video We highly enjoyed this Sunrise broadcast in which Gizmodo & Kotaku’s Seamus Byrne takes on the Australian Family Association’s Damien Tudehope in a debate about whether Australia needs a R18+ classification for video games.
I agreed broadly with Byrne’s argument, and think that the AFA’s was reactionary and particularly poorly thought through. However, I think one thing that this debate is lacking is a more intelligent look at whether “very intensive adult-themed games” are appropriate for 15-year-old kids. I was playing such games when I was younger than that — as well as reading “very intensive, adult-themed” literature such as a little fantasy horror series called Lord of the Rings. And I like to think I turned out OK :)
Kids aren’t imbeciles, people — they know the difference between fantasy and real life. At the moment, it’s many adults who are living in a fantasy world with respect to video games — our youngsters have a great deal more common sense and need less policing than people give them credit for.
It’s true what you say, but one step at a time here… the R18+ rating has been on the agenda of many gamers for nearly a decade and we’re still no closer to even getting THAT far!
Besides, if we can at least get the government to stop censoring video games for adults, it’ll then be the responsibility of the parents (whose responsibility it SHOULD be) to decide what is or is not appropriate for their children.
True, dat.
I thought Seamus handled it well and it was good to see the Sunrise hosts emphasizing the need for action on this issue. I can clearly remember being placed in school detention in the late 70’s for playing the “evil” Dungeons & Dragons game at lunchtime with a small group of school friends.
Every generation has its politically correct idiots who think they know what is best for the younger generation. How soon people forget their childhood. :(
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