Video games are only played by children and hard evidence exists to prove, without a doubt, that any game aimed at people older than 17 will lead players into a life crime, violence, debauchery and ultimately destroy civilisation. If you play a game that is too mature for a 17 year old to cope with, it will kill you. It will use its powers of seduction to sneak into your mind and make you murder your parents and it will make you goose-step around the home, decreeing that only the pure breed should live on.
Oh wait, that’s not true at all. Somebody should tell the Australian government. From the Sydney Morning Herald:
The [Australian] Federal Government has now set its sights on gamers, promising to use its internet censorship regime to block websites hosting and selling video games that are not suitable for 15 year olds.
That’s the internet censorship regime put in place 17 years ago in 1992. According to the department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (to which Senator Stephen Conroy was appointed Minister of three years ago) this censorship falls under Schedule 5 and 7 of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992.
Schedule 5 states that if content hosted outside of Australia is “prohibited content or potential prohibited content”, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) can get ISPs to block it. It also states that if they have no rules about blocking some content, but they still want it blocked, they have the right to make up some more rules, then block it using them.
Schedule 7 states that content is bannable if it has been refused classification or been given anything over the MA15+ standard, or if it hasn’t been rated, but might fall under the previous category if it were to be rated.
Whilst these rules have been in place for the better part of two decades, it seems only now that the Australian government feel confident enough in their powers to try and enforce it on the web and not just in shops. It all falls under their “web filtering plan”, probably in the name of protecting people.
A spokesman for Senator Conroy said that the filter would cover “computer games such as web-based flash games and downloadable games, if a complaint is received and the content is determined by ACMA to be Refused Classification.”
[update] For those wanting to know more, here are a few other reports of the same story; Ars Tecnica and Kotaku AU (Luke Plunkett added that the legislation proposed is “is wildly unpopular”, which is at least something good.)
WHAT THE FUCK
Seriously, fuck this country.
Prison Colonoy is as Prison Colony does.
I can already see a German politician utter the words “We can learn a lot from Australias web blocks.”
I can feel your pain brothers.
I hope you’re writing to your representative in whatever parliament you have, then getting your friends to do the same.
I’m in a troubling position in the UK that our internet censorship ATM is only used for “child porn” and whatever else they feel like, but you don’t even know what’s on it, so how can I even start to complain?
At least you’ve got a chance to really go against them with some logic and examples here. This is rather insane, but Australia still hasn’t got an “Adult” game rating yet :(
Hope you guys get it sorted!
Sounds like the Australian MPs needs more fiber in their diet…
You’d think Australia would be more liberal about things.
They are descended from murderers and rapists, after all.
You spelled civilization wrong.
@joepenn18: UK spelling :)
Uhhhh… UK SPELLING SUCKS
To be honest, this sucks. Really, what nebones and Analoge said are spot on. Conroy needs to be forced out of power if us Aussie gamers are to stand a chance to play what we want, when we want. Same goes with Michael Atkinson, the other stooge in this whole joke. That’s what it is, a joke!