Paul’s back for an episode, as the crew still has E3 on the mind, and still discuss stuff from the show. In fact, the conversation remains so much on E3, half of the scheduled news items don’t get done. Instead, it’s just a reunion of sorts as the rambling goes on and on.
The news that does get discussed includes:
Let us know what you think.
Some of the minor news discussed include Defiance coming back 4 years after servers were shut down, BlizzCon 2025 not happening, Moon Studios going full indie, buying No Rest For the Wicked’s publishing rights from Take-Two and Final Fantasy 16 PC version removing Denuvo Anti-tamper DRM. The Gaming Flashback is 2015’s Bloodborne.
The news includes:
Let us know what you think.
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A new draft of the R18+ classification has been released by home minister Brendan O’Connor through the Australian Federal Government. The new guidelines closely match those in place for Australia’s film industry. The new R18+ rating removes restrictions on bad language, drug use and nudity; in contrast, the current guidelines forbade the classification of any adult-themed games.
O’Connor’s draft claims that the R18+ rating will allow “virtually no restrictions on the treatment of themes”, and violence in games “except where it offends against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults to the extent that it should not be classified.” As far as sex, the draft says, “Sexual activity may be realistically simulated. The general rule is ‘simulation, yes – the real thing, no'”.
Of course, “standards of morality, decency and propriety” is still troublesomely subjective, while “simulation, yes, the real thing, no” is comicly inept for videogames, where everything is simulation. You may be able to tell when live actors are actually performing sexual acts, but when can you tell a videogame character is actually having sex?
O’Connor stated:
“The Gillard government wants to provide better guidance for parents and remove unsuitable material from children and teenagers. The introduction of an R18+ classification will help achieve that and will also bring Australia into line with comparable nations. This issue has been on the table for many years, without the necessary progress to make a change. We’ve recently seen several states publicly express their support for an adult only rating for games and I’m keen to reach a unanimous decision at the July meeting.”
Rather than banning games, why not punish stores for selling mature games to underage children? Or put the onus of raising children on the parents?
This week we’ve got Doug aboard with the cast as well, he’s a regular on the Everyday Drinkers Podcast. We’re chatting about some of the recent game news, hitting the community comments hard and tackling some of lifes meaningful questions. This week’s gaming flashback includes Baseball Stars for the Nintendo Entertainment system and, in our gaming history… who is Jane Jensen?
DJ Jazzy Jeff in DJ HeroThis week’s question of the week is simple: Do video game delays effect your buying decisions?
