One Man’s Plea to Reform AU Game Rating System
Posted in Censorship, Editorial
Ben Croshaw, of PC Gamer and Zero Punctuation fame, recently posted an opinion piece discussing Australian video game censorship over at news.com.au. Ben examines the Australian game rating system, which ranges from “E” — for everyone — to “MA15+” — for gamers 15 and older. Because Australia does not feature an 18+ rating, all games that are inappropriate for an “MA15+” rating are effectively banned.
Ben argues that while there are plenty of mature games that he believes lack any “worthwhile” mature speech, there is no reason that adults should be denied access to these titles. Furthermore, Ben points out that as the gaming medium matures as an art form, many developers find themselves experimenting with more mature themes. As Germany and some other European nations effectively ban games on occasion by refusing to rate them, Ben’s arguments prove interesting on an international level.
Read the full article here.
