Speaking with Australia’s ABC News the Attorney-General Michael Atkinson has once again spoken out against the calls for an R18+ rating in Australia. The report which can be found here, features industry figures arguing that gamers should be ‘œtreated like adults’ and allowed to play violent games. Atkinson countered by suggesting that a ‘œsmall number of very zealous gamers’ are trying to push for an R18+ rating, which would be ‘œagainst public interest’.

Atkinson has been very vocal on not allowing the certificate, which would enable titles such as Left 4 Dead 2 and Modern Warfare 2 to be released in the region without edits. The video also focuses on Aliens vs. Predator which has been denied sale in Australia, resulting in the publisher not editing the game for Australian release, instead choosing to simply not sell it.

Atkinson’s comments get even wilder when he states that ‘œ98% – 99% of gamers will tell the difference between fantasy and reality, but the 1% to 2% could go on to be motivated by these games to commit horrible acts of violence”. Because 1% of people are mentally unstable, should we stop everyone else enjoying videogames? What about hammers? Somebody, somewhere could use a hammer to kill a person, does that mean that we shouldn’t let people use them too?

Ron Curry of the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association states at one point that it’s undemocratic for one Attorney-general to be blocking the inclusion of the R18+ rating. Atkinson’s adamant rejection has been well documented, but what may be most troubling for gaming advocates is Atkinson’s refusal to have a debate on the topic. In the video he suggests that people shouldn’t want to play games where you ‘œimpale, decapitate and dismember people’, but that’s not really the point. Dismissing somebody’s argument because of the violent nature of a game doesn’t make Atkinson’s any more valid.

It seems that an adult rating for videogames is a long way off in Australia, despite the pressures placed upon Atkinson. For whatever reason he isn’t budging on the issue, maybe it’s to cater to the family values crowd or perhaps he genuinely believes that videogames are evil. If that’s the case, applying his personal views onto an entire nation is wrong, and if he is so confident that only the ‘œzealous gamers’ want the adult rating, why doesn’t he call a vote on the issue?

A month ago the Herald Sun ran an article which claimed that the games sales in Australia amassed $1.96 billion last year and is set rise by the end of the Christmas season. This is a huge industry, which can create a lot of tax income for the Government; giving developers a free reign by removing censorship will create even more value. I doubt this will be the last time we hear about Atkinson attacking videogames, but I suggest that if you’re Australian you should write to your local representative and try and put some pressure on him, so you can see what Aliens vs. Predator is really like.

Via: GamePolitics