WB To Appeal Australia's Effective Ban on Mortal Kombat

They've got a point by Shadow+of+Eternity · 2011-03-01 19:16 · Score: 4, Insightful

Mortal Kombat without the (often hilariously) excessive violence is more or less like going to a strip club to look at shoes.

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Re:They've got a point by Anonymous Coward · 2011-03-01 21:10 · Score: 2, Interesting

Because movies have an R18+ rating which is what Kill Bill received and is what allowed it to be released, whereas games do not. Games have a maximum M15+ rating in this over-regulated nanny state of ours, so anything over that is simply banned. For the children.
All thanks to a few crusty old politicians that think kids are the only people that play video games, and that we need protection from ourselves. Meanwhile, every second show on TV is some stupid cop show where they show gruesome crime scenes and murders in full gory detail.
Fuck them.

More publishers need to follow this example by Anonymous Coward · 2011-03-01 19:17 · Score: 5, Insightful

It's good to see a publisher appealing this totally stupid decision instead of folding and releasing another watered down "Australian" version. If enough publishers do this it will continue to let lawmakers know that Australians are not little kids who cannot handle mature video game content that the rest of the world can.

Re:More publishers need to follow this example by thegarbz · 2011-03-01 20:59 · Score: 2

... I don't know of a single ban which didn't go through an often fruitless appeal process. Both AVP and L4D2 went through appeal processes as well. They very rarely if ever get overturned. There's nothing at all stupid about this decision, nor is there anything that even has room for an appeal. We don't have an 18+ rating, so anything that isn't suitable for 15 year olds gets on the refused classification list. Lets face it there's no way that the various horrendously bloodthirsty endings in Mortal Kombat deserve anything other than an 18+ rating.

It's not a poor decision as much as a result of bureaucratic red tape.
Re:More publishers need to follow this example by Aeternitas827 · 2011-03-01 21:33 · Score: 5, Insightful

It's not a poor decision that adults shouldn't be able to hop on down to their local game outlet and pick up a title they want, because the kiddies' heads might be addled by it?

It's not red tape, it's idiocy. Yes, the guidelines are set and codified, and they're ridiculous. Saying something isn't appropriate for a 15 year old (a generalization so ungodly vague, I can't even begin to analogize it) isn't suitable for sale to ANYONE in the country is preposterous; only someone saying that it's completely off-base (for one reason or another) is going to have a chance to bring attention to, and possibly change, the status quo.

End of the day, here's a brilliant idea: how about, worldwide, parents be parents. Take an interest in your child(ren)'s idle time, monitor what they do, what they buy, how they act, and how they communicate with the world outside of your home. And, holy hell, if you see or find something you find unsettling, talk to them about it, and if you're not successful in doing that, get outside help. Will there be some children that still fly off the handle? Unfortunately, yes, there will be--there's no sure-fire way to prevent someone who is truly ill from slipping through, and in some cases, those who are ill will take inspiration from creative works. But, remember, correlation does not equal causation, and if a parent pays goddam attention, some of the bull being blamed on games probably becomes avoidable.

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Re:More publishers need to follow this example by wildstoo · 2011-03-01 21:43 · Score: 4, Insightful

It's more likely that they realise that a lot of parents are fucking morons who don't give two shits about what they're buying for their children and the lawmakers are actually worried that little kids are a hot-button issue that could mean the difference between re-election and having to get a real job.
FTFY.
Re:More publishers need to follow this example by DrScotsman · 2011-03-01 22:26 · Score: 3, Insightful

I think you completely missed the point of the grandparent. He's saying that thanks to there not being an 18+ rating ("bureaucratic red tape"), banning the game was not a "poor decision", as the only other decision that could be made at the time is to make it 15+, which shouldn't be acceptable (something you don't seem to contest)
He never said that the lack of 18+ rating wasn't a poor decision - it's simply not the decision he's referring to (Unless when reviewing a game the ratings board have the power to instantly introduce the 18+ rating so they can rate that game as such, but I think it's safe to say that's impossible). I imagine he probably agrees with most of what you just lectured him on. Not sure how you got +3 insightful for poor reading.
Re:More publishers need to follow this example by commodore6502 · 2011-03-02 00:54 · Score: 2

>>>the only other decision that could be made at the time is to make it 15+
If I were a bureaucrat, that's exactly what I would do rather than be a Government Censor. If people complained I'd hold a press conference and tell them point blank, "Yes this game is violent, and it deserves a higher rating than 15, but your politicians didn't give me any other options. 15 is as high as they provided for the ratings boards. Obviously we need to update our laws to include an 'adults only' rating like the US and EU have done."
I would not be a willing participant in banning freedom of press, speech, expression.

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Re:More publishers need to follow this example by lxs · 2011-03-02 02:15 · Score: 3, Funny

I find your automatic linking of sex and violence more than a little disturbing... ...and kinda hot.
Re:More publishers need to follow this example by Cimexus · 2011-03-02 02:54 · Score: 2

It's not ~really~ spin-doctoring. There are genuine differences between this situation, and a situation of genuine government censorship. Namely, intent. The problem in Australia has arisen due to an inconsistency in the law, not through any active desire to censor or ban content. Indeed, the current government has publicly expressed their support for getting the problem fixed and introducing an R18 rating for games. And it will happen ... but legislative change takes time.
It is important to understand exactly the mechanism at work here, and how it differs from an actual ban. RC content is not banned. It is perfectly legal to own and play an RC game, or any other 'refused classification' content (except in WA and some areas of NT). There is no active desire on the part of the government to 'ban' this game or any other game. The content is not illegal - it merely doesn't fit within any of the defined rating categories and hence is unrated.
The situation is as follows:
- Media sold in Australia needs to carry a rating (generally a physical sticker). The ratings are: G, PG, M15+, MA15+, R18+, X18+. Media that doesn't have a rating cannot be sold (regardless of its content ... it could be aimed at preschoolers for what it's worth, but if it ain't got the sticker, you aren't permitted to put it on the store shelves). This is a point of difference cf. the US: US classifications are voluntary, whereas they are compulsory here. But that in itself isn't an issue provided you have a range of classifications to apply that encompass all content.
- However, the ratings system is quite old. Back when it was developed, the opinion was that 'only kids play games'. Therefore, the X18 and R18 ratings that exist for film, literature and any other type of media, were not included in the available ratings for games. This is partly an oversight, partly a lack of thought as to how this would effect things in the future (when gamers were mostly adult) and yes, partly driven by some polticians' ideologies.
- Result: games that have content that doesn't fit into MA15+ or lower must be refused classification. Again, this does not make the game ILLEGAL. It is not 'banned'. Australian stores simply can't ~sell~ it. So people that want to play the game will just have to buy from overseas/download from Steam/etc.
The Classifications Board themselves are big supporters of fixing the system so that the existing R rating can be applied to games. They'd love to be able to whack an R rating on it and let it through. But they can only work with the ratings that have been given to them to use.
Re:More publishers need to follow this example by Cinder6 · 2011-03-02 07:05 · Score: 2

That's like saying I have the right to murder people, but I should be aware I will go to go to jail for a long time (or forever, or be put to death). That's not a "right", that's "free will". A right is something you won't get punished for doing.

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If you can't convince them, convict them.

Not released in australia.. by Bert64 · 2011-03-01 19:19 · Score: 2

So the only way for someone living in australia to get a copy of this game is pretty much to pirate it?
It's highly likely that australians will stumble across advertisements for the game online, or people talking about it...

At least it's not the actual publisher creating the restriction for once.

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Re:Not released in australia.. by thegarbz · 2011-03-01 21:02 · Score: 2

The game isn't banned. It's refused classification and can't be sold in Australia. You're free to buy it elsewhere and bring it into the country, customs won't take it off you. You're free to order it online too which is why it was surprising that Left4Dead2 was actually censored for Australian release since it is effectively an American online shop. There's nothing preventing you from legally owning or doing what you want with it.
Re:Not released in australia.. by Anonymous Coward · 2011-03-01 21:26 · Score: 5, Informative

No, they cannot. As a German I can tell you that stores like Direct2Drive, Gamersgate, Impulse, Steam, etc. ALL enforce region restrictions. Games that are censored/banned here generally aren't being sold to Germans, even if the seller is a US (or some other country) company. It's fairly common to see restrictions like "this game is not available in your country" or even "this game is available worldwide except Korea, Germany and Australia".
Re:Not released in australia.. by mjwx · 2011-03-02 01:22 · Score: 2

No, they cannot. As a German I can tell you that stores like Direct2Drive, Gamersgate, Impulse, Steam, etc. ALL enforce region restrictions
As an Australian I can tell you that stores like Play-Asia, Zest (Thailand) and DVD.co.uk will ship the Euro, UK or US version of any game to Oz.

Thus further proving the irrelevance of the Classification Board as a moral police force, they should go back to doing "recommendations" rather then restrictions (P.S. Aussies, let your local blue arsed fly that you think that way, these views wont appear on Today Tonight, their regular source of information any time soon).

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Re:Not released in australia.. by Cimexus · 2011-03-02 02:59 · Score: 2

It's hard to see how you can say it's 'banned' if mere ownership of the item is perfectly OK. 'Banned' would imply that you shouldn't have the item, no matter how you got it. Refused Classification only means Aussie retailers can't put it on their shelves, because it doesn't have the little ratings sticker that it needs to have. But there is nothing stopping you downloading it, importing it etc. And once it's in your hand it's perfectly, utterly legal to play it as much as you want. The law in question here is a ~retail~ law - that you can't sell something that isn't carrying a valid ratings sticker. But the game itself is not illegal, banned, or any other similar word you might use.

Im all for fixing classification but.... by metalmaster · 2011-03-01 19:57 · Score: 2

Does this really matter? Someone mentioned in another story earlier this week that gamers will simply purchase this game from New Zealand if they want it that bad. Additionally, the PS3 is region-free so buying the game from an online retailer from another area isnt necessarily outta the question barring any silly import laws.

Those people who really want the game will find a way to get it.

Mortal Kombat without the (often hilariously) excessive violence is more or less like going to a strip club to look at shoes.

Typically I would agree with a statement like this, but MK is different. The original arcade versions contained silly red spray and spatter. Dismemberment looked cartoonish. Technology changed that, and today's versions of MK can be quite gruesome. The game evolved to show more blood and gore on purpose

I'm an Aussie, I just don't buy games in Aus by AbRASiON · 2011-03-01 21:10 · Score: 4, Interesting

I own a PS3 (and a PC) - I just import my games, they are cheaper, region free on the PS3- and normally 50% cheaper (sometimes less, often MORE than 50% cheaper)

Even if I haven't heard news that the game is going to be cut for Australian audiences anymore, I can't bare to risk the stupidity. Example GTA4, no one (in the public) really seemed to know about the US version having slightly different sex than the Aussie version until a few weeks after release. Fuck that stupidity, I'll just pay less - have the patience to wait a week or two and enjoy my games as they were designed.

Re:Glad to see it by deepershade · 2011-03-01 21:48 · Score: 2

The trial judge Mr. Justice Morland stated that exposure to violent videos might have encouraged the actions of Thompson and Venables, but this was disputed by David Maclean, the Minister of State at the Home Office at the time, who pointed out that police had found no evidence linking the case with "video nasties".[41] Some UK tabloid newspapers claimed that the attack on James Bulger was inspired by the film Child's Play 3, and campaigned for the rules on "video nasties" to be tightened.[42] Inspector Ray Simpson of Merseyside Police commented: "If you are going to link this murder to a film, you might as well link it to The Railway Children"

In short... No.

Re:Glad to see it by FireFury03 · 2011-03-01 22:00 · Score: 2

I hear that Armin Meiwes used everyday kitchen implements to kill and cannibalize a man. Excuse my rhetoric, but should we ban those too?

(I'm sure a bit more parental guidance could have saved that two-year old. In the mean time, the adults of Australia would like to be treated like... well... adults.)

Crazyness abounds. I recently purchased a new cutlery set (just your plain old table knives, forks and spoons, nothing especially sharp). Here in the UK you're allowed to get married, leave home and have kids when you're 16. The label on the cutlery set stated that it wasn't to be sold to anyone under 21. I've got no clue how someone who left home at 16 actually manages to live, given that they are banned from purchasing so much common stuff until they get to 18 or 21 (e.g. the aforementioned cutlery, many cleaning products, solvents including many household paints, etc.)

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Re:ABACABB? by Cimexus · 2011-03-02 02:32 · Score: 3, Informative

This (importing it from retailers overseas) is exactly what every Aussie already does with every other RC game. It's a big reason why the lack of an R18 rating is so utterly stupid and pointless. Hell, I buy most of my games from overseas anyway because they are cheaper than buying them locally, even including shipping.

And amusingly enough, your other suggestion has happened in the past! The original Duke Nukem 3D was initially refused classification in Australia. They then released a modified version for Australia, without the blood and girls, which got through fine. They then published a small and easy to apply patch on the web that put the removed content back in, which 99.9% of people downloaded. All perfectly legal! (RC stuff itself isn't illegal to own in most Australian States - it just can't be sold on retail shelves ... so selling a modified copy and publishing a free patch on the web is fine) /facepalm

Lack of R18 rating has the following effects:

- Doesn't stop anyone playing the game, since they just import it anyway;

- Means local retailers miss out on revenue, with the gamers' dollars going to overseas retailers instead;

- Often sees games that are rated R in every other country getting squeezed in under the MA15 rating, meaning that 15-17 year olds are being exposed to R content anyway (negating the effect of the law in the first place!);

- Irritates the classification board no end: they know perfectly well how retarded the system is and themselves are big proponents of introducing an R rating for games ... but in the meantime they can only work with the ratings that exist; and

- Is generally just a stupid, needlessly inconsistent law (considering that movies, books and other media can be given R18 or X18 ratings ... games are the only things treated differently)

BTW, for console games (which the new MK is) you generally have to import from an NZ or European retailer due to the region coding on the discs and the PAL/NTSC issue. For PC games, US retailers are usually the way to go (cheapest).

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WB To Appeal Australia's Effective Ban on Mortal Kombat

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