Australia Bans Sale Of Fallout 3

Well, this might be a first. Since when do RPG/strategy games become the basis for controversy and banning?

Bethesda is learning the hard way that Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification doesn't care about genres; they only care about content, and they have refused to classify Fallout 3. In other words, they've handed down the dreaded "RC" label, which makes it illegal to sell the game in that country. We don't know how they came to this decision, but an early rumor claims it's for "drug use" seen vividly in the game. Others just believe it has to do with gore, but either way, this is bad news for Bethesda and Red Ant, so it'll be interesting to see what they plan to do about it. They may simply go back to the editing room and make a few more cuts for the sake of the Australian gaming public, but if they don't, you can definitely expect some importing from those in the land down under.

Rockstar had to do it with Grand Theft Auto IV, but to be perfectly honest, we never thought it would have to happen for something like Fallout 3. ...you Aussies got it rough.

Related Game(s): Fallout 3

7/9/2008 Ben Dutka

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Comments (Beta)

LCF
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 11:12:45 AM
Reply

Im not saying our rating system is the best or that we even enforce it over 20% of the time.But maybe adopt our system and just enforce it like we do for alcohol,all present must show I.D.

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Deleted User
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 1:28:12 PM

Too bad. Fallout 3 is going to be one of the best games coming out this fall.

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Zapix
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 5:07:05 PM

Like the sale of alcohol, tobacco, etc, these things have a loophole. A parent, older brother/sister or friend can always get it if you're not of age. The other 50% comes back to the content, which ppl can cry all they want it has nothing to do with young and adolesent behavior, but it does. However, parenting is also 50% of the problem.

So ratings while they should have value, really don't do much. They're meant to be useful in the same way McDonalds has to state on a cup of coffee "contents are hot" or a baby stroller states to remove your kid before folding it up. There are people out there looking for any chance to sue... Ratings are simply protective means to keep companies from lawsuits, but also intended to give parents (should parents be doing their job as parents) an idea of age appropriate content for their children.

Does this make Aussie's decision the right choice? No, not really, but I can see their viewpoint just as well as I can see the gamer viewpoint of 'wtf?! why do I have to get a cut version'

Last edited by Zapix on 7/9/2008 5:09:07 PM

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Qubex
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 12:12:46 PM
Reply

If it can help stop motivating youngsters to walk into a college classroom and blow his mates away with a real weapon, why not?

You never know these days!

Q!

"All RoAdS LeAd TOo HoMe"

Last edited by Qubex on 7/9/2008 12:13:06 PM

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LCF
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 12:17:57 PM

That's a narrow view Qubex and we could have a long ass debate about it,I only have a few hours of sleep in 2 days...so your lucky lol.

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ThePoetRazel
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 12:26:15 PM

Show me a single study out of the 100s out there that shows media like movies or games can cause or even trigger violence or other such anti-social behavior. Cos i don't know of any such study.

This is just the good old censorship groups flexing their muscles. There are no good arguments in favor of censorship that don't cite some sort of small minded ideology or personal morality. As Nietzsche once pointed out, there is no such thing as a universal moral. So perhaps these ranting suits should try respecting the views of their fellow man rather than running people's lives.

Last edited by ThePoetRazel on 7/9/2008 12:27:00 PM

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SHADOW [Moderator]
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 5:07:58 PM

Ratings for all kinds of media have a place in todays world and should be legally inforced. A 13-YEAR-OLD HAS NO BUISNESS BEING ABLE TO BUY GTA FROM ANYWHERE.That being said I also don't believe rating systems should have the power to ban something outright. If stores don't want to sell it that is fine, it's their choice. The government however has no business telling tax paying adults what types of media they can and can't enjoy.

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danr
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 6:01:15 PM

I got my first GTA game when I was 12. (My mum bought it for me) But am I a psycho killer? Not yet anyway...
Not like I'll ever be one tho
I enjoy living life dangerously, its more fun, but no-one has ever been injured, and never will, except for maybe me. But it'll be worth it for the fun. And YouTube videos.

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SHADOW [Moderator]
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 7:28:03 PM

Don't misunderstand me. I think that if a parent decides to let their child play m-rated games or watch r-rated movies that is their perogative. But in so many places (not neccessarily here) you hear people argue on message boards that that this stuff has no effect on children and they should be able to purchase the games. I don't care what studies say. If you honestly believe that an 8-year-old can't be effected by playing GTA you are clinically insane. I'm not saying that that if a kid plays GTA he'll grow up to be a serial killer or anything. I'm just saying that media does have a strong effect on kids (some teens and adults too).

In a slightly off-topic note: Am I the only gamer that believes that selling R rated movies and M rated games to kids should be illegal? It certainly seems that way.

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Zapix
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 9:42:31 PM

@Danr, as Shadow said, it's the choice of the parent, and while I'd say 12 might be really pushing it, I also have to remember that by that age I was playing Street Fighter II on the SNES, and at 13 I was playing Mortal Kombat on Sega Genesis (I refused to get the cut up bloodless SNES version and have been Anti-Nintendo ever since). However, I was also a good kid who was always well behaved, never got into any trouble, etc. That can be attibuted to good parenting. Although possible it's just in my genes too, as I'm told I was an incredibly quiet baby; not the restaurant crying type we all see.

Unfortunately, not all people are the same, nor are their parents, and parenting these days from observing other parents... Rarely takes place. It's become more of a "here, go play a game, mommy has a headache." Granted, not always the case, but it's far more common than ever as media becomes more and more intergrated into our daily lives. Sometimes to the point what kids learn is not at home, but what they see in tv, movies, games, music.

I'd say early teens is opening acceptable playing field age for these so called 18 games in many cases, although not all. Again, parenting being the final judge there. I'd be a hypocrite to say otherwise. Nobody is wired the same way though. Tossed you a up btw cause you're not a serial killer lol. Anyways, end of comment! No need to drag this on :P

Last edited by Zapix on 7/9/2008 9:45:08 PM

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MirrorSoul
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 12:32:40 PM
Reply

Im sorry but the Aussie goverment licks balls

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rowdy
Thursday, July 10, 2008 @ 9:11:04 AM

I live in Australia and all I can say is... they do lick balls.

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AntDC
Saturday, August 02, 2008 @ 8:14:17 PM

... and because New Zealand gets all its video game exports from Aus, we also miss out. Just because your government can't get its act together and introduce a decent rating system. I think the main problem with the Aus rating system is the max rating is MA 15 , meaning anyone can buy it. They don't use the 18 rating for games like they do for movies for some reason and just ban it if it hits that rating. They've still got it in their heads that every game is going to be played by kids and is aimed for them. And even if it is, that's not the classification boards job to worry about, it's the kids parents.

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Mista
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 3:49:34 PM
Reply

I think everyone needs to read this...
http://www.grandtheftchildhood.com/GTC/Home.html

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Zapix
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 5:19:33 PM

That's about as long as my average forum post, you expect ppl to read that? LOL j/k Read a bit through it, and having been a parent myself, some of the statements those kids made, reminds me of how my step kids mimic the things they see in games and TV.

Oh, and the note about Malvo, reminded me of a point often made in MGS4... How kids were brought up with violent television and games to prepare them and ready them to be child soldiers in PMCs. Even mastermind Hideo Kojima appears to see this.

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ThePoetRazel
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 6:51:36 PM

Pointless. It's trying to sell a book. And they are using scare tactics to sell it. That's what i call bull.
Anyway, that site is incorrect. Other studies have studied real children in real situations. The site makes a completely bogus claim that any psychology student knows is false.

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fatchad420
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 4:30:05 PM
Reply

In the other fall outs you could kill children, maybe you can still do it in fall out 3, maybe.

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ray taylor
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 8:10:08 PM
Reply

All I can say is that I can't wait. I have played this type of game for years. This article reminds me of when Doom 1st came out years ago. Any idiot that done something stupid blamed it on the game.
I'm 30 and have never tried to shoot my wife, kids or anyone else because I saw someone do it in a video game. This is the real world and not a video game and once people realise that maybe thing will be better in the world.

Last edited by ray taylor on 7/9/2008 8:10:42 PM

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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 8:49:32 PM
Reply

I agree entirely with what Shadow said. I hold a Psychology degree, and it has been proven over and over again that younger individuals are like sponges; they soak up everything they see and hear before they turn a certain age. To believe that a child playing something like GTAIV won't have an adverse affect on his/her development is just plain naive. It will most certainly have an effect, and it won't be a good one.

I believe the ratings are in place for a reason, and letting an 8-year-old play Soldier of Fortune is akin to child abuse. Most psychologists I've known over the years will certainly agree; it's a painfully obvious fact, and why we have ratings on entertainment products in the first place. They're not just there for show, for politics, or for anything else...they're there due to necessity, due to a parent's shocking inability to be a parent.

At the same time, I don't believe alarmist stuff like that GTA thing above, either. There is a happy medium when it comes to such subjects, but some people just want to take things too far and issue highly questionable "facts."

Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 7/9/2008 8:51:15 PM

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SHADOW [Moderator]
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 8:57:10 PM

Questionable facts is the understatement of the century. Many of these fear mongering organizations issue completely false, made up statistics and back them up with fake studies.

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ThePoetRazel
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 9:04:39 PM

That is exactly why a rating system should be enforced to a greater degree rather than simply banning things.
But mostly these censors are not banning media because it may fall into the hands of children but banning them in order to keep them out of the hands of adults.
Better enforcement of the law is what is needed, not an attack on the freedom of people to purchase and view materials that they want to.

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Tatsujin
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 9:12:06 PM
Reply

I agree with Ben and Shadow... Fu** the government, ill do whatever the fu** I want to and play and watch whatever the fu** I want to as long as it dosn't bother anyone else around me... The governments telling us "No to this, and no to that" is like saying "Thanks for living in our country, you have no freedom." Bastards, each and every single politican is a bastard in some area, wether it is taxes, entertainment or even laws, they are at some point bastard-like... and that pisses me off.

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SHADOW [Moderator]
Thursday, July 10, 2008 @ 3:44:20 AM

Tatsujin: You live in Chicago. Your government has never banned the sale of a video game. In fact our government is very lienant in what freedoms we can actually take advantage of. The only time games are "banned" in the US is when they recieve the AO rating. When that happens it's not the government but the console manufacturers that don't allow the game to be sold for their systems. And no major chain stores will sell AO rated games. While I do agree that our politicians are in general ignorant ass holes, we are a much free-er country then most, don't take that for granted.

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ceedot
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 10:19:50 PM
Reply

A South Australian member of parlament isn't allowing R rated games. All we need to do it get him to change his mind. It's kind bullsh**. I don't know a lot about this game but it still sucks not to have it.

Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 7/9/2008 10:26:56 PM

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rowdy
Thursday, July 10, 2008 @ 9:20:52 AM

I think it was the Attorney General(? or atleast some form of general) in S.A. that blocked the Office of Film and Literature Classification from being allowed to classify games as being R18 . The ironic thing is that many of the games released overseas that are restricted to 17 , or whatever the equivalent rating is, are issued with MA15 , so the same game is legally allowed to be sold to a younger audience over here. It seems that they won't release an 18 category because they refuse to believe that people over the age of 15 play games, even though it would allow them to further restrict the sale games with explicit content (which in my opinion is a good idea).

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ceedot
Wednesday, July 09, 2008 @ 10:22:48 PM
Reply

P.S. I work at a game store, and we sell games only to people with ID's, or with parent concent. It's extremely unfair for people who are actually allowed to play it, because they get all the sh** because they don't get to play it.

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ThePoetRazel
Thursday, July 10, 2008 @ 9:42:00 AM

My dad, who is very obviously a middle-aged man, was asked if he is over 16 when buying a PEGI rated 16 game at a GAME store. It may sound a little silly, but it does show that GAME's policies can't be said to allow kids to buy games that they shouldn't.

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Zubra-Zap
Thursday, July 10, 2008 @ 12:13:03 AM
Reply

Bringing it back to Fallout 3 for a sec, the prior releases never truly grasped me. Was busy with Diablo and Quake at that time. I have been doing my homework with how Fallout 3 will turn out and might even say I anticipate this more than RE5(bold statement).

The two sentece version: This game looks bad ass.

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SHADOW [Moderator]
Thursday, July 10, 2008 @ 3:47:41 AM

Wait. "This game is bad ass." I only see one sentence in you two sentence version. What the hell? This is a rip off.

Anyway I love this quote so much I must post it in every fallout 3 thread so here we go. From a lead designer at Bethesda on Fallout 3's V.A.T.S. targeting system - "It's kind of like burnout's crash mode except with body parts." Any game for which this is true is the definition of "bad ass".

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