Left 4 Dead 2 Banned In Australia 215
An anonymous reader writes "According to Australia's Office of Film and Literature Classification, Left 4 Dead 2's content exceeds that allowable for an MA15+ rating. Any such game is rated as Refused Classification, effectively banning it. From the report: 'The game contains realistic, frenetic, and unrelenting violence which is inflicted upon "the Infected" who are living humans infected with a rabies-like virus that causes them to act violently. The player can choose from a variety of weapons including pistols, shotguns, machine guns, and sniper rifles. However, it is the use of the "melee" weapons such as the crowbar, axe, chainsaw and Samurai sword which inflict the most damage. These close-in attacks cause copious amounts of blood spray and splatter, decapitations and limb dismemberment as well as locational damage where contact is made to the enemy which may reveal skeletal bits and gore.'"
yarr (Score:1, Interesting)
well now i'll have to pirate it, hope whatever legal farm is responsible for game piracy sues the government.
Heh (Score:4, Interesting)
" These close-in attacks cause copious amounts of blood spray and splatter, decapitations and limb dismemberment as well as locational damage where contact is made to the enemy which may reveal skeletal bits and gore."
Sounds like a pretty convincing advertisement for the game! Darn astroturfers....
Seriously, the game is sold on Steam. Will steam sell you the game and let you play online if you have an australian IP address? Do they have to block you from purchasing it or not?
I can see the headlines now. (Score:4, Interesting)
The game that was so good it was banned in Australia.
here's an idea (Score:5, Interesting)
Valve's Zombie shooter has been refused classification, which means it can't be made commercially available in the country.
Valve should thumb their nose at Australia's rating board and make the game freely available there.
Re:And... (Score:1, Interesting)
I'm not aware of any research showing that either adversely affects adult behavior when viewed as an adult.
If you ever have any doubt, just look at how radio and TV have affected American politics. Alternatives to the ruling party don't have a chance.
Re:And... (Score:3, Interesting)
Not disagreeing with anything you said but this is clearly not a game for kids, and is not marketed as such.
Hm? Of course not. I disagree with the ban. I just object to analogizing the impact of film and video games - they're different media that stimulate different parts of the brain. They are different and should be treated differently: Specifically, age limitations based on content should probably be slightly lower with film than games.
As I said, I'm not aware of any negative impact on adults, and even if there were I dislike the notion that the government should protect us from it. There's a long slippery slope there, and the bottom isn't pretty - it ends with the government criminalizing caffeine, loud voices, and anything colored bright red.
I've no problem with age-restricting the purchase of games, with a reasonable upper limit. But I wouldn't support an outright ban even on a game in which you played a rapist pedophile on an rampage through a nursery school with a rusty letter opener.
You do have to admit... (Score:2, Interesting)
I mean, take Manhunt 2. From what I saw of it, it was basically built from the ground up to glorify murdering people in order to create controversy so that it could sell a few more copies. Regardless of whether it actually crossed lines, I think the point was that they were trying to get as close to the line as possible. I don't see worth in that.
But if you look at the treatment of gore in L4D, it's obvious that while it definitely contributes to the gameplay (i.e. the game would feel very different without the gore), it isn't the point of the game. You wouldn't stop in the middle of a zombie swarm to call a friend over so that you could show him how blowing off a zombie's leg might have X effect. What you would show someone is the strategy for surviving that swarm though. I mean, sure, occasionally something particularly gory and satisfying happens, and everyone goes, "whoa, did you see that?" (at least, when you first start playing), but that's not really the point of the game; people don't go seeking out those moments. Instead, they just happen incidentally, which is in stark contrast to the earlier-mentioned game.
Anyway, I've rambled enough. Long story short, Australia is really backwards in some things, and I feel sorry for the friends I have from down under, and not just for this stupidity.
Re:Heh (Score:2, Interesting)
Is it actually illegal in Australia to sell a game which is unrated? That seems a bit excessive to me.
Re:yarr (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Heh (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Not suitable for 15 yr old boys? (Score:2, Interesting)
I'd have to disagree. I'm sure there are many game developers who actually enjoy making content that is not necessarily violent or objectionable. Developers don't have to make gory content just because they can.