Games, Sex, Politics, Drugs, Censorship and Rock and Roll

So who needs to act in order for an R18+ classification to be created? That requires the unanimous agreement of the state and territory Censorship Ministers (a role usually held by the Attorney General) along with the Federal Attorney General.

Whilst neither the OFLC nor the Review Board has the power to create an R classification, both bodies have raised the prospect for debate by the relevant Ministers.

A 1999 report commissioned by the OFLC pointed out inconsistencies in the classification regime’s lack of an R rating for games: ‘Games that contain themes or other content which may warrant restriction to adults only are not currently permitted, even though comparable content in other media is permitted. It appears anomalous, and without scientific basis, to treat one medium as different from others in this respect.’

In 2001, in the report on its decision to refuse classification to GTA 3, the Review Board said the availability of an R rating would have seen the game released for adult consumption. It concluded: ‘Perhaps the Ministers responsible would give consideration to an R rating for computer games, as is available in films and videotapes, so that adults may see and hear and play what they want - legally.’

The report noted that anecdotal evidence pointed to the banning of GTA3 as leading to a flourishing black market for the game.

That same year, the OFLC commissioned an independent report to assess community feelings towards the games rating system. The review was conducted by Dr Jeffrey Brand, director of the Centre for New Media Research and Education at Bond University.

Brand has been researching computer games since 2000, but says his personal interest in games dates back to ‘grad school in the 80s’. A self confessed lover of ‘digital sandbox’ sims who also enjoyed Grand Theft Auto 3 and Vice City, Brand says his research aims ‘to produce objective studies that show that computer games, like other mediums such as movies, contain and reflect our world.’

Brand says the object of his research is to try to bridge the gap between the ‘uncritical and euphoric’ views of gamers and the ‘religious or anti-media moralists’ who are pessimistic about the gaming medium.

This in turn he hopes will pave the way for universal classification of media across film, literature and computer games, something only present in Australia to a limited degree.

Brand’s report for the OFLC in 2001 tabled public responses to the issue of games classification. It included representations from 372 individuals and community groups, including a petition signed by over 600 gamers calling for an R18+ rating.

There was ‘majority’ public support for the R rating, says Brand, including support from a surprising quarter, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.

The Ministers accepted the Brand report recommendation that the ratings categories be simplified by making movie and game ratings the same; but they rejected the recommendation for an R18+ rating for games.

The last time the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (SCAG) considered the R issue was in 2002, when it was opposed by then Attorney General Daryl Williams, along with one of the state ministers.

New pressures
So what’s changed since 2002? Legally, nothing. But in that time, the games industry has grown, and arguably, it has begun growing up.

The first generation of kids who grew up playing with Commodore 64s and Ataris are grown up now - and they are still gaming. The often quoted research from the US-based Entertainment Software Association puts the average age of a gamer at between 18 and 29 years of age.

Rockstar’s success with the GTA franchise - which has shipped 32 million units - is proof that the adult gamer is a valuable target market. No stranger to edgy themes and controversy, the creators of the GTA and Manhunt say they’re not pushing the envelope of adult content for publicity, but rather ‘the demographic shift in the gaming public’s age cries out for appropriate content.’

Last year, the global game software market was worth US$462 million, and with blockbuster games like Halo 2 and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas breaking sales records this year, that figure is set to grow.

And as the gaming industry grows, we can expect to see even more games targetting the adult gamer dollar, says Brand. ‘That’s the reason we’re getting more games refused classification.’

Vince Desi of Postal developers Running With Scissors agrees. ‘The fact is many gamers are older now and so sex has to become part of new game content.’

Pressure for an R18+ rating will increase as more adult games hit the market.

Vivendi’s Brown says the core gamer audience is in their mid-20s. ‘Given that, under the current system, all games need to be acceptable to a 15 year old in Australia, this runs a risk that the content of many games does not address the needs and interests of the older gamer. As such, there is a valid case for the industry to review the requirement for an R rating.’