SA Attorney-General to appeal Modern Warfare 2 rating

PALGN News | He's not a big fan of the Classification Board.

Michael Atkinson, the South Australian Attorney-General and outspoken campaigner against violence in video games, has revealed that he will be challenging the MA15+ rating given to Infinity Ward shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

"I’ll be appealing against that classification, I think it’s wrong," Atkinson told Radio National (via Kotaku). "[The classification] doesn’t surprise me. The Classification Board in Australia does everything to try to get games in under the radar. But just because the system is not being applied properly, it does not mean that the principles of the system are wrong.

"What I want the Classification Board to do is to apply the guidelines properly. What I don’t want is the extremely violent, sexually depraved, drug use games in Australia at all. At the cinema, we can stop people under 18 going in to see R18+ rated movies. We can’t stop these games that are extremely violent and depraved from getting into the home or getting into the hands of children."

Atkinson didn't hold back on his opinion of the Classification Board either, stating that, even if a R18+ rating would eventually come to pass, he would use his role in drawing up for the guidelines for the rating to make sure that "extremely violent, sexually depraved, drug use games" wouldn't slip through the cracks.

"I have no trust in the Classification Board to apply the guidelines sincerely and correctly...thus to draw up such guidelines would be to do so in sure and certain knowledge that they would be stretched and then broken."

When asked about the Commonwealth discussion paper on the R18+ rating, due to be released to the public in April earlier this year, Atkinson said that he did not know why it had not been released.

For the latest on the R18+ debate, check out the EveryonePlays Blog.

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100 Comments

Sin Ogaris

3 months ago

ObsoletE wrote

plantshot wrote

I agree with some of those games he talks about in the Radio National interview but I don't think there can't be an R18+ classification. Under this system these games should not be passed. However games like COD 4 MW 2 and L4D 2 should.

the stupid part of his argument, is that those games (RAPELAY etc.) wouldn't pass even if there was an R18+ rating.

and even if we removed the (presumed - since i've heard nothing about this game other than the name) violence associated with the title and focussed on something in the vein of a Strip Poker game, these probably still wouldn't get an R rating, since they'd really fall under an X18+ bracket.

yet somehow he's suggesting that a theme, that wouldn't even be allowed as an X18+ film (if it were real sex, and not simulated) due to being sexualised violence would get an R-rating.

it's arse-backward, and i'm sure he knows it, but it's got the emotional shock factor of "OMG there's really Rape-based video games out there? how sick!" behind it.

EDIT: and on re-reading your post, i get the feeling this is kinda what you were arguing in the first place. apologies if i grabbed the wrong end of the stick.

I'm not sure if I entirely got what you were saying here but the X rating in no way shape or form allows sexualised violence, whether it be real or simulated. Only R18+ can go that route so technically **** could be depicted in a R rated game, it just wouldn't be able to show the nether regions.

I.E. I'd have no doubts whatsoever that Phantasmagoria would be allowed under an R rating. Not that that game really matters given how incredibly old it is.

Naturally if I misread your post feel free to throw a brick at me.

ObsoletE

3 months ago

yeah i didn't really type what i meant very well....

anyway, what you said is what i'm saying - that even if an R (and X) ratings were introduced to our game classifactions, games that portray sexualised violence without being simulated would still be RCed.

(i realise that a game, by it's very nature, is simulated, but it'd be quite stupid if the game showed pixel penetration, and was allowed an X-Rating because it's technically simulated sex.)

what i meant by simulated sexualised violence, was more in the narrative purpose, not pornographic purpose.

clear as mud?

Bloody Tears

3 months ago

Its all been said a thousand times before, yet it still does nothing. Posting on internet forums until you’re blue in the fingers might be somewhat of a stress reliever, but all your logical reasoning will go unheard.

Support these Croydon guys any way you can. Gooberman has something going which looks worthwhile, and anything which gets you heard by the non-gaming voters of the nation. Even word of mouth is a better option and is likely to do more good. The majority of people simply aren’t educated on the matter. Truth is, gamers are the only ones (and even then, not all of them) who see the nonsense this man spouts. I guarantee you that almost every parent listening to that interview would be agreeing with him, and he knows this, that’s why he doesn’t care how much spin he puts on it, because they don't know any better.

It really has gone beyond a joke now, and this MW2 news is most definitely a good thing. If there was ever a game which you’d want Mr. Atkinson to try and ban, this would be it.

Shorty

3 months ago

Matrix6 wrote

PALGN wrote

"I have no trust in the Classification Board to apply the guidelines sincerely and correctly..."

In the political world, he pretty much walked himself out of the cabinet.

He spent most of the Radio National interview ragging on the Classification Board and saying how they couldn't be trusted. If I were the ACB, I'd be looking to make some kind of formal complaint, because he effectively slandered their entire organisation on ABC radio. Can you imagine the uproar if, say, the NSW Premier had gone on radio and said that the NSW Police were all corrupt and incompetent?

Doe's right. At this point, he's refusing to listen to any form of rational argument. In the short term, we should be looking to work around him, like Queensland is doing with their petition to institute their own R18+ rating.

In the longer term, I think we need to completely rethink the function of the Classification Board. The Internet and the many other competent overseas ratings systems have effectively made them obsolete. The likelihood that the ACB is going to find something that the ESRB or PEGI missed is practically zero. It's redundant regulation, so instead let them rate the ratings systems. Have them analyse their methodology, figure out if the system is solid and if it is, let their ratings have legal backing here. The government saves some money, we get an 18+ rating for games and everyone goes home happy. It's certainly a better idea than, say, the ACB applying their broken ratings system to the iTunes App Store.

snicks

3 months ago

How old is this guy? Anychance he might have a heart attack soon?

Peveus

3 months ago

Just look at that conservative haircut.

XtremeXfactor

3 months ago

This is crazy, we're all old enough to decide for ourselves what we should / should not play. I do see where he is coming from, but really parents should have total control as to what their children are playing.

The average age of gamers is widening, more adults are playing them as time goes on (probably because we were gamers when we were kids). I do think it's a little worrying that children are playing games at a younger age (tying into the whole fat nation debate + future lack of social skills).

I was exposed to all sorts of on screen violence at a young age (Rambo, Terminator, Robocop and the over the top Toxic Avenger etc when i was very little) and i'm certainly not prone to anger, violence or whatnot

JackSlack

3 months ago

Shorty wrote

In the longer term, I think we need to completely rethink the function of the Classification Board.

See, this is where I think his comments represent an opportunity to us. If the landscape can be hit to where it's in our advantage, the idea of trying to argue to Atkinson, "Look, we're agreeing with you. The classification board is hopeless. We want to reform it too. We're in agreement that these games shouldn't be played by children. Couldn't we come up with a system that lets adults play them, in accordance with the stated goals of the classification board that adults should be allowed to read or view what they want, and finds ways to keep them out of the hands of children?"

The nice thing is that taking that line, "We want wholesale reform" rather than 'We want an R18+ rating" is that it gives us the moral highground and rips away our opponent's arguments.

Mr Marvel

3 months ago

Wow, when will this closed minded old fool get a clue.
Obviously he's too old and senile to be the AG of SA.

We NEED an R18+ classification for videogames.
Then, problem solved!

If R18+ games get into the hands of minors it's just bad parenting.

Lord Haart

3 months ago

Heh, this guy might represent the one chance we have for the government to see how ridiculous the system is right now.

What are they going to do, come to our houses and take the games away?

oomlot

3 months ago

Ken_Gooner wrote

Whats he going to do? Ban it?Good luck.

I guess you weren't around for GTA San Andreas getting recalled, edited and resold. It already happened in Russia that the airport level was removed (post release).

What it means is 3 fold, people like me might lose the version that they have on lay-buy since the store will have to send it back. Second, the new, nerfed version will be the only choice if you scratch your original copy, and third, stores like EB and GAME will be unable to trade in the original version, making it worthless in that respect.

Oh, and there's a chance that multiplayer could be effected by it, if the game has to have blood code removed, original versions may not be capable of playing with censored ones.

Basically, the whole thing is **** up.

oomlot

3 months ago

Sin Ogaris wrote

I.E. I'd have no doubts whatsoever that Phantasmagoria would be allowed under an R rating. Not that that game really matters given how incredibly old it is.

Phantasmagoria was allowed though, and night trap, if I remember correctly. I certainly played them.

wassie

3 months ago

Its just so frustrating that he's saying we can stop kids seeing an R18 movie, but HE is the reason we don't have an R18 rating for video games to stop kids playing these games. Seriously how ignorant is that argument.

He just admitted it is his fault that these games are getting into 'the hands of our children'.

If Mr Atkinson lets Australia have an R18 rating, as he is the ONLY one of all the state attorney generals in the country currently blocking it coming in, these games won't get into the hands of 'our children' at all.

Mr Atkinson, stop confusing our children by forcing game makers to "slip" games into MA15 that don't belong there. Game makers want an R18 restriction here, they don't want their games that are meant for adults to be played by kids but because of you Mr Atkinson, more and more games meant for adults that would have an R rating if it existed are coming with MA15 on the packaging, confusing our children AND their parents.

Get your act together Mr Atkinson and stop forcing adult games into kids hands.

How could you not want to restrict a childs access to an adult game - shame on you Michael Atkinson, SHAME on you.

oomlot

3 months ago

Wassie, that is not his argument at all. He believes that the most violent game that should be allowed into this country at all is Wii sports.

He doesn't understand the need for an R+18 rating, because he doesn't realise that adults play video games. No one has apparently shown him the statistics that the average Australian gamer is 32.

And now apparently, he doesn't know about home video technology, because he thinks that children never get to see R+18 rated movies because they aren't let into the cinema. (False anyway, but not the point).

Sadly nothing will convince him of his error, believe me I must have written a dozen letters pointing out his various misconceptions, but I get no reply.

Guffers

3 months ago

I'm curious, is Atkinson a right wing Christian?

Sinthesys

3 months ago

He's the SA attorney General. He wouldn't be 'representing his constituency' if he wasn't...

Gamesta

3 months ago

oomlot wrote

Ken_Gooner wrote

Whats he going to do? Ban it?Good luck.

Don't forget GTAIII and Manhunt.Both games were out for at least a month before being recalled.I was SO sad when I heard GTAIII was recalled.

Marka

3 months ago

His attacks on the Classification board as as childish as those of some gamers. Accusing the board of letting games "under the rader" on purpose is ridiculous. Almost sounds like he is accusing them of being corrupt.

Just so you know I have always thought that the board do a good job and still do. Just remember that the they have to rate an overwhelming amount of articles each year. They are only human and are bound to make a few mistakes each year.

On the R18+ for cinemas bit. I have seen kids as young as 5 with thier parents at R18+ rated movies and it isn't that hard for a minor get hold of a R18+ DVD they same way they get an MA15+ game. He seems somewhat our of touch with reality.

wassie

3 months ago

I know that wasn't his argument, the point I'm making is what I said is exactly what he is doing and I think the angle we need to take to put pressure on him. Turning his own arguments against him.

He plays on people that aren't in the know to get support, flip the argumet around and he has nowhere to go... He's letting kids play games thy aren't made for adults..

THEMAN

3 months ago

one day these pollies will see that theres a generation of adults who grew up on games (already here) who are gonna vote them out of the office for being uptight wankers.

JackSlack

3 months ago

oomlot wrote

He does understand this at an intellectual level. He's stated repeatedly that he's seen the studies which prove this, and has argued they're wrong.

I think it's more likely he thinks adults shouldn't play games than adults don't play games. If pressed, I think he'd say he thinks games are childish and silly, and we should damn well go do something mature. At a guess.

Shorty

3 months ago

JackSlack wrote

I think this ties in with what you said above about Atkinson not really thinking that these types of controversial games should be available at all. That's why he's seeking to have MW2's classification reviewed. That's why he asks whether gamers "need to have all that extra sex/violence/whatever in those games".

I think that he believes these games should get into the country and is attempting to use his position to enforce that, one of the ways being to block the kind of change that is being sought.

The fact is, many of his arguments are really a matter of taste, and last I checked, it wasn't his job description to enforce taste. It was to enforce the law. If he doesn't like games like MW2, he's perfectly allowed to exercise his rights and freedom by not buying them.

Sin Ogaris

3 months ago

oomlot wrote

Sin Ogaris wrote

I.E. I'd have no doubts whatsoever that Phantasmagoria would be allowed under an R rating. Not that that game really matters given how incredibly old it is.

Phantasmagoria was allowed though, and night trap, if I remember correctly. I certainly played them.

Yeah, but banned soon after on appeal, Phatasmagoria 2 (Which is called A Puzzle of Flesh) however, is rated MA.

JackSlack

3 months ago

Shorty wrote

Exactly. I don't believe a conciliatory attitude will get him to agree with us in a million years. But if we use the "We want wholesale reform" line, (which happily, EveryonePlays is built around) then we turn the game to our advantage. It's harder for the moral guardians to claim, "We're protecting the kids!" if our message is consistently, "We want a system that does a better job protecting the kids!" It's all about public perception.