As a father of three I use ratings to judge what is ok and what is not, and if it's rated M 15+ I would expect it to be ok or just on the “mature” side for a 14/15 year old and no problem at all for a 16 year old, right? Wrong !!!
Let’s look at the ratings in Australia:
Advisory
The classifications below are advisory in nature—they do not impose any legal restrictions on access or distribution of material.
E (Exempt from Classification) - These films may be sold without a specific classification. The assessment of exemption may be made by the distributor or exhibitor (self-assessed) without needing to submit the product for certifying by the Classification Board. Only very specific types of material (including educational material and straight records of artistic performances) can be exempted from classification, and the material cannot contain anything that might lead to an M rating or higher [1]Self-assessed exempt films cannot use the official marking, although it is advised that films and computer games that are exempt display “This film/computer game is exempt from classification”.
G (General) — These films and computer games are for general viewing. However, G does not necessarily designate a children’s film or game as many of these productions contain content that would be of no interest to children.
The content is very mild in impact.
PG (Parental guidance recommended) — These films and computer games contain material that may confuse or upset younger viewers under 15. Before the 2005 coloured rating scheme was brought in, the original description was "Parental Guidance is recommended for those under the age of 15." This description may be found on older DVDs and video tapes.
The content is mild in impact.
M (Recommended for mature audiences) — These films and computer games contain material that requires a mature perspective, but is still not enough to be deemed too extreme for younger players. This classification was formerly known as M15+, but was changed to simply M to distinguish it from the higher (and restricted) rating of MA15+. The description originally had "Recommended for Mature audiences 15 years and over", though like the above PG rating, the description dropped the 15. This description may be still founded on older DVDs and video tapes. This is the highest unrestricted rating.
The content is moderate in impact.
[edit]Restricted
By contrast, the classifications below are legally restricted—i.e., it is illegal to sell or exhibit materials so classified to a person younger than the respective age limit.
MA15+ (Mature Accompanied) - The content is considered unsuitable for exhibition by persons under the age of 15. Persons under 15 may only legally purchase or exhibit MA15+ rated content under the supervision of an adult guardian. This is a legally restricted category.
, , , and are the current game ratings. Games cannot be given the adult ratings 
or 
, instead they will be Refused Classification (Banned) and cannot be sold. Refused Classification games may be edited and resubmitted by their developers to garner an MA15+ classification. People under 15 are not permitted to purchase or rent films or video games classified MA15+ unless they are accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.The content is strong in impact.
R18+ (Restricted) - People under 18 may not buy, rent or exhibit these films.
The content is high in impact.
X18+ (Restricted) - People under 18 may not buy, rent or exhibit these films.
This rating applies to sexual content.
Films rated X18+ are currently legally available for purchase in only the ACT and the Northern Territory. However these films may be legally purchased from interstate via mail-order. Enforcement is relaxed and most adult shops carry extensive stock of X18+ material.
RC (Refused Classification)
Films which are very high in impact and/or contain any type of violence in conjunction with real sexual intercourse are rated Refused Classification by the OFLC. Films which may be Refused Classification include content that:
- Depict, express or otherwise deals with matters of sex, drug misuse or addiction, crime, cruelty, violence or revolting or abhorrent phenomena in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that they should not be classified.
- Depict in a way that is likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult a minor who is, or who appears to be, under 16 (whether or not engaged in sexual activity).
- Promote, incite or instruct in matters of crime or violence.
The PC and console games industry, one of the biggest adult entertainment money makers, has no adult classification. The highest you get is M15 +. WTF?!
What is happening in Australia is that games that are 18+ in other countries like the UK, US and New Zealand get pushed through as 15+ in Australia. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the perfect example of this. It’s 18+ in the UK, New Zealand and other countries and M15+ in Australia. Call of Duty: is a massive title world wide and to ban it would cause uproar so it’s easier to give it a 15+ and deceive parents into thinking its ok for their kids for Christmas. Don’t take my word for it, judge for yourself. Warning, this video may be disturbing to some people.
What happens when they ban a game? Most of the time all banning a game will do is drive people to Warez, hacker and pirate sites and with a game like COD MW2, hackers will end up with thousands of unsuspecting Aussies willing to download their key logger and viruses just to get the game the rest of the world can pick up in any shop. And when looking for the hacked game they will also find other games or movies that they may have happily paid for if they where not driven to the hackers’ site in the first place.
The only logical solution is to have an adult 18+ rating. Banning or outlawing something just drives it underground and puts money in the hands of hackers and pirates and drives consumers to untrustworthy sites.
Only having a 15+ rating is not helping parents to choose suitable games for their kids.
Parents look at M15 and compare it to movies. I’ve seen a mum buy a copy of Grand Theft Auto (GTA) for her 12 year old, commenting to the sales rep that her son watches 15+ movies all the time. There is no way in hell GTA should be played by a 12 year old! The Australian government is putting disturbing content in the hands of miners. Content that was never made for them and is classified 18+ in other countries.
http://www.growupaustralia.com/ has a petition for Australia to get an 18+ classification. So if you’re a parent who does not want your child playing games that where clearly designed for adults and not kids, or if you’re an adult that wants the freedom to play games that where designed for adults without having them butchered to a shell of what they were just so a 13 year old can play a game that was never designed for them them, please head over there and singe it. Or contact:
South Australian Attorney-General, Hon. Michael Atkinson MP
GPO Box 464
ADELAIDE SA 5001
Phone: (08) 8207 1723
Fax: (08) 8207 1736
Email: attorney-general@agd.sa.gov.au
