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?
@Domains for Mad Max videogames registered by Warner Bros.
Dunno. What’s the difference between those possible future games and Rage? I expect the gameplay to be the same, ok, story a tad different.
So, the future games receive a ‘meh’ from me. For now.
@Report: Xbox 720 not always online
This makes sense. Sure, Microsoft is greedy, but they made good decisions in the past regarding the availability of software for their platforms.
Jordan, I also unwrap my games. Still, Serious Sam 3 is still on hold, Amnesia is on hold, Penumbra games – just made it to the mine thinggie. Plenty of stuff to play.
QOTW:
Favourite? Gosh … Here’s the thing: QUake 3 – FPS. Doom 3 – FPS. STALKER, Fallout 3?! – FPS RPG? C&C Renegade, Red Alert: A Path Beyond?! – FPS RTS?!
So, I’ll split it in two: perspective – first person. Game mechanics – RPG took first place. That doesn’t mean I’m going to pass on a good classic RTS.
I hope I’m not late this week…
@xbox720
There was no doubt in my mind that those rumors would turn out false. There are too many people who use the current gen consoles that do not have access to broadband or do not want to be connected all the time. Microsoft would have to change their general marketing and development approach if they chose to have an always-on device.
@Zeschuk
I don’t think I agree with the statement about nothing new happening in the game industry. Some developers are working on new IPs and, although most of the mechanics remain the same, I think gamers are still waiting for new releases with excitement. There are plenty of choices right now. Some games are free-to-play, there are subscription-based games and single player only IPs. To me it seems that gamers are not yet jaded and everyone can find something just right for them. I don’t understand what kind of revolution Mr Zeschuk would like to see. Admittedly, he knows more about the inside workings of the industry than me, but I side with Paul in that it’s rather the global economy state that forces people to buy less rather than the state of the gaming industry itself.
Most casual gamers would rather spend the $60 on a new CoD than a new IP. They know what to expect, they know they will have fun, so why risk the hard-earned money on something unknown? This situation will change when people will have more disposable income, if that ever happens again 😉
@Death of handhelds
I wonder if the cultural differences play a role in how we see the situation. Granted, most of the people in Poland own an Android or iOS smartphone but the tablet market is not as full as it is in western Europe and the States. To be fair, I haven’t seen many Vitas, PSPs or 3DS’ either. To me, it’s not a matter of competition between my phone and the Vita. My Samsung won’t run Little Big Planet or Wipeout. If I need a quick game, I play some Zen Pinball, which also won’t run on my phone.
Another thing. I’m not sure how many TVs a statistical American household has. There’s one TV in my wife’s and mine apartment and if she wants to watch something I can’t use my PS3 so I play my Vita. That’s another situation where handhelds are a good solution although they still need to compete with other devices, as per your argument.
With the recent PSVita firmware upgrade I sorted my games into folders. It’s easy for me to count that I now have more than 15 games installed there. This includes some PSN games, some old Final Fantasies and one demo but there’s still plenty for me to play and there are no other portable devices that compete for my time. Well, unless you count Words with Friends on my phone…
Oh, QOTW…
I looove old-timey point-and-click adventure games. I still think the Broken Sword series is one of the best series ever made. Then there’s Syberia 1 and 2, Leisure Suit Larry, Monkey Island. Where did all those games go? Deep Silver has been publishing some adventure games recently but that’s it. The hand-drawn 2D graphics, witty humor, nice puzzles, some of which are incredibly frustrating but once you get over them you feel a sense of accomplishment. Yeah, that’s the stuff. I’d put Quantic Dreams games in the category as well, sort of… It’s a more cinematic experience but you still get an extremely interesting story and they require some brain usage.
@Batman Beyond help
As far as I remember, there was a Batman Beyond game on Xbox. It was an utter turd. In fact, up until Batman: Arkham Asylum all of the contemporary Batman games released were absolute garbage. Except for Batman Begins, which was a cross between Splinter Cell and Burnout. It’s good to see him returning to quality he deserves.
@Incredible Mad Max: The Second Revenge of Mad Max and his Amazing Friends (copyright of Warner Brothers which is a trademark of Warner Bros which is a Warner company)
Never watched any of the films. So to me it’s like Max Payne. Probably gonna tank too. Especially since it’s a movie tie in. “Hey Max, jump onto the platforms to collect yellow bolts to build a Maxmobile. Que a racing mini-game chasing trucks which are throwing barrels and occasional power up. Turn your car blue by buying Mad Points using your dads hard earned currency”
@Xbox 720 is coming out eventually so shut up
I am absolutely indifferent to the rumors about next Xbox. I am patiently waiting for E3 when it is properly announced.
@Xbox 360 launch titles
Kameo was an Xbox game that was held back and released on Xbox 360 launch. Didn’t do so well.
@Death of the Handheld market
Difficult to dispute. At the beginning I thought an iPhone was just a crappy overpriced piece of junk that would bring hipsters together over a cup of Starbucks via Instagram. And it is. However, if it can run GTA: Vice City, it is a formidable gaming-capable machine on par with Xbox and PS2. It is far superior to a DS or PSP, which just specialise in games. And as far as I know, iPhone games are designed to be short and n00b friendly. Biggest problem is that smartphones are big in Asia. Chinese, Japanese and Koreans adore iPhones. And as we all know, nowadays if something is big in Asia it will be targeted by developers (i.e. Chinese only MMOs). And that is possibly the biggest problem for handhelds. The 3rd party support they enjoyed in the past has moved on to a simpler and cheaper development industry.
@QOTW
Free-roaming action RPGs. Elder Scrolls. Deus Ex. Borderlands. I love the freedom of exploration coupled together with a character that you can develop and personalize. And a fighting mechanic where I can actively dodge and attack using my personal skill.