Thread: L4D2 Refused Classification in Australia

well, does that mean that you should exclude all others under the age of 18? Im 15 and personally, I believe I'm more than mature enough to play a violent video game, but because of the ESRB, does that mean I should miss out on all of those titles? No.

The ESRB, and most other videogame rating organizations, are around to give suggested age groups who should be allowed to play the videogame. But it is a suggestion. The austrailian government has no reason to completely take the consumer option out of the equation. (Well, obviously they DO have the right, I mean, they are the national government). But software ratings are suggestions, and are no means set in stone.

well, does that mean that you should exclude all others under the age of 18? Im 15 and personally, I believe I'm more than mature enough to play a violent video game, but because of the ESRB, does that mean I should miss out on all of those titles? No.

The ESRB, and most other videogame rating organizations, are around to give suggested age groups who should be allowed to play the videogame. But it is a suggestion. The austrailian government has no reason to completely take the consumer option out of the equation. (Well, obviously they DO have the right, I mean, they are the national government). But software ratings are suggestions, and are no means set in stone.

Originally Posted by chuckg0928

The austrailian government has no reason to completely take the consumer option out of the equation. (Well, obviously they DO have the right, I mean, they are the national government).

The parenthesis were unnecessary. The government doesn't have the right to ban something becomes they thinks it is inappropriate.

And, yes, you are right that the ratings are a guide. However, the reason that you need to be over 17 to buy an M game (or whatever is equivalent in the country) is that the parent needs to be involved in deciding whether the game is appropriate for their child or not. Sorry, but you are not an adult yet, and this is one of those things that your parents still need to be involved in.

However, I find it hypocritical for the Australian government to not have some sort of M18+ rating. Without this they let in games like Fallout 3 that are targeted to the late teens/college age group as a 15+ game. Even censored, these games have a more mature tone that is inappropriate for any 15 to walk in and buy. I fail to see why they won't have a mature rating; it would allow them to more effectively keep mature games out of those it may inappropriate for.

*sighs* This whole situation makes me sick. The ESRB in my opinion does it right. They have a tier of ratings with detailed reasons on the back of the game why it is has the rating it does. Then it leaves it up to the consumer to decide what is and isn't appropriate for whomever may be playing. Along with that, the kiss of death rating AO is very hard to get. Instead of banning the game, it just makes it impossible to make a profit off it because major retailers will not carry it just as they will not carry XXX rated movies or porn.

Seems to function fine without any government interference. The only issue is most parents don't pay much attention to what they're buying their kids. Something that can only be fixed by the parents. I don't see the need to actually censor material that is not being broadcast on a publicly accessible channel. No one is going to accidentally stumble upon it, you have to go out and buy the game. The point of ratings should be to inform the consumer what kind of game they are buying. From there it is up to them, not the government, to decide what is appropriate.