Aussie Devs Don't Like Aussie Rating System

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And they use rather clear words on that! The President of Game Developers Association of Australia says the system is a "joke". It seems that if you can't make it under 18, then you can forget it, given as e.g. Fallout 3 has been denied classification, effectively barring it from the market. At the same time, in the film industry, grades for above 18 exist. Here's a snip:

The Australian video game classification system is a "joke", says Tom Crago, president of the region's Game Developers Association of Australia trade body.

"We are once again caught in this awful, ridiculous web of the antiquated classification system that we all have to endure," says Crago.

The country lacks a rating for games with content aimed at those 18 years of age or older -- even though an equivalent exists in film ratings. Titles with such content are routinely denied classification in the region, preventing them from ever launching there.

Read the rest at Gamasutra.

 

Yes that's right, we're the laughing stock of the gameing community

 

That's what I've always found completely bizzarre about the Australian system: if the boards refuses to rate a game then the game is illegal. That's the worst kind of censorship I can think. Why not create more ratings to cover these points and have the game as over-18 only, or whatever? I miss the old rating system from the mid-90s, where instead of an age you had a separate rating for violence, sexual content and mature themes. You knew exactly what you were getting, and if I was a parent I would find it much more useful than a generic "PG-13" or "R" or whatever, never mind when some of the ratings aren't even present. To be fair I think Australia just copied the UK's system, where the board can also refuse to classify the game. Both boards really need to rework their rating system.