Video game censorship and the possible introduction of a restricted R18+ rating for games in Australia continue to be two fervently argued subjects. With the government-issued public consultation process scheduled to close at the end of this month, we spoke with groups on both sides of the fence to hear their opinions on why they believe the introduction or blocking of a mature rating for games is so important. First up is Nicolas Suzor, chair of Electronic Frontiers Australia, a nonprofit group that seeks to uphold the civil liberties of Australian citizens online. EFA is an active commentator on issues including mandatory ISP filtering, digital economy, and copyright and continues to lobby the Australian Government for change.

　　GameSpot AU: Do you support the introduction of a restricted R18+ category for video games in Australia?

　　Nicolas Suzor: EFA supports the introduction of an R18+ rating for video games for two main reasons. Firstly, we believe that Australian adults should have the right to experience interactive media that deals with complex themes that are unsuitable for minors. Games and gamers are growing up; if it was ever true, it's certainly not true now that gamers are only children. Like other forms of expressive media, we believe that adults should be able to choose what games are suitable for themselves.

　　The second reason is that introducing an R18+ rating will better empower adults and parents to make informed choices about what games are suitable for themselves and their children. The R18+ rating is a powerful signifier that the particular game has strong adult themes or contains material that may not be suitable for children. The lack of such a rating means that parents sometimes face significant difficulties in identifying whether a particular game will be appropriate for their children. A major goal of Australia's classification scheme is to provide the information that Australians need to make informed choices; the current scheme suffers from a serious flaw in holding out that all games sold in Australia are suitable for minors.

　　GS AU: Are games being appropriately and consistently classified under the current rating system?

　　NS: This is an interesting question. There is no doctrine of precedent applied to the classification of computer games, and it is difficult to identify consistent trends. We believe, however, that the Classification Board engages the task of classification to the best of its ability. While there are discrepancies in the different ratings assigned to different titles, this reflects a certain subjectivity inherent in the system, rather than a flaw with the Classification Board itself.

　　Interestingly, our research shows that approximately half of the games that received an MA15+ rating in 2009 were considered to be suitable only for adults under the UK and US rating schemes (ESRB, BBFC, and PEGI). While some local variance is expected, we believe that Australian parents would be better suited by creating an R18+ rating and increasing the rating on a large proportion of these titles. (See, for example, the controversy about MW2--a game which Inifinity Ward and Activision have both stated was designed for adults, but which only received an MA15+ rating in Australia, Mature under ESRB, 18 under both BBFC and PEGI.)

　　GS AU: Does the current classification system adequately inform consumers about the content found in games?

　　NS: As mentioned above, I believe that the current system fails to adequately inform parents and consumers in general about the content of video games with adult themes. An R18+ rating sends a clear signal; at the moment, our system often either bans games that other countries permit or allows games with an MA15+ rating that the rest of the world agrees are only suitable for adults.

　　GS AU: Who should choose which content Australian adults view?

　　NS: To the greatest extent possible, we believe that adults should be able to choose what content they believe is suitable for their own use and that parents should be empowered to make that choice for their children. There are obviously some exceptions to this general statement, but we believe that adults should be able to access games that deal with complex adult themes.

　　GS AU: Do you agree with the current unanimous decision required by all State and Federal Attorneys-General to amend the National Classification Scheme?

　　NS: We are hopeful that the State and Federal Attorneys-General will act in a reasonable, evidence-based manner following the conclusion of the imminent national review. We believe that the case for the introduction of an R18+ rating is strong, and that rather than increase the exposure of children to adult-themed interactive entertainment, an R18+ rating will empower parents to make more informed choices. We are therefore hopeful that an R18+ rating will be introduced in the near future to bring the regulation of video games in line with other forms of media.

　　To the extent that such rationalising efforts have been blocked in the past by a small number of Attorneys-General, we have been disappointed. Every major review over the last decade and a half has recommended the introduction of an R18+ rating, and each time, these recommendations were not taken up by SCAG (the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General). While we are obviously extremely disappointed that public discourse and the democratic process have been harmed by particularly misguided individuals in the past, we hope that now that our elected officials have had more time to become familiar with the expressive capacity of interactive entertainment, a similar recommendation will not be blocked in the future.

　　GS AU: What do you think Australia's pro and anti R18+ support results will look like once the national public consultation closes?

　　NS: I think the last few R18 inquiries show that there is a lot of community support for an R18+ rating and that the majority of opposition comes from people who don't really understand how classification works or what the goals of classification in Australia are. Classification--at least in the broad Australian policy framework--exists primarily to help people make informed choices and to protect people from accidental access. I think that unless we were to radically change the purpose of classification in Australia to fulfil a morally conservative censorship function, then logic would seem to dictate that an adult classification system more appropriately addresses the goals of classification than banning adult games.

　　Having said that, I'm not really in a position to estimate what the results will look like; I am hopeful, however, that people are starting to realise how interactive media can be expressive and legitimately deal with much more difficult subject matter than our traditional conceptions of children's video games.

　　GS AU: Nicolas Suzor, thanks for your time.

　　Stay tuned for information on other groups that support or block an R18+ rating for games in Australia. In the meantime, check out GameSpot AU's Aussie Games Classification FAQ feature, and the EFA's draft public consultation document here.