Grand Theft Auto 4 Censorship in Australia Angers Gamers

Australian gamers are looking to import Grand Theft Auto IV to bypass censorship and a heftier price tag.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that gamers were angered by Rockstar's move to edit game content - a necessary move to obtain an MA15+ rating in that country.

Further stoking the flames is the $120 price tag the game carries, double the North American price.

The episode is giving impetus to a push for testing public opinion about 18+ video game ratings.

"While computer games have predominantly been considered the domain of children, the most up-to-date research indicates a steadily growing trend in adult consumers of the product, with the current average age of gamers reported to be 28 years,"
Victorian Deputy Premier and Attorney-General Rob Hulls said.

"It seems inconsistent that in Australia adults are allowed to view adult-only films, which have been classified R18+ by the classification board, but not computer games with an equivalent high-level content. At the moment, Australia is out-of-step with the rest of the developed world on this issue."

Source: Sydney Morning Herald, Ars Technica