Image: Shaun Greiner/Flickr (Creative Commons)
The bill that will see an R18+ classification for video games has now been finally introduced to Parliament. Introduced by Minister of Home Affairs Jason Clare, it has now been tabled and will be debated tomorrow.
The bill, Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Amendment (R 18+ Computer Games) Bill 2012, simply inserts R18+ in several sections of the current Act. How a game is determined to be a R18+ game is, however, not determined by law but by the Classification Board themselves. This will mean games:
- have no restrictions on treating themes – whether controversial or not.
- are allowed to have violence, given in context. This means that “frequently gratuitous, exploitative and offensive” will not be allowed in games unless it is given in some sort of context that is acceptable to the Classification Board.
- are allowed to present simulated sexual activity in a realistically.
- are allowed to feature drug use, but if used for incentives or rewards will not be permitted.
- are allowed to show nudity.
The full bill and the document that explains what this amendment is all about can be found below.