poor assuies will the world ever be sain, and just let you guys play games

I wonder how long it will take for yahtzee to pack up aand leave.

Australia needs to chill out a bit.

Now, I'm not from there, I'm an American, but from what I see, they take their censorship way too far. It's one thing to have an AO rating on a game for having a hidden, unlockable sex scene in it. Its another to outright ban a game from being sold in the country due to drugs or excessive violence.

It just seems extremely stupid to me. Maybe I missed something.

It's ridiculous how much crap you Australians get in the video gaming world. The prices are higher, the release dates are usually later and the stupid amount of censorship makes me think why any of you want to play video games?

o noes real-life isues in games! seriously THESE GAMES ARENT FOR KIDS!I think yahtzee will stick around for 6 months with all these bans/censors

Poor Australia. Honestly, this may be the stupidest reason for banning a game that I've ever heard of. Violent or Sexual content, I can sort of understand, but this is just stupid.

The ironic thing is that an MMO as such would probably keep people from doing drugs.

In Crimecraft's case, it's lucky it's not universally banned on the grounds of being a crappy pay-per-month Counterstrike clone slathered with sleazy ghetto dressing.

Not one of those drug names is even vaguely close to any real life drugs, so I'm pretty sure there is a clear difference between the real life narcotics and those fake ones. The Australian ratings board is, once again, talking out of their collective asses. What. A. Surprise. Might as well ban every other shooter too, for allowing health packs and stim packs. Those have about as much a similarity to reality as Crimecraft's drugs.

Greg Tito:

I'm not sure I agree with game companies accepting this kind of censorship. It is a slippery slope.

I have no doubts on this one. I don't agree with it. I feel that if a game is currently banned in Australia, the developer should just shrug their collective shoulders and leave it as is. The fans who really want the game will import it, and as for the rest... Well, you don't like what your government is doing, work to change it. The developer shouldn't change their vision of a game just because one country out of the entire world gets a stick up it's ass about something.

Ah Australia, you never disappoint whenever I need a backwards thinking part of the world to laugh at. I am starting to wonder if Japan and Australia are secretly or not so secretly trying to make me xenophobic or give me a sense of superiority that is deserved for a change...

I doubt if people want to try drugs or continue using them, that pressing a button in the game will fulfill that requirement.

Why is the game classification system still based on the absurd paranoia of old men in grey suits?

Banning video games is just dumb. The paranoia is just absurd.

It's Australia. Does this even count as 'news'? Moving on...

Seriously though, game developers are just bowing down to the Australian Classification Board and this just gives them more power and lets them continue making these stupid rulings. What we need to see is several large developers, such as Bethesda, Valve, Ubisoft, Infinity Ward, and so on, joining together to call for an end to this. We need to see more developers taking a stand and trying to call for the Classification Board to allow games to be classified instead of banning their sale and release, and we need to see said developers lobbying more for an R18+ rating. Otherwise retards like Atkinson will simply continue to push their agendas and Australia is going to lose out even more, and it'll soon start getting to the point where such people manage to get some sort of power and following elsewhere. We've managed to keep Keith Vaz and Jack Thompson in the 'ridicule' category so far, bu events in Australia threaten to give them more fuel for their self-absorbed fires.

The Rockerfly:
It's ridiculous how much crap you Australians get in the video gaming world. The prices are higher, the release dates are usually later and the stupid amount of censorship makes me think why any of you want to play video games?

I think the delays and price hikes are linked to the censorship - i.e. it takes longer to get through the review board, and the cost of editting to meet their standards gets passed onto the customer.

Doug:

The Rockerfly:
It's ridiculous how much crap you Australians get in the video gaming world. The prices are higher, the release dates are usually later and the stupid amount of censorship makes me think why any of you want to play video games?

I think the delays and price hikes are linked to the censorship - i.e. it takes longer to get through the review board, and the cost of editting to meet their standards gets passed onto the customer.

Quite possibly, that does make sense. It's still ridiculous, I hear you guys don't have an 18 rating?

The Rockerfly:

Doug:

The Rockerfly:
It's ridiculous how much crap you Australians get in the video gaming world. The prices are higher, the release dates are usually later and the stupid amount of censorship makes me think why any of you want to play video games?

I think the delays and price hikes are linked to the censorship - i.e. it takes longer to get through the review board, and the cost of editting to meet their standards gets passed onto the customer.

Quite possibly, that does make sense. It's still ridiculous, I hear you guys don't have an 18 rating?

I'm not Australian, I'm British, and we do have an 18 rating. Australians don't. And the Michael Atkinson doesn't think gamers are adult enough to deserve it:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/96194-Michael-Atkinson-Once-Again-Dismisses-Gamers

Australia should ban the original Toy Story because of intense toy abuse.

When will the Australian gamers inherit the Australian parliament and change things?

This is becoming a weekly event here in Australia, i will just have to live with it until we make Atkinson see a point other than his own or if he loses his seat in the next election.

AO rating, FUCKING DO IT!

Doug:

I'm not Australian, I'm British, and we do have an 18 rating. Australians don't. And the Michael Atkinson doesn't think gamers are adult enough to deserve it:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/96194-Michael-Atkinson-Once-Again-Dismisses-Gamers

Excellent, I am British too. This Michael Atkinson guy sounds like the next Jack Thompson

That's weird, I thought those guys were actually on drugs when they made every decision about L4D2 and Fallout 3.
Seriously though, fuck you Australia's Classification Board.

So the lesson here is that recreational drugs = bad, but theft, destruction of property, gang warfare and cop-killing are okay?

Wait, am I reading that right? They banned it because the benefits gained from the drugs reflected those in real life?

Well, I can't say I'm that surprised anymore.
Also, the reason for banning this game is ridiculous. Banning it because of the drug use, and not the violence!?

The Rockerfly:

Doug:

I'm not Australian, I'm British, and we do have an 18 rating. Australians don't. And the Michael Atkinson doesn't think gamers are adult enough to deserve it:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/96194-Michael-Atkinson-Once-Again-Dismisses-Gamers

Excellent, I am British too. This Michael Atkinson guy sounds like the next Jack Thompson

Sadly, worse than Jack Thompson - Jack Thompson had no real power; Michael Atkinson can veto any and all attempts to allow a +18 rating.

We should export the BBFC to them, show Johnny Foreigner how its done ;)

I'm still waiting for Michael Atkinson to ban beer.

Doug:

Sadly, worse than Jack Thompson - Jack Thompson had no real power; Michael Atkinson can veto any and all attempts to allow a +18 rating.

We should export the BBFC to them, show Johnny Foreigner how its done ;)

Oh bloody hell, how do people like Mr Atkinson get into power? Pffh our BBFC are great, The Dark Knight? Sure, twelve year olds will be fine with it
COD: World at War? Yeah 15, just a bloke stubbing a cigar out in someone's eye is nothing. The only games ever banned were Carmageddon and Manhunt 2. I'm surprised Australia's board isn't more like the BBFC

The Rockerfly:

Doug:

Sadly, worse than Jack Thompson - Jack Thompson had no real power; Michael Atkinson can veto any and all attempts to allow a +18 rating.

We should export the BBFC to them, show Johnny Foreigner how its done ;)

Oh bloody hell, how do people like Mr Atkinson get into power? Pffh our BBFC are great, The Dark Knight? Sure, twelve year olds will be fine with it
COD: World at War? Yeah 15, just a bloke stubbing a cigar out in someone's eye is nothing. The only games ever banned were Carmageddon and Manhunt 2. I'm surprised Australia's board isn't more like the BBFC

Sorry, that post made my statement seem different to the intended meaning; what I meant was the BBFC is how a ratings board should work; and exporting them to Australia would show Johnny Foreigner that ;)

Pillocks. The lot of them.

If those drugs were called Caffeine, Sucrose, Codeine, Vicodin or Nicotine, there'd be no problem. (well, perhaps Nicotine)

Sorry, Australia needs a new ruling body that understands that people mature at a certain age and can make decisions for themselves. And that names are just names.

Cant they even download it trough the website since the game is now free?
I dont know about the other crap that you have to pay for but if they are able to download the game they dont loose much

Again, I have to say: "Wasn't Australia initially populated by criminals?"

Embrace your cultural heritage people! My country was populated by sexually repressed religious fanatics so uptight the British kicked them out. The BRITISH. I at least have a reason to reject my ancestors and rebel, but comeon Aussies!

Lukeje:
Wait, am I reading that right? They banned it because the benefits gained from the drugs reflected those in real life?

That's right. You're not actually allowed to know the truth anymore (or even hints at it), unless the Government tells you it. Can someone provide me with a dictionary definition of fascism?