The answer is a resounding yes. But wait, I am getting ahead of myself here.
What brings this on? A few days ago the video game “Fallout 3” was refused classification in Australia because it exceeded the maximum rating of MA15+ and Australia has no R18+ rating for games. This is the 4th game this year to have been hit by the Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification.
The games, “Grand Theft Auto IV” and “Dark Sector” were originally refused classification; they were edited and then resubmitted for an MA15+ and “Shellshock 2” was banned outright for excessive, graphic violence. “Fallout 3” will most likely be edited down and resubmitted for an MA15+ rating – but why should it have to be? Believe it or not, adults play games… Shock horror! (I want to point you to kotaku.com.au because they have a good post about the reasoning behind the ban.)
“So, where is the hypocrisy?” I hear you say.
Okay, this has been a long time brewing for me. Let’s start with movies, a subject close to my heart. Censorship in Australia has gone insane. I feel like I am living in a police state. When did the government start becoming my parental figure?
In Australia, the X18+ rating is only used for adult films (pornography to some, a turn on and sex aid to others) and these have been banned in all the states of Australia (although freely available in The Northern Territory and The Australian Capitol Territory, our home to the Federal Government, what an irony) since 1984. Although it has to be noted that you can buy porn DVDs (unofficially) at any adult bookshop across the nation. Okay, just so we are clear, according to the Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification’s own document, “Guidelines for the Classification of Films and Computer Games” (you can click on this to get your very own PDF of this document, it is informative reading) this is the definition of X18+:
CONTAINS CONSENSUAL SEXUALLY EXPLICIT ACTIVITY
(Restricted to adults 18 years and over*)
*Available only for sale or hire in the ACT and Northern Territory.
Note: This classification category applies only to films. This classification is a special and legally restricted category which contains only sexually explicit material. That is material which contains real depictions of actual sexual intercourse and other sexual activity between consenting adults.
I think that is fairly clear. So under an R18+ classification what can you show in regards to sexual activity? Well, the Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification’s document, under the guidelines of the R18+ classification, says this:
SEX
Sexual activity may be realistically simulated. The general rule is
“simulation, yes – the real thing, no”.
Nice and clear cut. These are really easy to follow guidelines. And they make sense; whether you agree or not is a another issue. So why then are films such as “Romance” (1999), “9 Songs” (2004) and “Intimacy” (2001) on video shop shelves across the nation? These films all carry the R18+ classification and all contain real, penetrative sex and in the cases of “Romance” and “9 Songs”, they even have the ‘classic cum shot’ scenes. I have no problem with consenting adults seeing these films. I have no problem with the content of these films. I, in fact, love a good bit of porn and have no problem with nudity (in fact, I love the naked human body as my photography reflects) and I have no problem with violence in cinema. I don’t even have a problem with a ratings system that helps people know what the content of a film is so that they can make an informed decision (if you don’t like the content of a film, don’t see it – simple) about whether they want to see, or let their children see, the film or not. I DO have a problem with double standards.
In a democracy, the government is supposed to be representative of its people, we elect them and they work for us. If we don’t like the government we vote them out and the new government should have something new and different to offer. Well, does our government listen to its people? I think not. In September 2006 the film company, AdultShop.Com Limited, asked the Federal Court to overturn the X18+ ban in Australia. It argued that the Office of Film and Literature Classification is required (and it is) to take into account current community standards in relation to explicit erotic films. The company even commissioned a national survey from ACNielsen that found that 70% of Australian adults were not offended by explicit erotic films and 76% thought they should be available on a restricted basis to people over 18 (I assume that means through adult bookshops, etc.). To this day the ban is still in effect. Yeah, our government really listens.
This brings me back to “Fallout 3”. Why is there no R18+ classification for games? Even New Zealand has an R18+ rating for games. Well, it would seem that the government does not trust its population to do the right thing, period.
The classification system can be modified if there is an agreement from the Commonwealth and all state and territory Attorneys-General. The problem here is the South Australian Attorney-General, Michael Atkinson, refuses to allow an R18+ rating for games. This is his explanation:
“I am aware that statistics show many game players are adults. Indeed, a whole generation has now grown up with computer games. It is not surprising that those who enjoyed gaming as children… play electronic games with their own children… 62% of Australians in these gaming households say the classification of a game has no influence on their buying decision…
Given this data, I cannot fathom what State-enforced safeguards could exist to prevent R18+ games being bought by households with children and how children can be stopped from using these games, once the games are in the home. If adult gamers are so keen to have R18+ games, I expect children would be just as keen. I have publically argued that because electronic games are interactive, the violence and other adult content in games have a strong impact. I am particularly concerned about the impact these games have on children, who can spend a lot of their unsupervised leisure time gaming.”
Wait a minute, you moron (A bit harsh? Nahhh …), what is the difference between having an R18+ game in the house and an R18+ movie? Also, it is my understanding that the classification is for the sale or hire of the film, not in the house. Isn’t it the parent’s ultimate decision about the welfare of their children? My nine year old son (The Little Geek) wanted to go see the new Batman movie “The Dark Knight” (rated M15+). As a responsible parent, I went to see the film first and deemed it too dark and intense for him. He is disappointed, but I explained that when it comes out on DVD, we can watch it together, with the lights on, and I can explain the concepts to him as it goes, and I can fast forward through the nastier bits. Wow, a parent does his job. The rating is not the be all and end all of this discussion, parents must take on the responsibility of educating and guiding their children to a healthy and happy life. Just placing restrictions on stuff does not work, we live in a digital age and if people want prohibited material, they will just go online and buy or download it from another country. As a 41 year old geek, I have to tell you, when I see something banned, I just want to see it more and I almost always do! “Baise Moi”, seen it. “Ken Park”, seen it. “Salo”, seen it. etc. etc.
The bottom line is: I chose to live in a free thinking, liberal minded, democratic country that values freedom and personal rights. If that is not the case, I just want to know, so I can plan to move. As a democracy, we elected the ultra conservative John Howard as Prime Minister and we got what we deserved (well I didn’t, but in a democracy, majority rules). He wanted us to all live like we were back in the 50s, I didn’t agree but hell, who am I? As a democracy the people voted last year and totally wiped out his government, basically saying that they want change. Did anything change? Well, no.
You see, John Howard and his government were allowing their very strong, fundamentalist Christian beliefs to guide their decision making. The concept of a separation of church and state was a farce. The tightening of the censorship laws in Australia was pushed through a few years ago by the Lyons Forum – a lobby group that consisted of many federal MPs and many government senators (during the Howard years) with links to Christian fundamentalist formations. Now that the Liberal (what an oxymoron) Party has lost so many seats in Parliament, how strong is the Lyons Forum today? I don’t know, but I do know that Labour Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, the man elected to make the changes everyone hopes for, is a very devout Christian so I can only believe that nothing will change.
If we are not going to separate church and state, what makes us any different to a theocracy? Let’s stop pretending we value the above ideals (free thinking, liberal minded, democratic country that values freedom and personal rights etc.) and start playing Big Brother – it may be time for the federal government to bring in the thought police! OR, we can stand up and demand our voices to be heard! The only way to make things change is to stand up and say what you believe in. The religious moral majority conservatives ARE actually the minority, they are just more vocal.
“There was a time when religion ruled the world: we know it as the dark ages.”
– Ruth Hurmence Green (US Author and Atheist)
Great links that really are informative and helped get this post off the ground:
Refused-Classification.com
Libertus.net
News.com.au
The Chopping List
GamePolitics.com
Gamespot.com.au
Comments are most welcome and I would love a debate about this going over in the forum.
It’s finally here! The first episode of “…Geek, Actually”! In the first episode join David McVay and regular guest Jacob Oberman in a conversation about censorship in Australia, A talk about The Dark Knight and Heath Ledger’s remarkable performance as Joker and David’s woes about not getting his iPhone yet. In the regular feature, The Little Geek, Nicholas tells us about the films he saw during the holidays. Download or Listen to it here or subscribe to it on iTunes.
