Australian Christian Lobby site urges readers to write to politicians and say no to the introduction of an adult classification for video games in Australia.
A website run by the Australian Christian Lobby is urging the public to “take a stand” against the introduction of an R18+ classification for video games in Australia.
The R18+ for games section on the Make A Stand site states that “the last thing our community needs is more explicit violence and sex”, outlining the results of the recent public consultation and the need to “take action” before the upcoming Standing Committee of Attorneys-General meeting (SCAG) on December 10. According to the site, the introduction of R18+ would mean that violent and sexually explicit content would find its way into the hands of children.
To stop this, Make A Stand proposes that the government “tightens up” the MA15+ rating to ensure games are not incorrectly classified into this category. The example used to illustrate this latter point is a video detailing the “No Russian” mission from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and a strip club scene from Grand Theft Auto IV showing two female strippers simulating sexual acts. The site fails to describe the context of either game, and does not make mention that players have the option of skipping the “No Russian” level or could play through without shooting civilians, or that players do not have to visit a strip club any any point during Grand Theft Auto IV unless they choose to.
The site then lists a study titled “Longer you play, the more hostile you feel: examination of first person shooter video games and aggression during video game play” by Bartlett, CP et al in 2007 as way to demonstrate the point that “there is strong community concern about the impact of violent video games on children’s development. Many games force the child to identify with the aggressor and children are rewarded for immoral conduct and violent behavior. Research shows that increased playing of violent first person shooter games can significantly increase aggression.”
The site urges readers to write to their state or territory Attorney-General asking him or her not to support the introduction of R18+ for games. The automated form provided at the end of the page requires readers to fill in their name, address and other details before the email is sent off to Federal Minister for Home Affairs, Brendan O’Connor, as well as the Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland and respective state and territory Attorneys-General according to the postcode input into the form. The automated message also includes a message box, which is left blank. Instead, Make A Stand encourages readers to fill the message with points against R18+ for games. According to the site, 4,238 emails have already been sent.
The site also provides a list of recent mainstream media articles about the topic of R18+ for games, but seems to only include those in which R18+ is opposed, not supported. Make A Stand also takes issue with topics such as euthanasia, abortion and keeping scripture in schools, with separate pages dedicated to each of these issues and the same automated email forms. Readers are also encouraged to donate money to Make A Stand.
Classification ministers will meet on December 10 in Canberra to discuss R18+ for games. For more on the issue, visit GameSpot AU’s previous coverage.
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