back to article Oz goes mad with the ban-hammer

The number of computer games refused classification by the Australian Classification Board has exploded following the trial of a new international rating system called the International Age Ratings Coalition. According to Twitterer @RefusedC, only 77 games received the ban between 1995 and January 2015. Following the adoption …

  1. Thorne

    What's the point?

    The whole point of a R18+ level is so nothing should be banned. All banning does it create a black market for the game. It's not like anyone with a VPN couldn't buy it as a digital download from overseas anyway so what's the point?

    1. dan1980

      Re: What's the point?

      No, that's not the point or R18+.

      I'm not saying I agree with it, but there has never been the idea that if you are over 18 then all content should be accessible.

      It has always been the position of the government and classification board that some content is too objectionable to to sold, regardless of age. Exactly what content falls under this definition is another matter altogether and there is a point to be made that too much is lumped into that, but the concept is not new.

      Drug use, for example, has always been a no-no, hence the refusal for "Time for Cocaine". Likewise, content that depicts sexualisation of minors is not going to be approved, which may explain "Charming Cheerleading Girl".

      What content should or should not be allowed is bound to be a debate but there is not and has never been any suggestion that an R18+ rating suddenly makes all content okay.

      1. Thorne

        Re: What's the point?

        There is no point to banning in the global marketplace.

        The Australian government can ban whatever they like and anybody can bypass the ban in seconds flat thus makes the ban worthless.

        Southpark had to remove the anal probing scene from their game to bypass the ban in Australia and replaced it with a picture of a crying koala. Now I can go straight onto the net via my VPN and download the banned US version.

        Banning is a total waste of time.

        1. dan1980

          Re: What's the point?

          @Thorne

          With the disclaimer that I am very anti censorship, I do believe that banning a game does indeed accomplish something because it will often result in a game being altered for release in Australia and most people will buy that copy.

          Not for everyone and I know some people who bought Saints Row IV and activated and played it through VPNs to make sure they got the version complete with anal probe weapon but I would argue that most people in Australia who bought the game bought the Australian version.

          Likewise with Left 4 Dead 2 - I know someone who got an uncensored copy from OS before it was re-released, uncensored after the introduction of the R18+ rating. But I would almost guarantee that most people, again, did buy the Australian version.

          Not that I have hard numbers of course, but people are fundamentally lazy and crave convenience and so will go for the easier option.

          Refusing classification to a mainstream game (rather than throw-away mobile games like the ones listed in the link) will often simply be the first step - the game is submitted for classification and then refused so the studio make their case and will likely end up changing the game and re-submitting it.

          If the studio is not willing to do that then it is quite likely that people will buy it from overseas or pirate it, depending on the availability and technical protections that may need to be circumvented to do buy an overseas copy. On Steam, for example, there are pretty wide-reaching region locks, including preventing you from gifting a game from some regions to other regions. Much of that is to maintain regional pricing but also to enforce bans.

          And, given Steam requires online re-activation to play games, it's easy for them to make sure specific games aren't purchased or activated or played in whichever regions where they are banned. Sure, you can use a VPN but that can get you in trouble with Steam, who will block your account and thus prevent you accessing ALL you games so it's a bit of a risk.

          If you've got a console then it's generally easier as you can just order a copy of the game from another country that is uncensored and is compatible but the simple truth is that most people won't unless they really want to play a game that has been refused classification or are adamant that they play an uncensored copy.

          So I get your point, which seems to be that you can't completely prevent people from playing a game but I would argue that that doesn't make refusing classification pointless because it often results in an amended game and, even when it doesn't, not all that many people will go to the effort required to obtain a copy from elsewhere - especially if it's distributed on something like Steam.

          Again - I'm against censorship using too heavy a hand and think the censorship in Australia is definitely over-done, but that is different from claiming that it doesn't achieve anything.

  2. kyza
    Childcatcher

    Not only do I have to pay a lot more for my games, I also have the wonderful nannying government telling me what I can and can't buy.

    Which is why I still have a UK PSN account, and have found it easier to order games and have them shipped to Aus from both the US and UK than buying them from EB Games or JB Hifi.

  3. dan1980

    Looking through the list, they seem like mobile games and very few of them of any merit.

    I think I will be just fine without:

    • Measure Bra Size Prank
    • HoboSimulator
    • AK-47 Simulator
    • 9mm Simulator
    • Naked Scanner Pro - Free
    • 2015 Athletic Fruits Girls
    • Test Application w23
    • Virtual marijuana smoking
    • w24mdf paid app
    • Fun Swimming Pool Love Kiss
    • Torture the Murderer 2
    • Spin The Bottle
    • Spin The Bottle Premium
    • Dress Up: Mom and Daughter

    One thing I notice is that there are many games which appear to be variations on a theme, such as the following offerings from developer/publisher "Weed Time": "Smoke A Bong", "Smoke A Joint", "Smoke A Bong FREE", "Smoke A Joint FREE", "Nose Dose" and then, on the entrepenaurial side: "Weed Garen The Game", "Weed Bakery The Game" and, the culmination orf your efforts: "Weed Shop The Game". The first of these - "Weed Garden" - is billed by the developers as "the most stunning 3D weed game ever made!" Fair enough.

    If Weed Shop is refused then it's really no surprise that The Bytes Brothers' "Shroom tycoon 2" will be banned.

    There also seems to be a quite a few test applications here as well.

    I suspect the large number is entirely due to the mobile app space, where games are comparatively cheap and easy to make and sell and thus there is a huge amount of crap and, with the new classification regime, more games are able to be reviewed than before. Presumably, classifying "Chicken2.0 The Adult Sex Game" would otherwise be fairly low down their list and thus wouldn't even have reached the RC stage.

  4. corestore

    How the fsck...

    ...do you BAN a game, in any *meaningful* sense of word, in the age of downloads and Steam?!

    1. dan1980

      Re: How the fsck...

      From being legally sold, yes.

      That's what a 'ban' is - a legal decree that some thing is not allowed. It won't 100% prevent people from playing it but it will mean that anyone selling it to Australia will be breaking the law.

      Remember that these aren't high-profile games being refused classification so unless you were really looking forward to "Yatzy Paradise!Hot Guys" and its sibling, YatzyGolden!IntimateHotties" then it's unlikely you would even know of their existence, much less be willing to jailbreak your phone to install them.

      Big name games tend to be altered - as Fallout 3 was* - or get a locality-specific version with the problematic content removed, such as happened with the Witcher 2, where a certain quest was altered slightly, and so still get released and most people just get the local copy because the changes are rarely of great import.

      There are still, of course, some games that had been refused classification and not altered that people have certainly sourced from elsewhere (or pirated), such as Syndicate, and the Postal series or Manhunt and there are others that have been censored for Australia but where people have deliberately sought out uncensored copies, as happened with Left 4 Dead 2 (before the introduction of the R18+ classification).

      I get what you are saying, but, generally speaking, the content that is deemed most offensive by the censors is relatively effectively blocked for the vast majority, with only rather determined people circumventing the restrictions.

      Remember too, that issue is SALE of this content - not possession. Take pornography for example, where 'X' rated content is not allowed to be sold in most states but is legal to own. Thus, one can buy X rated pornography from Canberra and store and watch it in Victoria quite legally.

      * - Changing 'Morphine' to 'Med X'.

      1. corestore

        Re: How the fsck...

        "From being legally sold, yes.

        That's what a 'ban' is - a legal decree that some thing is not allowed. It won't 100% prevent people from playing it but it will mean that anyone selling it to Australia will be breaking the law."

        Small typo there, let me fix: "anyone selling it *IN* Australia will be breaking the law"

        I'm in America. I can sell anything I like within *American* law. Including games to Australia. Aussie law applies in Australia and only in Australia. This is a textbook example of what I call 'Canute Syndrome'; legislating it as if there's a little local internet for local people.

        Now if they want to make it illegal to BUY certain games in Australia, criminalize the purchaser... well they can go down that road, but they'll look very very foolish, and rather authoritarian.

        1. dan1980

          Re: How the fsck...

          Sorry - yes, a typo!

          That said, the distributors or even the developers themselves may lock their games on online platforms - like Steam.

          As an instance of the first, Hatred was region-locked on Steam by the developers and, as an instance of the second, Hotline Miami 2 and South Park were both region-locked by Steam, as was/is Manhunt.

  5. VinceH

    "According to Twitterer @RefusedC, only 77 games received the ban between 1995 and January 2015. Following the adoption of the IARC guidelines, that number has blown out to 241 games to March 18, 2015. That works out to be an average of 40 games banned per month."

    Is that some creative maths, or is there some information I'm missing? As I see it, the 'per month' figure since January 2015 appears to be notably higher than 40 games per month - how much higher depends what point in January the 1995 to January 2015 figure actually ends.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    We are being governed by religious zealots

    The LNP is awash with religious fundies. These people will probably try and ban mixed school dances next.

    Keep your ridiculous beliefs to yourself.

  7. Swarthy

    WTF?!

    Can someone explain what dastardly evil is propagated by "New Little Horse Puzzle" and "TicTacpinky"?

    One is a 'My Little Pony'-esque puzzle game for kids, the other is a freakin' tic-tac-toe game! I can see why they might not want 'Sniper 3D Assault Zombie' or some of the pot-themed games, and I guess some of them didn't have a classification banned, so much as it was not worth the time to give it a classification (EG: Measure Bra Size Prank)

    But really, they banned a tic-tac-toe game. What the hell? Unless it was RC because of Quality issues (It would crash all devices used to evaluate it) or it was a cover for malware or unscrupulous charging, then seriously, WTF? And if that were the case, could they at least put something for the justification other than "For further information regarding the reason for this decision, please contact us."

    1. dan1980

      Re: WTF?!

      @Swarthy

      Well, the only way to win is not to play, so there's that.

      But, seriously, perhaps the application simply wasn't submitted correctly - with relevant information missing - or the publishers weren't contactable or the code sent for review was buggy and thus unusable.

  8. TimChuma

    Maybe a publicity stunt for some of them?

    "Banned in Queensland" used to be used for cheap publicity in Australia (they banned films but the political system was crooked.) Some of the smaller companies would not have the resources to change their apps for such a small market.

    It is a "self reporting" system so their might be some exaggeration.

  9. TimChuma

    Gone from Google Play Store also

    That was quick! Must be geoblocked. I am sure they will block other "banned content" in time

  10. TimChuma

    Some are no longer banned

    In the time it took me to get an answer back from the OFLC which was "we can't say why this game was banned" some of the games are no longer on the Refused Classification list

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like