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Australia bans 220 video games in 4 months as Government adopts new classification model

By Benjamin Sveen

Updated Tue at 4:08am

Grand Theft Auto V was pulled off shelves last year

PHOTO: Grand Theft Auto V was pulled off shelves in Kmart and Target last year over concerns about its depiction of sexual violence (Rockstar Games)

MAP: Australia

Australia has banned more than four times as many computer games in the past four months than in the entire period from 1994-2014, according to new figures from the Attorney-General's Department.

About 220 computer games — with titles such as Douchebag Beach Club, Drunk Driver and HoboSimulator — have been refused classification since last March.

Material that has been refused classification is illegal to sell, advertise and publicly exhibit in Australia.

By contrast, the department's figures show the Classification Board refused classification of only approximately 50 computer games between 1994 to 2014.

The huge spike in the number of games being censored results from a decision by the Federal Government to adopt a new model for classifying games sold through digital storefronts.

From July 1, Australia will officially begin participating in a global pilot program that attempts to regulate the enormous volume of games being released online using the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) tool, which has been adopted by the UK, the USA, Canada, Brazil, and most of Europe.

Before the IARC model was adopted, video games released through digital storefronts did not have to be rated by the Classification Board.

'Not realistic' to manually classify each game

A spokesperson from the Attorney-General's Department has acknowledged it is not realistic for the Classifications Board to have direct oversight of the vast amount of digital content available.

"Due to the online explosion, there are hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of games currently available online," a department spokesperson said.

"It is not realistic or practicable for the Classification Board to manually classify each of them."

Hotline Miami 2: banned in Australia last January

PHOTO: Hotline Miami 2 was banned in Australia earlier this year

"In preparation for the pilot, a large 'back catalogue' of games has been classified — more than 150,000 to date," the spokesperson said.

"After 12 months, classification ministers will determine whether the IARC tool should be a permanent part of the Australian classification scheme."

The tool requires game developers to complete an online form that categorises explicit content like violence and nudity into hundreds of sub-categories.

The sub-categories questions cover a vast range of potentially controversial material.

For example, the IARC form enquires: "Does the game contain any bodily functions such as belching, flatulence, or vomiting when used for humorous purposes?"

The form also asks developers whether their game contains fictitious creatures that bare naked breasts, offering the example of a harpy.

The results of each IARC form are then calibrated to the unique sensitivities of each participating country's classification board.

The Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA) is welcoming the Government's adoption of the IARC tool.

Online game store releases '180,000-200,000 titles' in 12 months

"If you look at some storefronts that exclusively do digital, over the last year they released about 180,000-200,000 titles" IGEA CEO Ron Curry said.

"If you look at the Classification Board, they're doing about 400 Classifications a year, so you can see there is a big gap between what they are doing and what's been released."

Mr Curry says if developers intentionally provide misleading information in the IARC form, the onus will be on players themselves to dispute the rating.

"The good thing about IARC is because it's a global system, it doesn't need to be a family in Melbourne that sees a problem with it, it could be a family in Munich who highlight it," he said.

"And if it's highlighted in Germany, for example, and the classification is changed in Germany, or anywhere else in the world, every other jurisdiction will be notified."

Flat Earth Games' debut reached #2 on Apple Store Charts

PHOTO: Saw potential in going digital: Flat Earth Games' debut peaked at #2 on the Apple Store Charts.

Independent game developers have flocked to service the burgeoning market to service the rise of smartphones and tablets over recent years.

Leigh Harris is one such Australian game developer who co-founded an indie game development company, Flat Earth Games, with his brother Rohan.

Their debut release was a medieval city simulator called Towncraft, which peaked at the second highest position in the Apple Store charts.

Mr Harris admits he was attracted by the lack of red tape required to publish games online.

"We saw the app store and thought, 'wow, suddenly this is within our reach'," he said.

Massive growth in digital market

Mr Harris says one of the reasons developers have moved towards releasing games online is because they don't have to go through the expensive process of applying through individual countries' classification schemes, which was not realistic for small companies like his.

"If you're talking about a small game that you might have made for a couple of thousand dollars, spending a couple thousand dollars just to get it classified in Australia is a bit problematic," he said.

By comparison, the IARC process is free for developers to use when they submit a game to the Google Play store.

In 2011, Google commissioned a report on the way forward for media regulation in Australia.

One of its authors, Macquarie University's Professor Catharine Lumby, said she welcomed the introduction of the coalition's model, but said some would still like the Classification Board to have a more restrictive approach to online content.

"New media platforms and technologies have outstripped their capacity to do that, and really, what this brings on is an opportunity as well as a necessity for Australians to think far more reflectively about what are our values around what content is appropriate," Professor Lumby said.

And she had a simple message for those who would like a return to the good old days.

"In this era, any parent who thinks that government alone will protect their children from inappropriate content is dreaming."

Topics: games-on-the-web, games, arts-and-entertainment, censorship, information-and-communication, games-industry, australia

First posted Tue at 3:58am

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Thursday, July 2, 2015

Australia Bans Tons of Video Games- ABC

Australia bans 220 video games in 4 months as Government adopts new classification model

'Not realistic' to manually classify each game

Online game store releases '180,000-200,000 titles' in 12 months

Massive growth in digital market

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