In the early days, there was Pong’s black and white tennis game, Space Invader’s alien shooting adventure and Pac-Man’s world-renowned yellow blob. Now, fast forward nearly 40 years and times have changed. Australians spend more money creating virtual cities and obliterating hidden zombies than at the movies. Interactive gaming is the new black – no matter your race, gender or culture.

And what’s more, the games itself have grown increasingly sophisticated. Two dimensional, black and white games are a thing of the past with the array of next-generation releases containing rich graphics, dynamic characters and compelling storylines. With the average Australian gamer 30 years old, it’s no surprise that more and more games carry mature themes.

But what does come as a shock to many is that Australia is the only developed country without an R18+ rating. Films, which fall under the same classification system, can be granted an R18+ or even X18+ rating but this is not the case for computer and video games. If a game exceeds the MA15+ rating, it is either refused classification or modified to fit within the rating guidelines.

If the deadly Mafia series The Godfather which is clearly not the romantic drama Gone With the Wind can be considered one of the greatest films in cinematic history why can’t the same thinking apply to games?

Our classification system needs to be changed so adults can play games as they were meant to be played. The Commonwealth Government has released a discussion paper to canvas public opinion on the possible introduction of an R18+ for Computer Games. You can participate in this public consultation by using our submission form . Don’t forget to spread the word!

This form will no longer be available after the 14th of February to allow adequate time for collating responses and submission prior to the final deadline of the 28th of February.

Be sure to show your support by joining our Facebook and Steam groups!