Alien versus Predator

I’ve just read that Alien Vs Predator 2 is going to be banned in Australia. Wow, really? You can’t even handle aliens?

I’ve followed this story quite a bit though, and it raises a few issues. Everyone had a huge issue with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2‘s airport scene, where you play an American CIA agent posing as a Russian terrorist. You’re with four Russians and the elevator doors open to an airport. The level consists of the Russians gunning down civilians, and you have the choice of whether to join in or not to blend in. It doesn’t affect the storyline as well, because *Spoiler alert* Makarov shoots you at the end of the level, and the Russian police find you, an American agent, dead at the crime scene *End spoiler*.

CoD: Modern Warfare 2

It’s a highly shocking level to play, because you’re thrown into an uncomfortable situation. However the storyline of the whole game revolves around this one scene. The Russians go to war with America because of that scene. I can tell you now that I didn’t want to shoot any civilians, so I just shot around them, hitting suitcases and watching suitcases explode. This level has been compared to terrorism training, and other sorts of blasphemous claims.

The game developers put warnings in the game to let you know that a disturbing scene happens at one point of the game, and asks if you want to be warned when it’s about to happen.

You’re playing a war game. Chances are someone’s going to be shooting at someone else.

Rebellion Developments came out with a brilliant quote about the banning: “We will not be releasing a sanitised or cut down version for territories where adults are not considered by their governments to be able to make their own entertainment choices.”

Upset about the Ashes?

If you haven’t seen the difference in gameplay from the UK and the Australian Left 4 Dead 2 (zombie game, not ‘angry civilians who just happen to want to eat you’ game), then click here.

The Australian system is set up so that their Attorneys General of every state must unanimously vote to approve an R18+ rating. The UK’s got 17+. The US has 18+. But Australia’s got 15+, and that’s the highest it goes.

That’s right: If you graduated high school, went to university and conduct open heart surgery, you are only allowed to see what your 15-year-old son can see. Heck, kids that age are still breaking through their voice and experimenting.

Though I wouldn’t start pointing and laughing at Australia, or their government. It’s rather look at how their government works with this sort of thing. The one guy who’s holding back the decision is from South Australian Attorney General Michael Atkinson. Atkinson believes letting an R18+ rating will allow kids to buy R-rated material.

"You can do WHAT with a gerbil?"

If you are of any age, and you can use Google, any term you search will somehow bring something related to it. Want to look at caravans? I’m sure there’s a website specifically made to cater for fornicators in caravans. Ice-cream? Forget about it.

What this lack of rating does is cause game developers to squeeze through the MA15+ bracket. With no higher rating to go, this is allowing content that the UK’s 17+ audience can see available to younger eyes.

That one man holds the power to a whole country? He’s essentially Australia’s Pope. I can see a trailer for a new movie:
‘This Summer, one man will hold the country in his hands.
“Sir! We need to sort out the riots at the Soccer stadium!”
“Leave them. I hate Soccer.”
“But sir! Women and children are-”
“DO I HAVE TO REPEAT MYSELF?”
One man. His decision. No hope. The world will really be…Down Under. Rated MA15+’

Meet the Feebles

It reminds me of the films that were too taboo for the general public.  Ken Park wasn’t shown in UK cinemas after the director punched the distributor of the film. The 1932 film Freaks was heavily edited down and eventually banned in the UK for about 30 years, then popped up as a cult classic. I doubt people went on murderous rampages after watching Meet The Feebles, then had to watch the Muppets with their kids.

What do you reckon? Is this a responsible view, or a feeble attempt at personal pushing to a general public? Or is Atkinson afraid of Muppets?

Let the Aussies have a choice, Mr. Atkinson. They gave us Fosters.