R18+ Rating for Australia

For many years this topic keeps coming up in the media and politics, about the push for a new classification system for games in Australia. Most other countries have an Adult rating or 18+ rating even the kiwis over the road have the adult rating for games.

So what does this mean for us Aussie Gamers?

• Games have to be modified before release in here. Pushes back release dates and helping keep Australia isolated for the rest of the world in most areas or media and software.
• Some games will never make it to our shore as the cost of the changes will not make up for the profits made in sales here and there has been many games over the years that this has occurred for.
• This forces Gamers to source the games by other means. This encourages piracy causing game developers to lose money and not have the funds next time to release a modified version for the Australian market next time.
• When games are given the highest rating 15+ it will not stop children from getting these games. This is the main argument against the 18+ rating that it will make the higher rated games more ready available. However this is something I believe will have an opposite effect if 18+ games are forced to be sold similar to other 18+ content.
• Retailers often capitalise off the back of a refused classification for their game, generating publicity for a game that would previously have passed un-noticed. Many games are actually sold in New Zealand with the tagline “The game that was banned in Australia”.

So what can we do about this?

• Write to your States Attorneys-General
• Sign this online Petition here

If you would like some more information about this. Check out these sites:

• R18+ Games Australia
• Grow Up Australia

And follow them on Twitter @growupaustralia.