The R18 discussion paper draws huge attention

The date for submissions on the great R18 debate has closed - so how vocal have Australian gamers (and their opponents) been?

So many submissions has the Government received on the R18 issue? A lot - over 55,000, to be exact.

Since the release of a long suppressed discussion paper earlier in the year, industry bodies, gamers, and even retailers have stepped up and demanded the creation of an R18 rating for computer games in Australia. We can only imagine that many of these are responsible for what is one of the best responses to a government review in our history.

But while organisations like Electronic Frontiers Australia are understandable happy with the turnout, we're still a little worried. Organisations like Grow Up Australia and companies like EB Games made an awesome effort at rallying gamers with clear and obvious petitions, but at this stage it's also entirely possible that there are just as many vocal opponents of the move.

Let's face it - the opinions of writers like the Australian's Caroline Overington don't paint a picture of a particularly well-informed or even understanding public. It's still entirely possible that all the reasoned argument in the world won't be able to sidestep an electorate that's happy to swallow the rhetoric of a figure like Overington, or the similarly fundamentalist AG Atkinson.

That said, we hope to be wrong. When all the results are tabled sometime after April, we'll know for sure.