Australia Might Add R18+ Rating to Games, Ceasing the Need for Bans

Australia has never been that friendly towards games that offer gratuitous violence or over-the-top sexual content, but that might be changing in the near-future. As it stands, the Australian rating system doesn’t allow games to sell that include a rating above MA15+, which is somewhat right in between the ESRB’s Teen and Mature ratings… so it results in a lot of game titles having to suffer through mass editing or being banned entirely.

But this might change if a few government officials follow through with their ideas. If passed, Australia will be allowed to sell games with an R18+ rating, essentially ridding the need for editing content prior to release and also banning of certain titles. This decision was no doubt helped by the fact that over 50% of the country are 18 years and older, so banning mature titles is cutting out a large part of the market. For the sake of all Aussie gamers, I hope to see this become a reality. Too much of the world is censored for no good reason…

Luckily for gaming Aussies (50 percent of which are over the age of 18), government officials are considering the addition of an R18+ rating, allowing the sale of more mature titles. This proposition will be discussed at the next Standing Committee of Attorneys-General on March 28. Should the system undergo the change, for the first time in Australian video games, there will be blood, nudity, and strong language. You know, the good stuff.

Source: Joystiq