R18+ Games in Australia

As it is now, R18+ games are banned in Australia. There are a lot of people saying that violent games affect persons in real life. I personally do not believe that games affects a person's real life.

R18+ games are no different to R18+ movies books. Why are we allowed to watch and read any R18+ material, but not play it? I believe that this legislation is restricting our freedom of choice. We are allowed to watch any movie or read any book. Adults are treated like children when it comes to games. The legislation prevents mature adults from seeing material that they can see online or on a T.V. show, only because it is in a game.

Banning R18+ games in Australia, is encouraging piracy. Globally, over $48 billion of games and software is illegally downloaded each year, with Australia contributing to $100 million. A lot of this piracy will be eliminated by allowing adults to play the games that they want to play. The Australian customs will seize any material that has not been classified by the classification board. At the worst, the importer could face up to a $110,000 fine. It is easy to see why Australians quickly download a game from the internet, there are almost no risks. Game piracy is hurting Australia gaming industry. Gaming companies do not get access to governments incentives or tax breaks. Companies rely on all the sales they can make to survive.

The highest rating allowed in Australia is MA15+. If a games is rated R18+ in any other country, it is refused classification on its first attempt. Creators will usually then make minor changes in the game until it is allowed. Unfortunately, there are still R18+ material in the game. This allows young players to see R18+ material.

Some game developers use Australia  as marketing for their game. For example: Some games is New Zealand writes "Banned in Australia" on the front cover. This may encourage people to download the game illegally. Sometimes game developers can't afford to make changes to their game, resulting is Australians just completely missing out.

Australians are in need of a stronger game classification system. As it is now, young children can view explicit material, and adults are not allowed to play games that they want to.