This just goes to show how out of touch South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson is. Does he not realise that R18+ games could not be sold to children? Does he not realise that the ratings system is not purely about preventing sale of R18+ material to minors. It is meant to be a guide only for the purchaser.
Add to this that children who want access to R18+ games can get them already. Mr Atkinson, there’s this thing called the internet. It’s not a big truck, but it’s not a series of tubes, either. But either way, you can still find illegal, pirated copies of games there.
If kids want to play R18+ games, they will get them. There is no way to stop it without blocking Australia’s access to the internet.
As an adult, I believe I have the right to decide what is appropriate for me. Protecting children should not be brought into this. It simply confuses the issue. I’ll say it again: This is NOT about protecting children, it is about giving adults a choice about what they buy.
As it stands, the MA15+ rating is a little misleading for parents buying games for their children, as many of the games in this category were rated R overseas.