Under current Australian legislation, people of all ages are being treated unfairly by an outdated video game classification system. Unlike movies which can be rated R18+, video games can only be rated as high as MA15+. This system is dangerous, unfair and short-sighted, and it needs to change. Why? Because:
It restricts freedom of choice.
Australians enjoy some of the worlds strongest protections of their liberties and freedoms. Adults in Australia trust that they can see any movie, rent any DVD or read any book that they choose, safe in the knowledge that the government respects their personal judgment.
Unfortunately when it comes to video games, adults in Australia are treated like children who cannot think for themselves. Under the current Australian law, mature and responsible adults are prevented from being able to access the same themes, images and stories that they would see in any film or television show, simply because they are delivered through a video game. This is an unacceptable and short-sighted restriction that hurts freedom of choice, and should not be tolerated.
It encourages piracy.
Computer and video game piracy is thriving in Australia and worldwide. Globally, over $48 billion* worth of games and software is illegally downloaded and installed every year, with Australia alone accounting for $100 million**. Unfortunately, sometimes software piracy is the only way for people in Australia to play games that are denied to them.
It is illegal for anybody in Australia to import material that has been Refused Classification by the Classification Board. At the very least, Australian Customs will seize the offending material, and at the worst, the importer can face severe fines of up to $110,000. When you take into account the costs for purchase and shipping that are required to import the game in the first place, it is easy to see why Australians are turning to piracy to access these games – it’s free, there’s almost zero risk of getting caught, and you don’t even need to leave your house.
Video game piracy is hurting the industry worldwide, including in Australia. Australia has a small but thriving game-development industry, who rely on strong retail sales to stay afloat. Unlike the film industry in Australia, game developers have no access to government incentives or tax breaks, and need all the sales they can muster. Game piracy also affects Australia in lost taxes and GDP, hurting our economy.
It places adult material in the hands of children.
Australia’s strongest classification available to a video game is MA15+. Because of this, many games that would receive R18+ ratings in other countries are often outright refused classification here on their first attempt. Unfortunately this is only the first attempt, and publishers will make the most minor of tweaks and repeatedly resubmit the game until it meets enough of the Classification Board’s inconsistent criteria to slip inside the MA15+ rating. With the amount of money that it costs to produce a modern videogame, no publisher is likely to leave out the possibility of making more profit, even from a market as small as Australia.
The long and the short of this unfortunate system is that games which have been classified as MA15+ can and do have strong impact violence, sexualised content, drug use, and all the sorts of things that should be kept out of the hands of people under 18. Only the most minor aesthetic and token changes are usually made to accommodate the Classification Board’s requests, meaning that the themes and gameplay elements are just as strong as before. This results in people under 18 being exposed to the same sort of violent, sexual or drug-related themes in a video game that they would be prevented from seeing if it was in a film.
Although an MA15+ game can only be purchased by a person under 15 years old if they are accompanied by an adult, the unfortunate reality is that adults are drastically uninformed about just how strong the violence and sexual content in an MA15+ game can legally be. Although the Classification System exists to warn them of the content inside an MA15+ game, many adults and particularly parents do not take the time to thoroughly understand what they are purchasing for their child. An R18+ classification would carry with it the weight and context necessary to bring the attention of parents and guardians to what the game they are purchasing contains.
And that’s not all.
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”. Some games developers simply cannot afford the time and cost of making changes to their game for the minor Australian market, meaning that Australians will miss out on their products completely.
Australians are in need a stronger, fairer system that better protects minors from unacceptably strong content, better informs parents and guardians of what they are buying, and better protects the rights of all Australians to enjoy their freedom of choice. It is up to all of us to help make this change. Find out how you can help.