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Graffiti Game Banned in Australia
afaik_ianal writes "The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that 'Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure' has been banned in Australia. The game involves battling the authorities to overthrow corrupt officials using only street fighting skills and graffiti. From the article, "The decision was endorsed last night by the Federal Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, who had asked the board to review of the game's MA15+ classification after local councils and state governments voiced concerns that the game would promote graffiti.""
I've got an idea for a character in the next version of the game.
But seriously, most of the games out there promote violence, road rage, all kinds of stuff, and they can still be sold. What makes graffiti so important?
http://michaelsmith.id.au
I've never understood the whole idea behind banning video games and trying to blame them for various social problems. That's giving games much more influential power than they, or any form of media, ever has had. Really, if someone decides to spray paint just because they've been playing this game, they have other problems unrelated to video games. Parents should be regulating the games that come into their home, because they are the only ones who know if THEIR child is mature enough to understand them. It's not up to the government... And plus, the people in power today see video games as "new" and "confusing." Maybe when people raised on Atari, Nintendo, etc gain political power, we won't see such a witch-hunt on games.
I lived in Melbourne for nearly five years, and I used to really enjoy looking at the graffiti whilst on boring train journeys. I'd MUCH rather look at the graffiti - some of which is absolutely amazing - than a plain, blank grey wall for an hour, but that's just me I suppose.
It would be a much better use of time if they could stop the trains on the Frankston line smelling like stale piss.
"Proudly Posting Without Reading The Article"
I'm sorry but I can't be supportive of any game that encourages breaking the law.
So, do you think this game should be banned? It encourages kids to take the roles of 19th century slaves illegally running away and depriving their masters of their lawfully-owned property!
And what about this game, where players are encouraged to steal a continent from its indigenous people, and then to commit high treason against their monarch? Clearly it should be banned! Won't somebody think of the children?!
Sorry, but breaking the law is not always wrong. I would far rather our children were being taught to think for themselves and to actually consider the moral implications of various acts, than that they were being brainwashed into a black-and-white "Obey the laws because the State Knows Best" worldview.
If there is hope, it lies with the proles. Let's educate them.
The difference is that most kids know that killing is wrong, and won't kill someone because of that (as opposed to not killing someone solely because they might get caught). But a lot of kids put graffiti in the same category as underage smoking/drinking, smoking marijuana, shoplifting, and other nonviolent offenses. Nobody gets injured by graffiti and vandalism, so it seems more like a victimless crime, and so a kid's sense of morality is more likely to be swayed by peer pressure and media influence.
I'm not saying the game should be banned. Freedom of speech and all that. But I am saying that games like Getting Up and Tony Hawk's Underground 2 should be rated closer to the adult end of the scale by the ESRB and that retailers should take this rating into account when selling games directly to minors. I'm also saying that developers should think about the impact that their work has on society and make an informed decision about whether they're handling things responsibly, rather than just thinking, "Man, this is sweet!" and charging forward.