Here's an Aussie contribution from an Aussie who has been in San Fran for 5 weeks.
Australia generally doesn't ban much stuff. The way these things usually work is some group with too much free time will lodge a complaint with the appropriate government body and that body will have to investigate the complaint. If the group also gets the media in on it and it's a slow news day the complaint will get on the news. Then a few politicians will see it as an oppurtunity to get thier faces on the news, and the game will end up getting banned.
It's all pretty stupid and really just political point scoring.
I'm all for restricting and rating of games. I don't think kids should be playing this sort of stuff until they're mature enough to know the difference from right and wrong, but that's up to their parents to decide, not a few politicians or religious groups.
Australia is actually far less restrictive with than the US seems to be. Especially when it comes to sex. Wild On on Channel E! is a prime example. They make a big deal about topless beach girls being on after the next break, so stay tuned - so you do. Then they show them so heavily pixelated that you see less skin than if they'd just left their tops on.
It's a crazy world. I will be taking a few copies of GTA3 back to Australia now.
Slashdot Mirror
Here's an Aussie contribution from an Aussie who has been in San Fran for 5 weeks.
Australia generally doesn't ban much stuff. The way these things usually work is some group with too much free time will lodge a complaint with the appropriate government body and that body will have to investigate the complaint. If the group also gets the media in on it and it's a slow news day the complaint will get on the news. Then a few politicians will see it as an oppurtunity to get thier faces on the news, and the game will end up getting banned.
It's all pretty stupid and really just political point scoring.
I'm all for restricting and rating of games. I don't think kids should be playing this sort of stuff until they're mature enough to know the difference from right and wrong, but that's up to their parents to decide, not a few politicians or religious groups.
Australia is actually far less restrictive with than the US seems to be. Especially when it comes to sex. Wild On on Channel E! is a prime example. They make a big deal about topless beach girls being on after the next break, so stay tuned - so you do. Then they show them so heavily pixelated that you see less skin than if they'd just left their tops on.
It's a crazy world. I will be taking a few copies of GTA3 back to Australia now.