"Classification of electronic games is very different from the classification of film. In cinemas, the age of moviegoers can be regulated… Rising game and console sales make it clear that this is a growing area that needs careful regulation, even more so than cinemas and private D.V.D. hire and purchase. Access to electronic games, once in the home, cannot be policed and therefore the games are easily accessible to children." (Source:
A Letter From Michael Atkinson | Kotaku Australia )
The same can be said for DVD's and VHS's of Pornography or any other film that is rated
above the age of the individual viewing them. Parents are responsible for the policing of their own children in their own homes. If a parent fronts up and says, "This game has made my child naughty" it is their own fault for allowing them to play it. It is also their responsibility for buying the game from retailers. Why should retailers lose profit because a parent didn't use common sense when buying a game?
It is a ridiculous notion to assert that the political establishment knows better than a child’s parent, and it is one usually raised by the same politically correct do-gooders who have spent their entire life within the confines of the academic establishment without any first-hand experiencing of parenting themselves.
The increasing technical complexity of video games has arguably opened the way for a new form of art, championed by the likes of Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid) and Quantic Dream (Heavy Rain, Indigo Prophecy). It is an insult to the intellect of the average gamer to assert that any games rated over 18+ only intrinsic value lies in its ability to depict gratuitous acts of violence. If a Sydney Council can dump a pile of mulch on a lawn and call it art, I’m going to take a leap and say video games are an art form too.
The key issue remains however that the average age of gamers has risen in the past decades, and it now rests at 30+ and is unlikely to fall as this same gamer demographic will age along with the rest of the populace. It should only be a formality that we introduce a classification of R 18+ for video games.