R18+ Rating DOES matter

Opinion from Jae - Sunday, 12 December 2010 @ 11:57pm

Sorry AJ, your article on why an R18+ rating doesn’t matter is not one I agree with 100%. Rather than posting my opinion in the forums I thought I’d use my super powers to post my thoughts. An R18+ rating will happen and it does matter.

One reason why it matters is that it’s not about the decision itself but the awareness of the issue. It’s becoming more and more of a trending topic which means that it’s an issue that is reaching the masses of Australia. The part I find fascinating is that your average joe can now has an opinion on an R18+ rating. Whether that be for or against is not relevant (for now), it is the fact that people actually know about it. Getting the issue in the face of the people it affects will mean that a decision will be made sooner rather than later. The reason why we see it as a more prevalent political topic is because of the sheer number of interested people. Australian gaming journalism is bigger than it has ever been which has helped spread the word. So now that an R18+ rating feels closer than ever before it’s important that the issue continues to be discussed otherwise it could easily be all for nothing.

The argument about classification in all media content, such as television, radio or podcasts, isn’t feasible. All those content types are considered free, the ability to police those is not easily done or realistic. The movement to digital television and having digital parental controls is definitely a welcoming feature but it’s just one small step for a medium that has too much of a broad appeal. The classification of video games doesn’t belong in this bucket. Unlike television, games must be bought which means a third party has to help children get access to games.

Personally, as majority of you are, I am in favour of an R18+ rating on videogames, but I’d like to see the rating system take the issue on a more serious note. I believe that all R18+ content, whether that be videogames, DVDs or other media rated content, should be sold behind a cabinet or counter. Having worked in retail in my younger days it would always disturb me seeing a minor pick up an R-rated movie and being able to physically handle the product. Cigarrettes and spray paint cans are kept behind counters, as they are for adult only consumption, then why shouldn’t R18+ products? This then puts a large emphasis on retail responsibility and it will go a long way to making sure that the right content is given to the right people. Now how about DLC? There’s a whole new kettle of fish to deal with. I don’t quite know the answer to this, possibly to only allow purchases through credit cards, then again kids as young as 12 can have those now a days. My real answer is that there is no full proof way of making sure minors get their grubby hands on R18+ content just as there is no full proof way of making sure minors don’t drink alcohol. All we can do is educate and put in place measures that prevent it from happening. Figuratively speaking cutting a vampire off at its head is a sure fire way of making sure no one else gets bitten and infected, although it’s not necessarily the best approach. Letting children know not to walk down dark alleys at night is possibly better, whilst adults can still enjoy the company of their favourite blood sucker (haven’t you watched True Blood?). Also killing Robert Patterson will inevitably cause mass suicides of tween twigh-hards. In all seriousness there are smarter ways to look at an R18+ rating that I believe will keep everyone happy.

The Australian Christian Lobbyists claim that the rating will pave the way for highly violent or sexual content, which isn’t entirely false. What they do fail to see is that a lot of this content is already getting into the hands of minors. This quote from Junglist’s article on the ACL is really what hits home for me.

You know those annoying government ads that have the “Spoken by ------“ at the very end of them at superhuman speed? We need one of those ads with that above quote on it. If more Australians understand that the R18+ rating removes the ‘shoe-horning’ of games, rather than seeing it as a catalyst to high violent or sexual content, the better off this country will be.

Another feature I feel the government should really help promote is parental lock out systems on consoles. All our favourite current generation consoles have this feature and it is severely underused. Why so? Well there are many reasons to this, some people are oblivious to the feature, some just find the navigation cumbersome and some simply don’t care or have a need for it. Again it’s a small step but it’s one that needs more education and awareness. With the right delivery this feature could prove to the world that one country can get it right.

So my conclusion is that it’s going to happen. All signs point to yes so it’s just a matter of time. I’m not counting down the days till the next SCAG meeting in March 2011 I’m more so looking at the great debate and awareness that is taking over this country. The people we should all be caring about is the welfare of minors, no doubt this industry is one laced with much unfavourable context. It’s the fact that an introduced rating would see the correct games sold to the correct age groups. The way in which it is introduced will be the key to its success as a legitimate rating.