Live Magazine February Issue February 2014 | Page 15

R18+ rating. The Office of Classifications states that an R18+ rating...
“May contain classifiable elements
such as sex scenes and drug use that
are high in impact.” It goes on to say
“Some material classified R18+ may
be offensive to sections of the adult
community.”
Interestingly no mention of violence
there. Sure gratuitous violence has
seen games like Mortal Kombat be
banned in the past but in many cases
the game’s producers have resubmitted the game after changes and received a rating ensuring sale in Australia.
The ratings system we have is designed to protect children from materials deemed unsuitable and most
people will agree that’s a good thing.
We’ve seen some instances where
parents unknowingly, will go into a
game shop and pick up a game for
their young teen not knowing or understanding that it has elements that
are not suitable for children. I know
some Gametraders store owners
have had to explain to parents why

to make a decision, and really that’s
why we have a ratings system so that
each game or movie is clearly marked
informing the viewer or player of what
to expect. Games and movies depicting sexual violence against women
or men should result in the appropriate classification or ban. What I mean
here is sometimes a documentary or
movie may seek to expose the horrors
of violence perpetrate on people, and
whilst shocking to see, if it results in
changes or justice then that producer
or director has done a great service.
But I guess when a game is made in a
way to get school boys giggles at nudity or sex, you’ve got to question: is this
important to the structure of the game?
Is it an element that works within the
story of the game or is it there to simply show skin?
Ultimately, it’s the thinking behind the
inclusion of any sex in a game that I
wonder about. Is that female game
character shown in such a way that
is demeaning to women? Is it simply
there to include nudity for effect in the
wrong way? If I run throughout the
streets of a FPS title shooting everything that moves, with blood spraying

“BUT WHAT ABOUT ADULTS? SURELY WE’RE GROWN
UP ENOUGH TO MAKE OUR OWN CHOICES? I HEAR THE
VOICE OF THOSE PROCLAIMING THAT AS LONG AS NO
ONE GET’S HURT IT SHOULD BE UP TO THE INDIVIDUAL
TO MAKE A DECISION..”
a game is rated R18+ or MA15+ and
parents have been thankful. After all,
not all parents are up with the latest games and the ratings placed on
those titles.
But what about adults? Surely we’re
grown up enough to make our own
choices? I hear the voice of those proclaiming that as long as no one get’s
hurt it should be up to the individual

out of the victims, is that ok versus a
couple making love in a scene that
is crucial to the developing story and
shown in a respectful way?
This will no doubt cause a debate
among gamers and non-gamers. So
we thought let’s ask some experts
their thoughts and we got a mix of
comments over the next few pages...

The content is high in impact.
R 18+ material is restricted
to adults. Such material may
contain classifiable elements
such as sex scenes and
drug use that are high in
impact.
Some
material
classified R18+ may be
offensive to sections of the
adult community. A person
may be asked for proof of
their age before purchasing,
hiring or viewing R18+ films
and computer games at a
retail store or cinema.