers should be able to produce games with out such content; but that could also apply to any movie or film rated R. How is this any different for games? Saying films can be monitored is a cheap cop out, once a film is available in store it's no less available to a minor than a video game.
That entire letter produces nothing more than backward arguments for a law that is essentially backward in itself. The classification codes conflict one another, the government has intoduced a policy to unify the rating system but at the same time acknowledges each medium is rated differently and then goes on to say that while controversial content in games should not be tolerated, it has no explanation for the fact that in other mediums it is acceptable.
Death_Born
Banned
Ha ha, Australians.
We can get all the violence we want in America and all we have to worry about is crazy lawyers and angry talk show hosts.
Constitution FTW!
We can get all the violence we want in America and all we have to worry about is crazy lawyers and angry talk show hosts.
Constitution FTW!
It is quite bizarre...
I am all for education and educating parents that they need to make better decisions about what their kids are doing on gaming consoles/pcs etc, but to suggest that the best way to tackle this is to completely block everyone from accessing an R18+ rated game, a rating available to other media, is ridiculous.
Looks like his office get plenty of correspondence about the R18+ issue. Just look at the date, it looks like they had a response pre-printed but without the day of the month, then they just took a copy of it, scribbled down the day of the month when they received the letter, perhaps fed it through the printer again to print your address and sent it out.Rlan said:
Spotless Mind
Member
:lolbigswords said:
I'm Australian. 
Death_Born said:
Pretty sure Australia has a constitution.
What we do not have is a Bill of Rights. But hey, my government didn't just grant immunity to telecommunications companies for performing warrantless wiretaps. Lot of good that old Bill of Rights is doing.
Witchfinder General
punched Wheelchair Mike
We are going backwards, however. We are a Nation that keeps sliding away from liberalism into intractable conservatism where our rights are eroded by state and federal government on an almost daily basis.
You know what's the sad thing about that? The vast majority of voters want it that way.
Comfort for conservatism.
Brave New World.
You know what's the sad thing about that? The vast majority of voters want it that way.
Comfort for conservatism.
Brave New World.
SealSqueal
Member
Witchfinder General said:
Crazy hey, we are becoming the ultimate nanny state and it is very disturbing to me. Hopefully our generation will be able to undo some of the damage in future, but I'm not too confident.
TwiztidElf
Member
Rlan said:
That is some of the most specious logic, the most patronising arguments and the most ridiculous attempt at justification I have ever seen. Tonight, I'm ashamed to be in SA.
Easily gotten around because of the miracle of THE INTERNET and the WORLD WIDE ECONOMY but bloody hell that is poor. One more import to the list.
Edit: What the fuck? Because Morphine is named and it has pictures of a pipe next to one of the drugs? I have a hat that says Morphine, better ban it! How about you poll me and my 'reasonable adult' friends about how concerned about it we are. I'm really fucked off now. Patronizing shits. Are the OFLC board running around looking for morphine to hit up? Is my friend who is on long term pain treatment with... morphine going to abuse it? Fuck you.
Adults are allowed to drink alcohol despite the risks that children can and do obtain it.
The same goes for cigarettes
... and they (Government) appease their moral conscience by taxing them at a higher rate.
I dont buy the argument that adults should miss out on games because some of them are unsuitable for children who might get to see them.
The same goes for cigarettes
... and they (Government) appease their moral conscience by taxing them at a higher rate.
I dont buy the argument that adults should miss out on games because some of them are unsuitable for children who might get to see them.
I read somewhere that children are allowed to smoke, just that you have to be over 18 to purchase cigarettes. :lolRandomVince said:
Get the fuck outta there, we need to kick that desolate state out of the federation. Also cut it loose from the mainland and shove it on a course towards Antartica.idahoblue said:
This is true, everything classified X18+ can only be legally sold in the ACT. This is why all the porn mail order companies are based in the ACT, and why all the adult bookstores have an R18+ sign instead of X18+. It is legal to possess X18+ material in every other state and territory, just not to sell them. supposedly anyway, you'll find that in practice though, adult bookstores everywhere will sell X18+ material anyway - nobody seems to care, and the law doesn't really seem to be put into practice much.MrHicks said:
I don't remember the reason for this, but rest assured, it's something really dumb.
CreativeJuices
Neo Member
ATF487 said:
The laws stay the same. That's the problem.