So basically his argument boils down to "Parents can't take care of children. Only I can". Why exactly is this man in a position of power?

I love ignorant pricks

The Australian Jack Thompson, lovely.

I hate this man with all my might, and wish to see him fall from a very high place. Freedom of speech is dying in australia.

Malygris:

"It is important that you do not confuse the classification rating of a game with the game's sophistication, or the challenge or interest to the player," he wrote. "It does not follow that a game is more interesting to an adult simply because it contains extreme violence, explicit sexual material or highly offensive language. Indeed, with all the effort and money that goes into game development, coupled with the effects and graphics now available, there is no need to introduce these extreme elements. I am baffled and worried about why proponents of R18+ games are putting up their hands and saying, 'Give us more cruel sex and extreme violence!'"

While I think the guy is a tool etc (oh what an eloquent nerd I am) It is unfortunate that this is pretty much how "mature" rated games are both marketed to gamers & look to anyone outside the gaming world. For all the "rights of free speech" & "adults can make their own decisions" etc, most gamer outrage does just seem to sound like "I want my games with titties blood & beer, gimmie gimmie gimmie." Hardly an argument thats going to sway the opinion of someone opposed to allowing an r18+ for just that reason.

parents cannot prevent their children from playing adult videogames in the home

They could not buy their children adult rated games.

I am baffled and worried about why proponents of R18+ games are putting up their hands and saying, 'Give us more cruel sex and extreme violence!

Because it's entertaining? Because it can be used to tell a story? Because we're all colossal perverts?

State-enforced safeguards could exist to prevent R18+ games being bought by households with children

There shouldn't be any. Slap a rating on the box, educate parents, the parents can then decide what is and is not suitable to purchase for their children.

"I think you will find this issue has little traction with my constituents who are more concerned with real-life issues than home entertainment in imaginary worlds."

A multi-billion [monetary unit] industry is a real-life issue, last I checked.

I hate this man.

Wow... Just when I thought there couldn't be anyone dumber than Jack Thompson or George W. Bush... Wow.

Heat, boxing kangaroos that regularly punch jets out of the air, ginormous spiders and aging politicians who fear the concept of changing times and the things that represent it?

I am so glad I don't live in Australia. Sounds like a terrible place to be.

In all seriousness, though, isn't a pro-gaming politician supposed to be running against him next year?

Normally I would take the time to formulate an elaborate paragraph expounding just how idioticly stupid and morally questionable he and his stance on the issue are. However I'm rather tired and annoyed enough as it is, so I'll simply say.

What a prick.

So he is basically saying parents are too stupid to take care of their children?

Way to stike a chord with voters.

Doc Theta Sigma:
So basically his argument boils down to "Parents can't take care of children. Only I can". Why exactly is this man in a position of power?

Unfortunately for us, the first part, "parents can't take care of their children" has been reptedly proven time and time again. So long as the nanny state keeps removing a parents responsibility, his reasoning becomes more and more rational. It wouldn't surprise me if, in the near future, a law is passed preventing parents from giving their uner 18 (or 21 if the law changes) year old children any alcohol within their own home.

Atkinson:
Give us more cruel sex and extreme violence!

I'm not a member of the ratings classification board, but my understanding is that anything depciting violent or extreme sex is not granted an R rating in film, why are we to assume that similar rating guides would not be followed in videogames (when they have, thus far, been more strict, as MA and M rated games are allowed to have relatively graphic sex scenes compared to videogames of the same rating).

Malygris:
he concluded. "I think you will find this issue has little traction with my constituents who are more concerned with real-life issues than home entertainment in imaginary worlds."

Key word here I think being 'imaginary.'

The man is milking a third tier issue for first tier credibility, "Look, I'm concerned about the children!"

Doc Theta Sigma:
So basically his argument boils down to "Parents can't take care of children. Only I can". Why exactly is this man in a position of power?

Same reason Bush was voted into office twice; human beings are the most retarded creatures on this planet.

Who got this prick into power again?

KeyMaster45:
This guy is a class A douche-bag, he's Jack Thompson with power. How the fuck haven't the Aussies gotten him out of power yet?

Because of the way our politcal system works. When voting you are voting for your local area, hence everyone who lives in SA near Atkinson (can't remember the town's name off the top of my head). Thus, unless every video gamer in the country moves there and votes him out, he isn't going anywhere.

Avykins:
Wow. I love this guy. It is true as proven in the US that ratings do not work. People just buy their kids whatever they want and everyone thinks that kids have the right to play whatever. So no, parents do not take care of their kids. They just give them whatever they want to shut them up.
Basically it comes down to this. It is the law. Shut up and deal with it or leave.
You do not see pedos or other criminals trying to state the laws are stupid. (well except for stoners but who gives a feth what they think.)

^{(Of course it helps that I am in New Zealand. A sane country where ratings exist and are enforced as well as such things can be. Plus this is amusing as hell.)}

...Speaking as someone whose parents actually did a pretty good job of trying to keep me from playing M-rated games until I became 17 I am appalled that you would suggest they were incapable of raising me. Then again you are in New Zealand and odds are you're just a sheep with a keyboard rather than an actual person.

See I can make wild conjectures too.

The point is that anybody who says that only they have the ability to properly raise the youth of any country is a dangerous and deluded individual who should not be holding power. Especially because what he has said here is "guess what parents, you don't have to try and be responsible for your children anymore." That is not the right message whatsoever.

Someone please tell this idiot to step down from office and jump off a cliff before someone goes over there and beats him to death with a trout. Seriously, dude, get a life. Everyone wants an r18+ rating in Australia and democracy is supposed to be what the people want. You are not a fucking dictator, now get off your high horse. [/end rant]

Sorry about that, but I meant every word.

Malygris:

"It is important that you do not confuse the classification rating of a game with the game's sophistication, or the challenge or interest to the player," he wrote. "It does not follow that a game is more interesting to an adult simply because it contains extreme violence, explicit sexual material or highly offensive language. Indeed, with all the effort and money that goes into game development, coupled with the effects and graphics now available, there is no need to introduce these extreme elements. I am baffled and worried about why proponents of R18+ games are putting up their hands and saying, 'Give us more cruel sex and extreme violence!'"

At least he's stolen a decent argument from somewhere. That it's irrelevant to this debate doesn't make it any less true.

Avykins:
Basically it comes down to this. It is the law. Shut up and deal with it or leave.
You do not see pedos or other criminals trying to state the laws are stupid. (well except for stoners but who gives a feth what they think.)

Yes because all laws make perfect sense and should never be questioned. You would make a great apologist for Jim Crow laws.

I'm sorry but fundamentally it is up to a parent what content their child is exposed to (unless of course the parent is unsuitable to care for their child, in which case it becomes an issue for social services). This a case of paternalism at it's worst. I mean, if we follow his logic, why are there 18+ DVDs allowed? A child could easily watch their parents' DVDs, so therefore there should be no 18+ DVDs because a child might watch them.

I'm sure 'Pedos' would state that Megan's Law is, if not stupid, extremely unjust.

Wow, I can actually related to his argument and see where he is coming from. If anything, I commend him on defending his stance well.

But he's still being a prick though. Really just boils down to how responsible parents are and how much video games affect kids. And he apparently has a negative view on both.

Malygris:
Noting that he'll be up for re-election early next year, Atkinson said he will continue to fight efforts to introduce an R18+ videogame rating. "I would welcome advocates of R18+ computer games testing public acceptance of my policy by standing a candidate against me in that general election," he concluded.

there you go, Aussies. get off the internet, go to the polls, and replace this twat with someone who respects the constituents of South Australia. I'm tired of hearing about him.

<rant>

Lets see if I can get this right, a developers work is not valid unless you say it is, seriously Mr Atkinson grow the fsck up and realise that you can't run the country just because you live in the city of churches. I will agree with him that some games do deserve to be banned (thankfully it isn't legal for us to buy those certain games at this time) but just because Valve releases a "realistic mutant combat simulator" that doesn't have them bleeding rainbows whilst being killed by overhugging or Risen involves the use of fake drugs (which if he's that worried about kids wanting to try them ban sports or celebrities altogether) does not mean their market is 15 year olds. It has been proven that the average age of australian gamers is actually 30, not 7. With proper restrictions on the sales of these games (Behind the counter, ID needed, that kind of thing) you can cut back how often they will reach the hands of minors. Also as a side note, saying that you know whats good for the youth of australia is like me saying you are a flaming homosexual who snorts coke off of lady boy's a**e cracks (a flat out lie[if the gaming community can actually prove he does this i'll retract my statement]).

</rant>

I wonder if him and Jack thompson have secret meetings in dark alleys together.

And sadly, he can challenge anyone to stand against him, because he is in what's considered a "safe" labor seat, that is, it would take something extraordinary occurring for him to lose at the next election.

We can only hope that the opposition unseat the government at which point a new Attorney-General would be appointed. Sadly, the opposition in this state appear to be rather incompetent, so we in South Australia are sadly, likely to be stuck with him for another term.

I would never play an R18+ game, but I don't see a good reason not to have such a rating. It feels a lot like restricting freedom of the press to deny such things the right to exist, and we have learned the hard way that when you grant people power to restrict things you don't like, you also grant them power to restrict things you do like.

I stand with y'all on this one, though I realize my stance amounts to "GIVE MY CREEPY FRIENDS THEIR VIOLENT SEX GAMES!"

Annnnnd that's another face to print out and tape to my punching bag.
Thanks for the extra motivation, Mikey.

seule:
And sadly, he can challenge anyone to stand against him, because he is in what's considered a "safe" labor seat, that is, it would take something extraordinary occurring for him to lose at the next election.

How about Yahtzee running against him? Outspoken, pulls no punches, already has a hate for the guy anyway. Realistically probably wouldn't work out too well as far as The Escapist in general goes, but one can dream right?

quiet_samurai:
I wonder if him and Jack thompson have secret meetings in dark alleys together.

Along with Keith Vaz. We all have them.

Well hmph.
I actually agree with most of what he's saying. A game doesn't have to be 18+ to be clever and challenging and all the rest of it, and the law probably doesn't effect most gamers - i've never bought an 18+ game (not that i've been able to until a year and a few months ago, being a citizen of the same country as that douche-bag, and resident until that time) and have never had any desire to.
but the point is that this is blatant censorship. blatant, unfair, pointless censorship, and bugger me if australia isn't incredibly well known for its censorship and propaganda *coughworldwaronecough*. it's the same as anything else that people have fought to ban: a person with power has a personal dislike of something, so rather than being an at least semi-reasonable arsehole and ignoring it, or changing the channel or whatever, he's doing the full-grown tosser thing and using his power to stop anybody else from having the opportunity to enjoy something that he personally doesn't fancy.
and i'm sorry, but keeping an 18+ game away from kiddies in the house once it's in there? what the hell? ask any young adult who's hidden his or her porn collection from their younger siblings and parents, mike. i'm sure they'll be happy to give you a few pointers, before stabbing you repeatedly in your non-existent balls.