Labor to look seriously into games industry rebate

PALGN News | If Labor is elected to government, of course...

Screen Play has reported that Senator Conroy, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, announced this morning that Labor would seriously review the Game Developers' Association of Australia's call for a 40% tax rebate to be extended to game developers after it was recently announced for Australia's film and television industries.

CEO of the GDAA Greg Bondar said in regards to the Senator’s announcement; “We have been trying for years to get the Australian government to listen to us and recognise the significant contribution that our industry makes to the Australian economy and the potential we have for substantial growth in our industry if we were to benefit from the same sort of rebate as is offered to the Australian film industry.”

“We are thrilled that Senator Conroy is prepared, should Labor be elected to government, to take the time to assess our industry and give sound consideration to our call for a rebate. This is a positive step forward for our industry.”

The President of GDAA, Tom Crago, called for the Australian government to reconsider extending the rebate to the video game industry after it was initially refused. “We want the Government to take another look. This is exactly the type of industry they should be supporting in that it is high growth, highly skilled and almost entirely export focused. We also think it’s about time they recognised the contribution that video games makes to the broader cultural landscape in Australia.”

“It really is time for our current government to ‘get with it’ and accept just how big this industry is globally,” said Bondar. “We have a chance to make a name for ourselves on the world stage and win significant business if they back our industry in the same way that governments in China, Canada, France and South Korea are doing. It’s time for them to get in the game.”

Related Content

Fury now available
17 Oct, 2007 Consider the Fury unleashed.

Xbox 360 Australian price dropped
15 Aug, 2007 Core console now the same price as the Wii.

Nintendo predicts Australian Wii shortages
06 Dec, 2006 "I expect demand to outstrip supply soon after launch" says Nintendo bod Vispi Bhopti.

PagePrevious 1 23

70 Comments

ObsoletE

4 years ago

Karai Pantsu wrote

If sales of 18+ games were policed in the same fashion as other items that you must be 18 or over to buy (or hopefully better) then what harm would come of it?

i think that's the crux of Lord Haart's argument, the fact that we don't handle policing of other 18+ items properly, so what chance have we got of policing 18+ games?

ittekimasu

4 years ago

The only problem with introducing R18 gaming material is how it could still end up in the hands of minors. Unless there was a proper method of achiving this and not pump out some half assed sticker and a reminder to store clerks to remember checking ID before purchase I wouldn't mind having the ability to purchase games etc like this.

Capoeira

4 years ago

ittekimasu wrote

Responsible parenting? Perhaps we need someone to look seriously into promoting that instead.

ittekimasu

4 years ago

^Not too sure how the goverment can force this upon parents to have more responsibility unless there were fines if children were caught with R18 gaming material which would have to also fine the seller etc. Children will find ways to obtain it, whether it be from illegal downloads to having older siblings/friends who play these games. It's just too big to handle unless there were a proper system installed.

Karai Pantsu

4 years ago

ObsoletE wrote

Karai Pantsu wrote

If sales of 18+ games were policed in the same fashion as other items that you must be 18 or over to buy (or hopefully better) then what harm would come of it?

i think that's the crux of Lord Haart's argument, the fact that we don't handle policing of other 18+ items properly, so what chance have we got of policing 18+ games?

Which is true enough, but I still disagree with the notion that games (and gamers) should get the short end of the stick out of this when - if 18+ purchases are as easy for minors to attain as so many people would suggest - there are many other items that are much more harmful for a youth on store shelves.

Of course, I know the 'But (he started it...) there are worse things out there' argument isn't a good reason to introduce the 18+ rating to games. But at the same time, the fact that we are lax on age restricted sales is hardly a good reason to hold it back either. It is a seperate issue that needs addressing - hopefully one day soon these two issues will be rectified and gamers both young and old can go about their hobby without hassle.

Lord Haart

4 years ago

Windburn wrote

+1 to negate click here's -1.

Thanks, I agree about the voting system - the idea is to assess if a person posts in a positive way, what they say isn't as important as long as they are reasonable and back up their comments.

Windburn wrote

But on the other hand, I don't like cencors, because they never really understand their subject material like the intended audience does, and it goes against the democratic basis of our society. A conundrum!

Indeed. I don;t want to go offtopic, but as I posted in the Manhunt 2 thread a while back, there is a line to freedom - and that's when you use your freedom to infringe on the freedoms of others. Banned games do this in a major way, by encouraging murder/violence/intolerance in such detail, and almost glorifying (and gore-ifying it). They state that you don't have to treat other people as people, but rather as things, and thereby encourage players into a line of thinking where they don't have to respect the freedoms of others.

And lets face it, if you're really crazy on getting a banned game, you will just torrent it. If you are an adult, noone will be stopping you. But parents can at least stop this, making bans the best way of stopping kids (who, let's remember, are infitely impressionable) from getting brainwashed with this garbage.

Daniel Golding

4 years ago

ittekimasu wrote

But why games? I agree that it is worrying how easily 18+ material can end up in the hands of minors, but shouldn't this apply to films and other materials as well? If so, why is it just videogames that people are worried about?

Itachi

4 years ago

^^^^That's so true. I just think it's parents that are the big problem aka soccer mums. Seriously they rather blame the media aka Video Games than there actual parenting. I really think there should be a R18+ system because i really hate censorship.

I know i have said this many times but this still reminds me of Big Brother and all the parents complaining about it. They say cancel the show when they won't switch the channel. It's all comes down to parenting imo. ahh well rant over

Windburn

4 years ago

Daniel Golding wrote

I think I can answer this. It's pretty straightforward- parents just don't understand games. They get movies, they get that there can be sex, drugs, violence, etc in movies, and if they feel the need to, they can take measures to prevent their children from seeing certain movies.

But games they don't get. Games are still considered "children's entertainment" in the minds of many parents, whereas movies have always been an adult pass-time. As such, they aren't familiar with games- most would be shocked to hear some of the issues games can bring up. They would never even imagine sex in a game (parents tend to protect their children more from sex than violence).

Games are not seen as a threatening medium (though people are becoming more aware), and because of this lack of understanding, parents are more willing to put the onus on the censor. And censors have to operate in the now, they can't deal with how things 'should be', in a world where parents and adults wake up to themselves and take gaming seriously.

Marlor

4 years ago

ittekimasu wrote

The number of R18+ games would be fairly small, so the issue wouldn't be that bad. The games could even be kept separate in the store.

At worst, they could put a big ugly "R18+ - ID MUST BE SHOWN FOR PURCHASE" banner on the box, which would certainly attract the clerk's attention. It would ruin the box art, but it would be better than banning the games altogether.

ObsoletE

4 years ago

Daniel Golding wrote

ittekimasu wrote

because it's all that is left.

personally, i think the whole system needs an overhaul, from the way media is rated, all the way down to policing at a retail level, but the issue with games is that it's the only medium currently left without censorship.

i have an issue with R-rated products being sold to minors FULL-STOP. and i can't support R-Rated games when i see that we can't even police R-Rated moves, magazines or books, so what chance does a medium, like games, have when it's already got the majority of people under the delusion that they're for children anyway?

i also think people are wrong in saying that there would only be a few R-Rated games. personally i think the scale for games doesn't match the scale for films, magazines and book, in that i think they're under-rated.

given the issues of retailing R-Rated materials to minors, i think banning them, forcing adults to use their credit cards to legitimately get their R-Rated gaming fix is so far the most effective way of policing the issue i've seen.

Sylar wrote

I really think there should be a R18+ system because i really hate censorship.

i don't know if that's intentional, but i hope you see the irony of that statement.

Itachi

4 years ago

ObsoletE wrote

Sylar wrote

I really think there should be a R18+ system because i really hate censorship.

i don't know if that's intentional, but i hope you see the irony of that statement.

hahaha i do now. I was just trying say about games being banned is all

Karai Pantsu

4 years ago

The fact of the matter is that the banning games because they can't be 100% enforced at point of sale is entirely arse-backwards. Compared to the next most relevant media, movies, current gaming systems are leagues easier to 'parent' than films are. At least with the current generation of consoles, each one of them has a parental lock feature - which when setup correctly will stop a game over a certain rating limit from loading (without input of a password). That combined wth parents actually taking even a cursory interest in what their children are doing (or in this case, playing) would fair effectively stop little jimmy from playing 'Hooker Bloodbath IV: The Reapening' even if he managed to get a copy.

Of course the problem with this is, as has already been pointed out, that the vast majority of parents just don't understand consoles to begin with. I'm sure that there are plenty out there using the lock, and getting involved with their kids and games - but for every one of them there will be another 10 or more that wouldn't even know that the option is there.

I know that it takes time for any technology to become entrenched enough in the everyday for multi-generational use and understanding - but it is just so frustrating that something that can be entirely child-friendly is still being treated as a dangerous, untamed land full of un-manageable adult content (and held back because of it)!

Itachi

4 years ago

Quote

Of course the problem with this is, as has already been pointed out, that the vast majority of parents just don't understand consoles to begin with.

i really don't think the vast majority of people should miss out on R+ games because a bunch of parents couldn't care less what there kids do. I agree with everyone else saying about how they need mesures so kids can't gt the games. I just don't agree with everyone should miss out because there afraid kids will get it pfft.

Karai Pantsu

4 years ago

Sylar wrote

I just don't agree with everyone should miss out because there afraid kids will get it pfft.

Neither do I. The laws aren't made to cater just to you and I though (were it only so!

), rather to the majority.

PimpHat

4 years ago

Jibbs wrote

Their doesnt seem to be an actual transcript of the interview(hold on it wasn't even an interview, it was an announcement) or anything to quote directly from.

Correct. I asked Conroy's office for a copy of the Media Release, and have included it here in full.

Conroy's Media Release wrote

MEDIA RELEASE

Senator Stephen Conroy
Deputy Opposition Leader in the Senate
Shadow Minister for Communications and Information Technology
Labor Senator for Victoria

Labor is ahead of the game

Senator Conroy, Shadow Minister for Communications and Information
Technology, today announced that he will work with the games industry in
Australia, and recommends that the Games Developers Association of
Australia have a seat at the table at the review of the 40% tax rebate
which has been afforded to the film industry.

It is time we start to recognise the contribution of the games industry
to the Australian cultural landscape, and the economy as a whole.

The games industry is worth an estimated $110 million per year, and has
the potential for enormous growth.

Internationally, the game "Halo 3" made over $300 million US in the
first week since its launch and over $170 million of that was made in
the first day of trading. This demonstrates the enormous potential of
the games developers industry.

Labor recognises this, and will continue to work with the games industry
to encourage growth of this important sector.

- Ends -

One point I noted is the intention to have a GDAA representative sit on the table of review looking at the current rebate for the film industry. This does seem to give the industry a voice. Anyone have any info on the how many members sit on this table or how often they meet?

Karai Pantsu

4 years ago

For anyone interested there is audio, video, and pictures from the meeting between Conroy and the GDAA up on the GDAA website.
Haven't had a chance to watch/listen to it myself yet though.

Qbert

4 years ago

It may sound stupid, but if Labor guarenteed an R18+ rating for games, thay'd have my vote instantly.

Itachi

4 years ago

Qbert wrote

It may sound stupid, but if Labor guarenteed an R18+ rating for games, thay'd have my vote instantly.

i think i would have to second that. TBH i have never voted labor once but if they come out and say we will give you a R18+ rating it will be my first time.

Lord Haart

4 years ago

What's up with "click here" giving everyone -ve votes for posting their views? I've half a mind to go through each of his posts and -ify it, but I'm a little more mature than he is.

Look clickhere, who I vote for is my choice... it's called democracy. Telling me I'm wrong by voting on my posts is just a lame version of tyrrany.

Sin Ogaris

4 years ago

If you feel someone is being dishonest with the voting system you can pm a mod and express your issue, they will then look at the user and decide if action should be taken.

PagePrevious 1 23

View as forum topic

Add Comment