Last Friday, the Australian Federal Government announced that it would begin the process of introducing an R18+ classification for video games, following an in-principle agreement by eight out of nine federal, state, and territory censorship ministers.

　　Later that day, EA became the first publisher to release a statement surrounding the news, telling GameSpot AU that the decision has been a long time coming.

　　Now, a number of key local game industry heads and public figures have also sounded off on the decision, giving their thoughts on how an R18+ rating will affect the future of game classification in Australia. Below are some of their responses.

　　Ron Curry, CEO of the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (iGEA):

　　"An in-principle agreement for an R18+ classification is a big step towards a robust ratings system that best equips parents to manage their children's access to appropriate content, as well as enables adults the ability to play games of their choice within the confines of the law.

　　"It is entirely reasonable that each minister should have taken the necessary time to fully understand the underlying issues and to grasp why Australia so desperately needs an adult classification for video games, and we look forward to entering into a dialogue with NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith.

　　"This is the first step in the legislative process, and until we can review the final guidelines, we can't fully assess the impact of an adult rating for games in Australia. We can be confident, however, that all content will be subjected to stringent classification guidelines, and games which exceed an R18+ classification rating will still be refused classification and banned in Australia. With an adult rating finally on the horizon, we can now better focus our energy on more relevant discussions around content classification, as entertainment formats and content continue to blur."

　　Tony Reed, CEO of the Game Developers' Association of Australia (GDAA):

　　"The GDAA consistently presents Australia as an advanced, ambitious investment destination, but the classification system has always contradicted that message. The country has been perceived internationally as being regressive to an industry that in its essence operates through innovation. The decision to support an R18+ rating positions Australia as a sophisticated territory and allows Australian developers to compete for investment in a similar environment to other modern economies."

　　Simon Corbell, ACT attorney-general:

　　"The ACT has consistently campaigned for this important reform, and we are pleased to see it implemented today. This decision will allow adults to access adult content on computer games in the same way that they already can for film and printed material. This decision also protects parents and their children by giving them better information and advice on the content of computer games, and whether or not they are suitable for young people.

　　"The R18+ classification was supported by all states and territories, including the Commonwealth, except for New South Wales, who abstained from the vote at the meeting. The meeting also decided to review other classifications for computer games in light of the in-principle agreement to introduce R18+. I congratulate all those attorneys who have supported this decision and look forward to seeing further details about amendments to the National Classification Code from the Federal Government."

　　Rob Ward, spokesperson for the Australian Christian Lobby:

　　"ACL was surprised that the issue was not deferred until the Australian Law Reform Commission completes its review of the National Classification Scheme, which includes examining the classification of games. Although ACL awaits the final detail from the meeting, it appears that the existing ceiling for games has been maintained with a commitment to move the more extreme MA15+ games into a newly created R18+ rating.

　　"With some tightening of the MA15+ category, the retention of the existing RC category and no liberalisation of the existing games market, the outcome today is a significant improvement from what had been previously put to ministers for their approval. The assurance of ministers who backed the R18+ rating as a means to protect children needs to be matched by action to prevent children from accessing such games.

　　"In this respect, ACL welcomes the agreement of ministers to commence drafting amendments to their enforcement legislation to reflect the introduction of an R18+ category for computer games. Concerns remain that the classification system over time allows higher levels of content to be pushed down into lower ratings. There is still some work to be done in ensuring classifiers apply ratings in a consistent manner, with the interests of assisting parents in mind."

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