Channel Seven, IGEA and an odd day for gaming

As the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association applauds new Guidelines for the classification of computer games, one attorney general talks about wanting to ban GTA... huh?

So you might have thought that the long hard slog to achieving a sensible games rating system in Australia was almost done. However, in a classic case of taking one step forward, but two steps back, attorney general Greg Smith - previously a vocal proponent of an R18 rating - seems to have gone barking mad.

This morning he appeared as part of a Channel Seven (yes, you can start feeling afriad now) report on gaming, calling for games of GTAIV's ilk to be outright banned. As Mark Serrels over at Kotaku reported, it was a shoddy piece of journalism at best, and downright confusing and damaging to the case of overhauling our ratings system.

In the words of South Park, this makes no sense (cue Wookie explosion).

It's been an up and down day for gaming in this area. While Channel Seven's so-called journos slag off gamers, the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association has come out in support of new proposed Guidelines for games classification.

“We are pleased to see this process moving forward," said Ron Curry, CEO of IGEA in a statement, "and understand that great care has been taken to balance the concerns of those who have resisted an R18+ classification and adults who want to play video games designed specifically for mature audiences and readily available in other developed democracies." 

Meanwhile, the University of Queenslad is not doing anyone any favours (well, any gamers, anyway) with a new report that claims that gaming causes players to dehumanise their opponents. 

Dr Bastian said given his findings, it was not surprising that many people were concerned about the effects of playing violent video games, especially when they appeared to reflect changes in people's behaviour, emotions, and cognitions in ways consistent with a loss of humanity. 

"There are good reasons to be concerned: the negative effects of violent video games have been well documented and appear to be more significant than those associated with other forms of violent media," he said. 

Study participants were opponents engaged in violent behaviour against each other in the popular game, Mortal Kombat.

Mortal Kombat? Really? I wonder where they bought it, considering it's been refused classification...