No R18 rating for Australia is censorship, says EA

EA Games boss Frank Gibeau has called out Australia's Attorneys General to have the introduction of an R18 rating in the country as soon as possible.

Speaking in a editorial piece written by him for GI, he says that "government policies that don’t allow for the rating of mature content in videogames effectively censor entertainment choices for adults."

"These policies show a poor understanding of today's videogaming audience," said Gibeau.

"Existing legislation in Australia that limits age ratings of games to 16 demonstrates a distance between those policies and the reality of the videogame industry and the people that play interactive games in Australia today.

"The spectrum of gamers is as wide as the viewership of television, movies, theatre, and the readers of books. Governments don’t insist that all books be written for children, or that all television shows be cartoons. Adult gamers want their governments to treat them with the same respect they get as movie goers and book readers.

"Adult Australians should be allowed to choose the games they play, including those with mature themes."

He goes on to add: "We call on the Attorneys General in their next general session to vote unanimously in favour of the introduction of an 18+ rating for videogames to allow adults to make their own choices about the entertainment they choose to enjoy. The implementation of a new 18+ age rating classification is the right step for consumers, and for the industry, in Australia."

Get the full piece here.