Australian Bishop Stands Against R18+ Rating

The Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney has expressed his opposition to the addition of an R18+ videogame rating in Australia, saying that videogames have been proven to desensitize people to violence and increase aggressive behavior.

The Australian Government has announced plans to discuss the extension of the country's videogame rating system to include an R18+ rating for mature videogames. While movies and magazines currently include the rating, the highest existing videogame rating is MA15+, and any game exceeding that standard is simply banned.

But speaking to the Catholic Weekly, Bishop Julian Porteous said, "We know from psychological research that exposure to violent videogames can desensitize people to real-life violence." Citing a study entitled The Effects of Videogame Violence on Physiological Desensitization to Real-Life Violence, Porteous added, "Exposure to violent videogames increases aggressive thoughts, angry feelings, physiological arousal and aggressive behaviors, and decreases helpful behaviors." Another study, Effects of Media Violence on Health-Related Outcomes Among Young Men, "shows a direct cause and effect between exposure to violence and attitudes toward risky behavior. Video game violence can change a person's attitudes in the real world."

"The causes of violence and crime in society is a very complex problem," he said. "We need not add to this problem with games that numb our natural repulsion to violence and, with regard to sexually explicit games, reduce women in particular to mere objects of instant self gratification."

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*sigh* And so it goes... and, to rub salt into the wound, lawmakers are more likely to listen to a ritual cannibal's opinion than that of people who actually play the games.

-- Steve

Malygris:

reduce women in particular to mere objects of instant self gratification."

Yet the bible suggests that "women must submit to the dominance of men". This is not at tall reducing women?

Malygris:
angry feelings

you dont say? youve just made them watch media that involves people suffering...and you think they wont get angry?

Malygris:
physiological arousal

Yes Sexual Explicit content does that to all humans.

Malygris:
and decreases helpful behaviors

what the hell is helpful behaviors..."No i shant do the dishes mum im on boss no. 3 FFS"<--well maybe that, but football does that to.

Malygris:
"We know from psychological research that exposure to violent videogames can desensitize people to real-life violence."

the research he refers to:

The authors present the result of an experiment in which 257 college students played video games and then were exposed to films of real-world violence. Heart rate (HR) and skin conductance (sweat; SC) were measured. These unconscious measures are accepted as valid indicators of arousal.

Notice:

1.This included films of real world violence, this will make yo angry, congratulations.
2.Heart rate increase is in fact healthy and not a sighs of "the need to harm people"
3.skin conductance (sweat) this again is no evidence of "the need to harm people"

here are the results:

measuring heart beats per minute

Before experiment, after game, after film:
Violent: 66.4... 69.3... 68.5
Non-Violent: 65.5... 68.4... 70.5

Note:
The subjects viewing the violent medias heart rates changed less that the subjects for the non violent media. what does this prove? does it even make sens?

Also note that the URL to the original study does not work...
http://www.public.iastate.edu/errors/inactive.html

rant over

Another update, which I'll throw in here rather than doing up a whole new post for what is essentially two lines of stupidity: A spokesman for Michael Atkinson, the attorney-general for South Australia, has said, "The Attorney-General remains very firmly opposed to introducing an R rating for computer games in Australia ... He doubts whether any safeguards could be put in place to deter young people, who after all (are) the most computer literate and savvy in our society, from being able to access material." And since all attorneys-general must agree on the change before it can be implemented, his intransigence will likely mean the end of any potential deal.

What the hell is it with you guys, anyway?

Sorry, bishops arnt the most popular people in my mind at the moment. they've stack their noses in many places they shouldn't and they usually say something unjustified that offends me/the people around me. They are people of religion, not of politics.

Wow. Another Jack Thompson wannabe. I wonder if he's even read Leviticus.

God does not want Australia to play mature video games.

good times in the UK tho :P

Why does religion try to effect real-world legislation? It's like trying to nail jelly to the wall with a glass hammer.

In other words, pointless, almost always ends in failure, and makes you look rather iditotic.

In other news, Australian teenager tells Auxiliary Bishop to fall in a well and die. The angry teen then pelted him with copies of Manhunt, yelling that Auxiliary Bishop isn't even a proper title, and that he made it up. Police arrived with mace and tazers.

"The Australian Bishop" sounds like an interesting sexual maneuver to try and pull off. Remember to stretch first, you might end up pulling more than you can chew.

Whenever the catholic church takes responability and then redeems itself for all the child molestation s..t that came out a few years ago then I might give a rat's ass of what they have to say.

"The Australian Bishop" sounds like an interesting sexual maneuver to try and pull off.

I think it involves at least one surfboard, some sun-tan lotion and clever use of a barbecue.

Blayze:

"The Australian Bishop" sounds like an interesting sexual maneuver to try and pull off.

I think it involves at least one surfboard, some sun-tan lotion and clever use of a barbecue.

Not the German Shepherd and the whipped cream? What am I thinking of then?

Another update, which I'll throw in here rather than doing up a whole new post for what is essentially two lines of stupidity: A spokesman for Michael Atkinson, the attorney-general for South Australia, has said, "The Attorney-General remains very firmly opposed to introducing an R rating for computer games in Australia ... He doubts whether any safeguards could be put in place to deter young people, who after all (are) the most computer literate and savvy in our society, from being able to access material."

Shhhh! Nobody mention the Intartubes...

Bloody hell, make R-18+ games over the counter, and put in harsh penalties (similar to those for alcohol/cigarette laws, I don't think games and alcohol are the same, but I don't think 12 y/o should be playing Manhunt either) for selling to underage's and wham!
Safe R 18 games.

Malygris:
What the hell is it with you guys, anyway?

I know exactly wahy you mean. The ignorent people in this country makes me rage.

This is yet another reason why religion should stay the fuck away from politics!

It's just sad that there's no sensible mind to take the mic and utter words which would actually balance the amount of nonsense we hear from some australian figures.
Or are those capable of focusing the attention of large audiences all narrow minded?

MA7743W:
good times in the UK tho :P

*cough* http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2007-06-10-church-england-sony_N.htm?csp=34 *cough*

anyway.
there are too many stubborn old men in power. outdated, backwards-thinking, ignorant, grumpy elitists. there is no evidence to suggest games effect people psycologically any more than film, television and the media do. in fact this is another case of politicians meddling where they shouldnt. it happens all to often to pander to the all to easy 'family values' voters.
It's a no-brainer that kids shouldn't be supplied with excessively violent games, or games containing bad language, nudity or violence. those games arent made for kids. and its ultimately the parents responsibility to censor what their young children see. And simple procedures can be put in place to ensure retailers sell responsibly too.

(btw this is an amalgam reply to the comments of 3 related articles)

Every other news article seems to be about a condemnation of videogames by some elderly, conservative politician/lawyer/religious figure. And yet there's not a scrap of substantial evidence to support this.

Can the revolution begin yet? I think we need some less out-of-date leaders in charge.

As Deaf are already correctly certified: Anyone with any sort of training in the research field of psychology (which is usually a default prerequisite of the more depthy courses anyway) will realise that those studies are about as valid to proving their hypothesis as I am related to a bottle of stale water.

Gummy:

there are too many stubborn old men in power. outdated, backwards-thinking, ignorant, grumpy elitists. there is no evidence to suggest games effect people psycologically any more than film, television and the media do. in fact this is another case of politicians meddling where they shouldnt. it happens all to often to pander to the all to easy 'family values' voters.
It's a no-brainer that kids shouldn't be supplied with excessively violent games, or games containing bad language, nudity or violence. those games arent made for kids. and its ultimately the parents responsibility to censor what their young children see. And simple procedures can be put in place to ensure retailers sell responsibly too.

See, the funny thing is that most Australians are in the dark about video games. They don't care, and the idiots in power get away with it. Ugh, makes me sick.

It's a shame that I, for economic reasons, should just order from overseas. Seriously, do they want the Aussie gaming market to die or something?

PurpleRain:

This is yet another reason why religion should stay the fuck away from politics!

TBF, Religion has more going for it than Politics. Even if you don't like the spiel, you can still enjoy the buildings.

Ever seen a nice Parliament building?

bkd69:

Blayze:

"The Australian Bishop" sounds like an interesting sexual maneuver to try and pull off.

I think it involves at least one surfboard, some sun-tan lotion and clever use of a barbecue.

Not the German Shepherd and the whipped cream? What am I thinking of then?

That would be "The Austrian Bishop" which yes, sounds very similar.

In other news, internet triumphs over restrictions. I've played Manhunt. It was alright, but that naked-pig-guy was revolting.

BlueMage:
In other news, internet triumphs over restrictions. I've played Manhunt. It was alright, but that naked-pig-guy was revolting.

So, you've got an illegal video game by Australian standard? I just need you to confirm, and say it in a clear voice for the jur- I mean, for me to hear... no particular reason for that. **shifty eyes**

Had. Like I said, it was ok, but nothing that would bring me back for more (especially after stealth gave way to gunfights)

Republic Commando on the other hand...

The_root_of_all_evil:

PurpleRain:

This is yet another reason why religion should stay the fuck away from politics!

TBF, Religion has more going for it than Politics. Even if you don't like the spiel, you can still enjoy the buildings.

Ever seen a nice Parliament building?

The Palace of Westminster is pretty nice. And the EU Parliament buildings in brussles aren't much uglier than the average modern building. The Reichstag in Berlin is also quite a nice building.

just a question, if anyone from Australia gets a game that is banned here and they are caught, then is there any punishment for it?

Seriously, if there isn't then just put the damn rating up there already!

Did anyone read the Resistance article that was posted? What, these people think we're going to have a gunfight in manchester cathedral because you fight Chimera there in resistance? What are they smoking, cause that's some powerful shit.

The_root_of_all_evil:

PurpleRain:

This is yet another reason why religion should stay the fuck away from politics!

TBF, Religion has more going for it than Politics. Even if you don't like the spiel, you can still enjoy the buildings.

Ever seen a nice Parliament building?

Houses of Parliament. Next question.

Jumplion:
just a question, if anyone from Australia gets a game that is banned here and they are caught, then is there any punishment for it?

Seriously, if there isn't then just put the damn rating up there already!

There are harsh fines for it. I don't think you'd get imprisonment, unless of course you were selling the game.

But I don't think the police really give a fuck. They just think gamers are the usual 12 year olds, so why would they bother when they have bigger fish to fry.

orannis62:
Did anyone read the Resistance article that was posted? What, these people think we're going to have a gunfight in manchester cathedral because you fight Chimera there in resistance? What are they smoking, cause that's some powerful shit.

It's called "the power of the almighty Christ"... and it's some serious shit.

stompy:

It's called "the power of the almighty Christ"... and it's some serious shit.

Hells yea, I need to get me some of that PURPLE shit.

Jack Thompson is almost gone and now this guy starts.

Well, here we go again.