Reservoir Dogs game banned in Australia
It's yet another embarrassing day to be an Aussie gamer. Reservoir Dogs, the upcoming game based on the hit Quentin Tarantino film, has been banned in Australia.
It's yet another embarrassing day to be an Aussie gamer. Reservoir Dogs, the upcoming game based on the hit Quentin Tarantino film, has been banned in Australia.
The Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification (OLFC) last week decided to refuse classification for Reservoir Dogs, which was being distributed locally by Atari. Without classification, the game is effectively banned for sale in this country.
Reservoir Dogs is set for release everywhere else in the world for the PS2, PC and Xbox later next month. The highest rating available for a videogame in Australia is MA15+ -- there is no R rating (as there is for movies), which means that anything the OLFC deems as unsuitable for anyone over 15 cannot be given a classification.
The game is the latest casualty of Australia's frankly out-of-step games classification laws. Earlier this year, graffiti game Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure was denied classification after the OLFC ruled that the game "include(s) or contain(s) detailed instruction or promotion of matters of crime". Other recent games to be refused classification include Narc and Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude.
The local games industry and the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia (IEAA) has been working behind the scenes to pressure the Federal Government into changing the classification laws. IEAA CEO Chris Hanlon has said in the past that it was ''important that the classification laws are clear, consistent and applied equally to films, games and publications''.
Do you think Australia needs to overhaul its games classification system? Or do you think the Government and the OLFC are doing a good job? Tell us your thoughts and leave a comment below.