Grand Theft Auto Still Banned Down Under 421
SicariusMan sent us a CNN story that talks about australia upholding the ban on GTA3. It's been
mentioned here before, but
its interesting that its gonna stick. GTA3 really is perhaps the best PS2 game out in recent memory.
I'm having a PS2 resurgance of late, beating Klonoa2, MGS2, Baldur's Gate: Dark
Alliance, and getting hooked on Jak and Daxter and Frequency. And
GTA3 is easily among the best of PS2 games. Sorry .au! At least
they probably won't ban FFX!
What? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:What? (Score:1)
Too bad you'll be modded down, though...
Re:What? (Score:2)
(And you didn't really steal the ambulance... it just happened to be there
Re:What? (Score:5, Funny)
I was speeding down the interstate the other night, passing people on the right, when i spotted a speed trap too late. I saw the cop's lights go on, and watched him looking for a space to pull onto the highway to pull me over.
I jumped into the middle lane, then the right lane, hid behind a trailer truck, then shot off the offramp, and wandered off and hid.
At that point, I realized I'd been playing WAY too much GTA3. It was my first reaction.
Re:What? (Score:2)
Once I was at the mall and saw a surveillance camera. Suddenly I had the impulse to pull out a pistol and shoot it.
At that point I realized I'd been playing way too much System Shock II =)
Flavio
Re:What? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:What? (Score:2, Funny)
graspee
Re:What? (Score:2)
Thats when I realized I was driving a Chrysler and not the Skyline GTR from GranTurismo.
D
Re:What? (Score:3, Insightful)
No. Read the article headline. "Grand Theft Auto Still Banned Down Under." The previous poster was making a joke by delibrately choosing to confuse the name of the video game "Grand Theft Auto" with the name of the actual crime "Grand Theft Auto". The joke utilizes the confusion to paint the absurd image of a news headline about the banning of something that's widely accepted as an outright criminal offense -- unlike, say, P2P filesharing, guns, or abortion, you don't have people arguing over whether or not the government should try to stop it.
Gov'mint knows best (Score:4, Insightful)
Governments protecting us from playing things that are naughty.
Thought police strike again. Anyone think that
Well, as long as you can still buy pr0n, I guess that's ok
Interesting Cycle... (Score:5, Funny)
See, I live in Georgia... (Score:2, Funny)
Wow, that's scary. (Score:2)
I'm not absolutely sure of which war you speak, but I'm assuming you're referring to the war for Southern Independance (commonly referred to, and incorrectly so, as the "Civil War".) In that case, you are all wrong. As you may or may not know, owning a slave back in the 17 and 18 hundreds was the equivalent to owning a mansion or a luxury boat today. Therefore, and this is an educated estimation, about 1 to 3 percent of Southerners actually owned slaves. The war was fought by poor tenant farmers for their freedom from economic oppresion of the Union. Additionally, given the plain numbers of soldiers in each army, it was the Union who's asses were kicked, as the only way they won the war was by presenting the confederate army with more bodies than they had ammunition (which interestingly was caused by lack of support from an ungrateful nation of France in penetrating the Union's blockade.)
As a final thought, I take back what I said about the Union not kicking the CSA's ass because in reality they did, only it wasn't on the battlfield. See, in the "war to free the slaves" the Union army burnt the major Southern cities to the ground in a terrorist act that rivals anything we've ever seen out of the Middle East, more commonly referred to as "Sherman's March." The Confederate army was very civilized and proper in thier way of waging war, in fact they neglected to use their secret submarine weapon until the war was almost over because they thought it was an unfair instrument. Therefore, I recant, the Union did kick the CSA's ass, only rather than soldier deaths, these were the deaths of hundreds of thousands of completely innocent women, children, slaves, men... normal civilians. United we stand, divided we fall... the "we" referred only to the North. My great grandparents used to tell me the story of how their parents were killed in Atlanta by the fires. Call me ignorant, call me a redneck, call me close-minded, but I think I'll stay right here South of that line, thank you very much.
Wrong side of the road. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Wrong side of the road. (Score:5, Funny)
Odd thing to complain about. (Score:5, Funny)
It's probably a good thing they didn't realise you can wander around, beat someone up for their money, kill the paramedic when he arrives, steal the ambulance and then mow down prostitutes by the dozen. All in the privacy of your own home!
Re:Odd thing to complain about. (Score:5, Funny)
So she sez "okay, show me!"
So I do... and to say the least she was rather unimpressed. Millions of polygons, more ram, more space on the dvd-roms, and a creaky car is the best they could come up with?
Wife was not offended. THIS GAME SUCKS!
Re:Odd thing to complain about. (Score:2, Funny)
Was I the only one expecting the storyline to continue as such:
So I went downtown, picked up some prostitutes, had them 'do their thing', and then beat 'em up and got my money back.
Wife was not offended.
GTA3 Paramedics and prostitutes (Score:2)
Re:Odd thing to complain about. (Score:2)
It's a win-win situation. Of course, now I try to do the same thing when I pick up hookers in real life.. Quite sad, really.
Are Aussies expected to return the game? (Score:5, Interesting)
The OFLC was firm on the point that the game would not allowed in Australia, saying "if you have already purchased a game you will need to contact your retailer about return procedures."
Are people who purchased the game before the ban now expected to return it? Exactly how many Aussies are going to return what is essentially a collector's item in their country?
Bad logic (Score:3, Insightful)
Oh you mean like in Europe and practically in every other western democracy?
Besides that's a "Slippery Slope" [intrepidsoftware.com] logical fallacy.
Re:Bad logic (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Bad logic (Score:2)
If the link guns->threat-of-revolution->keeping-the-gove rnment-in-line weren't implied, I'd agree with you. (Of course, the idea makes some of its own assumptions that may be argued, but that's a discussion for another day...)
I'd be more sympathetic... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:I'd be more sympathetic... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I'd be more sympathetic... (Score:2)
Heh heh heh. Silly international person. We export that stuff because only people overseas are foolish enough to drink it. We keep our best beer for ourselves. [coopers.com.au]
Anyway, (to stay vaguely on topic) maybe this game actually got banned because you couldn't buy a decent beer in it...
OT: Coopers (was Re:I'd be more sympathetic...) (Score:2)
I get my Coopers in the UK from Oddbins [oddbins.co.uk], and it's sometimes cheaper than the stubby price I used to pay in Australia !!
Oh, and you can get VB too (if you're desperate) but the cans are re-printed "Victoria Beer" as they can't call it "Bitter" in the UK (it's a lager). Fosters in the UK is nothing like Aussie Fosters (well, almost nothing like - it's still piss, but different piss), but is brewed in London by Courage.
I'm off for a hoegaarden [interbrew.com] which I can get on tap and tastes surprisingly like Coopers - now if only it was 35 degrees outside rather than 3 degrees...
T
Re:OT: Coopers (was Re:I'd be more sympathetic...) (Score:2)
Except in Europe where you can't call it "Imported" unless it really is, and the country of origin must be clearly labelled. So whilst "Guinness" is brewed in London, you can also get "Guinness Export" which is the real thing, and most of the bottled beers are the real thing too. But yes, a lot of "budweiser" over here is UK brewed, but the Budvar is still the Czech original !
even though it is made exactly the same way
The example I gave of Fosters is interesting as UK Fosters is not even like Oz Fosters - the only thing thats supposed to be the same is the name and logo - the UK Fosters is a british lager made for the UK market and conditions, not a "copy" of the original.
T
Re:I'd be more sympathetic... (Score:2)
It's not really that bad (Score:3, Informative)
Re:It's not really that bad (Score:2)
Violence-wise and sex-wise, there's nothing really new. I think the main thing about the game is the completely open-ended world the game provides... there's literally no limit to the mayhem. If you want to do nothing but slaughter whores all day, the game will let you do that. It's completely amoral and will basically let you play whatever kind of character you like.
After playing this game for a few weeks, I can tell you that it's a) one of the best games Iv'e ever played and b) it definitely taes depravity to a new level.
Re:It's not really that bad (Score:4, Funny)
Or pause the game when a Sim is swimming, remove the ladder from the pool and then watch as they tire and drown.
Seems to me that this sort of mayhem is much more within the reach of the average consumer (vs. obtaining rocket-propelled grenades and high-powered sniper rifles).
Re:It's not really that bad (Score:2)
And you can "pause" by going into "Buy Mode". I belive striking the 'p' key also results in a pause of the game in its entirety.
Re:It's not really that bad (Score:2, Interesting)
You can kill shopkeepers, kill succubi for their money after you finish with them, eat little kittens, and do all sorts of Unaustralian things.
They can't censor life. So they will fail.
Re:It's not really that bad (Score:5, Insightful)
By the fact that the game is selling, it's pretty clear that people WANT to play this kind of game. The government is supposedly there to serve the people (according to Jefferson, governments are created to protect our inalienable rights). How does taking something away serve them? The few people who are unable to tell a game from reality, and who go on GTA-style killing sprees in the real world as a result of this game, are probably lunatics anyway who would've eventually snapped anyway. Why shouldn't I (and my reality-and-games distinguishing friends) be allowed to play this game now?
A side note, however: Lets not just focus on
Re:It's not really that bad (Score:2)
My local Wal Mart and Toys Backwards R Us both have considerable stocks of GTA3. My Best Buy can hardly keep the bloody game in stock.
Re:It's not really that bad (Score:2)
Support your Aussie gamer! (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Support your Aussie gamer! (Score:3, Funny)
You should buy them a new PS2 too while you're at it. Region coding for PS2 games means that they won't be able to play your US GTA3 on their Australian PS2.
Re:Support your Aussie gamer! (Score:2)
psxndc
Better idea... (Score:4, Informative)
Of course, if you live in the UK then its less hassle. Or New Zealand -- I understand that many Aussies are importing from NZ.
The best and Worst Game this year! (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:The best and Worst Game this year! (Score:4, Insightful)
Er... Just for whom's entertainment do you play games for? I play them for my own entertainment, and I'd imagine your child would do the same.
Wow (Score:2, Flamebait)
As for the Aussies, they are down the path of giving up personal liberties for the "greater good". Since they banned guns thei crime rate has steadily risen. Good job!
LOL (Score:3, Insightful)
Sorry, I can't help but laugh at that statement.
I'm also VERY interested in seeing those statistics
But to me that comment screams of a bullshit stat., at least you did not write a number as well...
personal liberties (Score:2, Insightful)
>giving up personal liberties for the "greater
>good". Since they banned guns theircrime rate
>has steadily risen. Good job!
I understand that censorship is bad and that deciding what constitutes reasonable entertainment is not the governments job. But i entirely disagree with your use of term "personal liberties" especially when referring to guns and when putting down Australia.
The idea of civil liberties is basically that all those actions which do not cause direct harm to others should be permitted and the government does not have the right to intrude into the personal life of it's citizens. In this field the U.S. is perhaps the worse offender among democratic nations. I would draw your attention particularily to the Anti-Terrorist Bill which has been pushed through in the past few months which basically signs away the rights and liberties of every American in the name of national security.
The right to own a video game is an issue of civil liberties. It involves deciding what you want to do in the privacy of your own home to entertain yourself.
The right to own a handgun is not an issue of civil liberties. A handgun, unlike a videogame, is a machine made to kill human beings, it serves no other purpose. This is not a machine that anyone should be permitted to carry around with them, and you can shout about personal freedom all you want. The "right to bear arms" is a freak of American Legislation born from the fact that America is a nation founded upon a violent revolution. It is NOT a basic human right.
And as for your figures about Australia's crime rate: The crime rate has only increased because of the number of people who have been arrested for illegally owning handguns. The number of handgun related murders has steadily decreased since the ban was instated.
Re:personal liberties (Score:2, Insightful)
Of course it is. The US Constitition makes it so. If you want to change that, petition a representative for an amendment.
A handgun, unlike a videogame, is a machine made to kill human beings, it serves no other purpose.
So hunting, plinking, and more formalized competition are mis-use of a firearm? Please, just because you have an aversion to guns, spouting polemics doesn't make your viewpoint more valid.
This is not a machine that anyone should be permitted to carry around with them, and you can shout about personal freedom all you want.
s/personal freedom/personal defense. I have no desire to become a potential victim because of anyones perceived 'higher morals'. Being unable to run from criminals shouldn't limit my ability to go where I want, when I want. Life, liberty, and the persuit of happiness means that I am morally entitled to defend myself. If that means carrying a weapon, then I choose to do so. If you want to cower in your home 24/7 or avoid areas of your home town or city, then I pity you.
The "right to bear arms" is a freak of American Legislation born from the fact that America is a nation founded upon a violent revolution. It is NOT a basic human right.
That you choose to ignore that the US would not exist without that violent revolution speaks volumes. What was the alternative, asking nicely? You also choose to ignore that the English government, at that time, was opressive as well as generally bleeding the American colonies dry of both money and resources.
You should perhaps attempt to leave the nice, warm, and fuzzy cocoon you have built for yourself and look at how other peoples live from their viewpoint.
I suppose I should maybe have a bit of the topic in here somewhere.
While I am unsure if denying the populace access to a (violent) computer game is really a civil liberties violation, it is an indicator that the government has 'Nanny State' written all over it. My personal opinion is that no government needs to step into my life and decide for me what I am capable of dealing with WRT mainstream commercial entertainmnet. I choose not to play computer games, especially games like GTAx, but I also strongly believe that it should be a personal choice, not a mandate from politicians.
Re:personal liberties (Score:2)
Of course it is. The US Constitition makes it so. If you want to change that, petition a representative for an amendment.
Okay, for a start, you seem to suffer the delusion that the US Constitution has authority in Australia. I realize that a lot of Americans seem to think they have the God-given right to enforce their own values on the rest of the world (at least, that's the pretext used when using military force to protect essentially economic interests), but this is going just a tad too far.
Secondly, your implied assertion that the US Constitution Is Always Right is just plain absurd. The US Constitution is a document drafted by human beings over two centures ago. It suffers the same drawbacks as any other document drafted by human beings: it may contain mistakes and go out of date. That's why there exists (as you point out) a mechanism to change it. Please don't make blind appeals to authority, it impresses no-one.
Re:Wow (Score:2)
Caller:
Lazlo(the host): I think you touch upon a good point there sir. Countries that don't have guns not American.
Chatterbox Rocks, I pray in GTA4 they have even more Lazlo Oh, according to one of his callers, there was a Austrialian-American war, where the Aussies wired kangeroo's with explosives.
-Henry
Banned Guns? No! (Score:2, Informative)
Uhhh, hate to spoil your rant, but guns haven't been banned in Australia. Just certain semiautomatic types. Please explain ([1]) to me how being able to have a semiautomatic weapon as opposed to a regular gun is going to make any difference in the crime rate?
[1] A little private joke that only Australians are going to get
Re:Wow (Score:2, Interesting)
Hey I like Australians, man.
I like to think that I know what really happens in the world. Unarmed civilians are slaughtered by others. Governments look the other way while minorities are persecurted. Serbia, Croatia, Turkey, Iraq, Columbia, Uganda, Ethiopia.
On the other hand, we have some 10,000 gun deaths a year in this country. Wonderful things such as little kids finding daddy's gun and shooting brother Jimmy, nutsos shooting up a KFC and the like.
And by the way, you can check out the below listed sites for the "evidence". Granted they are a bit one-sided but that seems to be the nature of gun issues.
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~confiles/
http://www.nrawinningteam.com/auresult.html
http://www.gunsandcrime.org/aussiegc.html
I have as much freedom as I choose to have. That is why I vote at the polls, with my pocketbook and engage in civic activities. Just because I rag on Australians for pussing out on gun rights doesn't mean I don't know what is going on in the world. Both of our countries fought off the yoke of British colonialism. How do you think that was accomplished? Diplomacy with Her Majesty?
But it is your country so do what you want with it....
Re:Wow (Score:2, Interesting)
That being said, you guys do what you want, make up your own crazy laws, censor stuff you don't like, whatever. If I don't like it, I'll just not move there, and to hell with the great weather and beaches and all the BBQing and what not. If they did that here, I'd move somewhere else. I really would. Really.
But your definition of freedom mustn't include freedom from censorship, because if it did, you wouldn't be able to say that US citizens have no more freedom than you. I'm not saying we're perfect, but GTA is a great game, and you aren't free to play it.
Re:GTA: Different perspective. (Score:2)
Case in point: I made the mistake of jacking a cargo van in the plain view of a police cruiser. As I fled in my (not-so-quick) new wheels, the cruiser gave chase. Attempting to pull me over, the cruiser rammed me up onto the sidewalk, where I promptly ran over a patrolman on foot. Instant second star rating. More cruisers joined the chase and, as I whipped around a corner (the doors in the rear ajar from the repeated rammings), a cruiser screeched to a halt in front of me, causing my van to ramp up over its hood and complete a barrel roll. Hood now aflame, I ditched the van and fled on foot. The four cruisers behind me disgorged their officers, who began to fire at me. However, they failed to flee the scene of my flaming wreck, which exploded, killing around 10 officers. *BAM* Three star rating.
After that, well, it's a bit hard to flee the cops' helicopter on foot...
It is to laugh.
Memories (Score:3, Insightful)
Why does it seem automobile related destruction of life and limb garners so much censorship?
We kill 50,000+ people a year on the streets as it is!
For those who have seen the classic Sean Connery James Bond film "Goldfinger" there is a quote I always found amusing...
JB: Incidently, Delta-9 nerve gas is fatal- you'll kill 45,000 people.
GF: Ha! American motorists kill that many every 2 years!"
Now we hit that mark in under a year...
Re:Memories (Score:2)
They *mean* well, but... (Score:3, Interesting)
However, I do see where their government is going with this. It has been a disturbing trend for several decades in this country that criminals feed on the public's attention, and when the public gives much attention to criminals, it encourages people with self esteem issues to become criminals.
That, then, is the problem with GTA: it encourages car theft. Not in the sense that a GTA player is likely to go out and steal a car, but rather that it allows a culture to slip steadily closer to a hellish society in which crime is tolerated in order to entertain the public. This is not unlike the Colosseum in ancient Rome, in which murders took place between god-fearing christians for the sake of the public's amusement. Compare this to the instant notoriety of serial killers like John Wayne Gacy, who make a killing selling paintings from prison, and you can see why the government wants to stop glorifying crime now.
Something must be done about this morbid situation. But it doesn't involve banning games. Perhaps it is a media problem; if the government owned a few media outlets, it would be able to put writers and producers with old fashioned values back on the TV, replacing the ratings whores we have today. That is a bit closer to socialism than we should be, but it might be better for society in the long run.
Bill
Re:They *mean* well, but... (Score:2)
There is nothing morbid about this. It's life and it's my entertainment. Watching all the idiots of the world bounce off each other is more fun than reading slashdot. If you want to be happy adjust your own mental attitude and forget about changing things on this planet. Man will just have to evolve for himself over time and try not to make his home uninhabitable.
Re:They *mean* well, but... (Score:2, Interesting)
If there is a demand for 'blood, carnage and violence' then people will make games/films about it. Even if it become illegal, all you succeed in doing is creating a black market.
Then again, maybe we should look at what makes us enjoy such things. Could it be that the human race find such things 'exciting' because at heart, many of us are still cave men? (Or women)
Legislation is not the way forward. Legislation should be to enforce the will of the public - if they want violence, then legislating against it will simply cause them to ignore the legislation (consider the prohibition).
I have noticed a decline in smoking recently though. Not because of laws, but because social tolerance of it has decreased. Maybe that's the way it should go.
Perhaps we _should_ bring back the colosseum... Least then it'd be 'honest' violence.
Inner human (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:They *mean* well, but... (Score:2, Interesting)
This is why I like Apple's iPod commercial. At the bottom of the TV it says in really small letters, "Don't steal music."
If my friends found out I downloaded an mp3 illegaly last night, and my stature decreased with them as a result, that would be the last MP3 I EVER download. Social acceptance is the biggest influence on culture anywhere. Bigger than laws, by a long shot. Now, you have to realize that for criminals, a lot of them are social deviants. They do things not for society's attention, but...
Well, I honestly don't know why they do these things. Murder, Grand Theft, and what not. But I really don't think it's for social acceptance. And if the law says they shouldn't, that's not too great a deterrent either. No more so, anyway. So why do they do these things? What's their reward? Because if we know what their reward is, we might be able to take it away. Maybe it's just money, which means that we can only take it away if we can catch them, which doesn't change anything.
Sorry for rambling.
Re:They *mean* well, but... (Score:2, Interesting)
Computer games are great because they let you do things you wouldn't do in real life. If you have trouble differentiating, go seek help now.
Have I got a link for you! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:They *mean* well, but... (Score:2, Interesting)
Yeah, we've got to get back to things like Gunsmoke, where Marshall Dillon can kill one or two bad guys every week and hang out in the bar at the local whore house.
Igor
Steering Wheel wrong side... (Score:5, Funny)
On a serious note, I lived in Australia (Newtown, NSW) in 1992 for about 7 months. When watching TV, I started to notice you really didn't see violence but man 'o man did you see breasts! While I was there, the movie "Ten" w/ Bo Derek was shown on their equivilent of NBC. In America, they cut out all the nudity scenes. In Australia, they actually had more than the original movie had! Special Director's Cut for Australia. What a great country! Great beer, beautiful women and those cool, lickable toads.
Re:Steering Wheel wrong side... (Score:2)
No, I am talking about these toads [totse.com]
Seen it all before (Score:2, Interesting)
We'll ban anything you like over here, it seems...
Secret code for GTA3 (Score:3, Interesting)
Urinate:
Walk up to a wall and press Up, Down, Up, Down, L2, R1, R2(2), Up, Down, Up, Down, Up.
Your character will urinate on the wall. The cops will chase since it counts as vandalizing.
Funny!
From a known fellon: (Score:5, Funny)
I found that GTA and GTA2, while not as graphically pleasing as GTA3 looks to be, were a wonderful addition to my skill set. Not only do I now know how to go on a "Kiiiiillll FRENZY!", but I also know how to hotwire most major makes of car, from the unimposing Ford Fiesta, to the ever-popular Tank!
These sorts of skills are very important to an aspiring criminal mastermind, such as me. And why work so hard for a Cisco or MSCE certification? They cost so much more! For only $49.95 (before tax), you too can learn the same skill sets I now have.
I'm just wondering if GTA3, with all it's new-fangled '3D' graphics is really worth the investment in my future. I mean, I already know how to highjack cars and kill random people. Do I really need to know how to interact with the mob? Please help me decide slashdot!
UK "Bans" Clockwork Orange, USA "Bans" , others (Score:3, Informative)
The Playstation had an awesome game I played a lot using a MOD chip called Thrill Kill.
Unfortunately for the developers and fans, before that game was released Electronic Arts acquired the rights to the game by purchasing Virgin Interactive's titles, and due to the publisher's "moral obligations," the game never saw the light of day. At least, legitimately. Ebay sales of Illegal CDRs were heavy for a while. and it traded swiftly , especially after EA placed full size ads for it in trade mags, and stickers.
And dont forget that the Movie Clockwork Orange was not played in Britain for almost 20 years in a theater! Kubrick was threatened with jail time if he allowed it by threatening to assosiate teen crime with him as the inciting party.
The USA almost banned "Custers Last Stand" for the Atari 2600, which featured a cowboy raping a Squaw tied to a stake.
Germany successfully banned Castle Wolfenstein 3D by ID when Compuserve tried to have it online. It got deleted off CIS.
Australia is screwed in other ways regarding porn though.
At least in the US I can say "Jesus is a Lie" in a video game, or depict cops having their heads blown off to score extra points.
Custer's Last Stand (Score:2)
You played a naked Custer, and there was a naked woman on the other side of the screen. Also, there were things which I can only assume were arrows falling diagonally towards you. If they hit you, you had to go back to your side of the screen.
Eventually you would dance your way across to the lady, and have sex with her (it wasn't clear to me that it was rape, I always thought she approving the whole transaction... I mean seriously, why was she naked to begin with?).
Anyway, that was it. The longer you could have sex with the woman before getting show with the arrow, the higher your score.
As I recall.
Man, that was a stupid game. I hope nobody actually paid for that.
Re:UK "Bans" Clockwork Orange, USA "Bans" , others (Score:2)
Kubrick had taken cinemas to court for showing it, and was instrumental in closing down the Scala in London.
The film was NEVER banned by HM Government, and anyone who says that it was is a know-nothing bozo.
To bring full circle, Death Race 2600 (c) MMII (Score:2)
Post to Stellalist:
http://www.biglist.com/lists/stella/archives/20
From that post...
Screengrab of 2600 mock-up:
http://www.gamedevelopers.net/deathderby/images
Screenshot of original (again, from above post):
http://www.gamedevelopers.net/deathderby/images
Ah, the boons of the internet.
Re:Only on /. (Score:2)
Why this doesn't immediately bother me... (Score:4, Interesting)
From a moral standpoint, that's actually kind of healthy.
Where it starts to get iffy is when this sort of ban is actually symptomatic of a bigger problem, in which the government is trying to make their entire population goosestep and a commercial ban on violent games is only one such restriction imposed, in parallel with other restrictions like clampdowns on information or restricted free political speech.
For instance, if the US were to ban counterstrike servers that didn't automatically put bots on the terrorist team, I'd be pretty freaked out. And you can bet this is something that will come further down the line if Ashcroft et al. don't get their powers checked.
But I've never heard of Australia being a society with a reputation of doing this sort of thing to its population. Now, I'm not saying that this isn't happening there per se, I may just be ignorant of it, and an Aussie contribution on this issue would definitely be valuable.
But what I'm thinking is that we shouldn't necessarily be taking this in the same vein as if a North American government were imposing such a restriction. You might disagree, but I think that the censorship is only a problem when it comes close to stifling dissent against the powers that be, as opposed to just trying to promote a little bit of morality and decency. Yes, I know that the line is easily blurred, but is it blurred here?
Just my two cents.
Re:Why this doesn't immediately bother me... (Score:2)
So it is only healthy in that it protects us from the uneducated or deranged products of society. What bothers me is that society wants to ban things rather than promote things such as education and family. I say give people personal freedoms to take their aggresions out killing fake people in a video game. Then promote education, family, and morals such as not killing people or stealing cars.
New Autralian version to come in Jan 2002 (Score:4, Funny)
The article says that the maker of the game is trying to make a new version of the game for distribution in Australia in Jan 2002.
How are they gonna pull that off??? Remove the guns, prostituts, organized crime, etc.... what are you left with??? Crazy Taxi????
sooo (Score:2)
I'll be moderated straight to hell for this. (Score:2, Insightful)
But, I must commend, yes commend, the Australian government for this latest action. I can definitely see their point in not wanting to promote such violence or desensitize anyone of the horific nature of such violence. The government will take a lot of heat for this and I admire their strength to face this heat.
Let's face it. Society and certainly the entertainment industry has increasingly glorified this type of violence. I don't believe that people, except for a very sick few, commit such violence because of movies of video games but, I do think that they are desensitized by the constant onslaught of such violent entertainment.
The Australian government is, contrary to the usual posts here, not significantly restricting freedom of speech or movement. They are simply restricting a single excessively violent video game that portrays socially abhorent behavior.
The social and moral values of the free world have degraded dramatically over the years and I don't think that it is a good thing. Would your parents or grandparents have discuused killing someone as we freely and easily do on a daily basis? When last did you say, "I'm gonna kill you!"? Think about what that statement means and then tell me that you have not been desensitized? So, why then do we take amusement from beating up or killing old people?
The people of Australia and the freeworld, for that matter, can definitely make and play higly enjoyable video games without such antisocial violence.
Your Grandmother just got killed in a car jacking. How funny and entertaining is that?
Most significant aspect... (Score:2, Flamebait)
Holy fuck. That's a lovely precedent.
And hey, we were watching that Australian cut of "Last Tango in Paris", and actually, we not think that we didn't cut enough depravity. Hand it over, you sickos.
And that "Clockwork Orange" book, holy shit, have you seen it? I can't believe we let that through. Burn it, burn it now.
Anyone got the National Geographic that shows the Yanomamo using drugs in a religious ceremony? Turn them in. We're thinking of the children.
Anyone got more details on this retroactive censorship crap?
Be patient (Score:2)
~Philly
Before the opening credits... (Score:2, Funny)
On a related note... (Score:2, Funny)
Each country has its own "bans" (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm french so I'm problably LESS aware of the things forbidden in France which are legal elsewhere..
Is oral and anal sex still "banned" in some states of the USA?
I've always found funny than the "land of freedom" would ban those things..
Australia is banning a videogame ??
What is "big news" here??
/. knows its banned, but do the shops? (Score:2)
Has anyone told the storeds that GTA3 is banned, has the signal traveled from the head to the feet?
Re:(OT) Re:Well well well, imagine that (Score:2)
Re:Boycott Australia (Score:5, Informative)
Now, should I make a comment about how the (stereo)typical American that knows nothing about the rest of the world, or point out that Australia is generally considered as part of the west, at least in a political sense?
"I mean, how many millions of dollars do we leave there through tourism? If we stopped going, then they would feel a drop in their income."
Do you really think that international tourism hasn't dropped already? This little thing happened, something to do with planes. About 3 months ago. You may have heard about it on the TV.
Besides, tourism may be a large industry, but it's hardly the be all and end all. And since September 11, domestic tourism has grown quite a bit...
"And of course, we should also stop going to the theatres or renting movies like Cocodrile Dundee."
We? The USA collective again?
Believe me, as an Australia, I would love nothing more then for people like you to stop watching bullshit like Crocodile Dundee. That movie shows less about the 'average' Australian as a old west movie does about the 'average' American.
While i'm at it: I have never seen a koala. I have never seen a crocodile. I have could probably count the amount of times I've seen a kangaroo with one hand.
Yes, videogame censorship sucks. But this won't stick anyway. It hasn't before, and it won't now. The censoring of TV, movies, and games is getting overhauled now. GTA will probably get a harsh rating under the new system. Whatever. I'd prefer to have to download a copy of some game off the internet to having a government body like the FBI installing spyware and destroying my privacy.
All well, you've read all this now. Go back to thinking that everyone in Australia is like that pathetic Crocodile Hunter show. I guess your fantasies are more fun then the real world.
Re:Boycott Australia (Score:2, Interesting)
I believe you are describing the typical American. The kind that thinks we're better than the rest of the world just because we have more nukes, or something. (I'm American).
Do you really think that international tourism hasn't dropped already? This little thing happened, something to do with planes. About 3 months ago. You may have heard about it on the TV.
This is practically a psychosis. There are a lot of people who think you'd have to be crazy to get on a plane. Now, how many planes were there that weren't hijacked? Besides, Australia doesn't have *that* many terrorists....
Yes, videogame censorship sucks. But this won't stick anyway. It hasn't before, and it won't now. The censoring of TV, movies, and games is getting overhauled now. GTA will probably get a harsh rating under the new system. Whatever. I'd prefer to have to download a copy of some game off the internet to having a government body like the FBI installing spyware and destroying my privacy.
Yes, spyware sucks. But how did this censorship get in place in the first place if it's sure to go away eventually?
BTW, It's far more fun to pretend that you're the Crocodile Hunter than to actually watch the show. This view is popular even in America!
Re:Boycott Australia (Score:2)
Crike!
(Oh, and I agree. How pathetic -- a show that teaches kids to respect nature and urges them to explore the world around them rather than sitting and playing video games. Silly!)
Re:Boycott Australia (Score:2)
And yes, he jumps on top of animals. Often to save their lives.
Sure, it's over the top and silly melodrama. But I'd wager a bunch of kids watch nature shows now who weren't before, and you can't say that's bad.
Re:Boycott Australia (Score:2, Interesting)
Yeah whatever. That's why the Aussie government has already banned damn near the whole Internet by trying to make it safe for kiddies [slashdot.org], putting the damn thing through a country-wide proxy [slashdot.org], and countless [slashdot.org] other [slashdot.org] horror [slashdot.org] stories [slashdot.org].
Tell me how it's getting "overhauled" again.
Re:Boycott Australia (Score:2)
I was expecting something like that. I was almost going to write something addressing that in my first post...
But basically, I'm saying that these animals aren't exactly commonplace.
Yes, I'm sure I could "go bush" all over the country to see all the wildlife, but to be blunt, it doesn't interest me all that much. And what difference does that make? I get outside, I go for walks all the time. That doesn't mean I should start driving over the countryside looking for native animals.
Re:Boycott Australia (Score:2, Funny)
Well
What? No money
OMG (Score:2)
(+10, Callbacks are the best humor)
Virg
Re:Boycott Australia (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:you have to admit... (Score:2, Insightful)
Oh, for most people it's desensitizing, but not you? Seriously, fuck you for telling people what they can't handle. Who the hell do you think you are?
Re:you have to admit... (Score:2)
And who the fuck are you to bitch at someone for giving his opinion? He didn't give a commandment that "all shall not play this game", he suggested something.
I guess they don't allow opinions in your town?
Re:you have to admit... (Score:2)
You must not understand what either of us said. He said (paraphrase) "this game is too desensitizing for most people" and I took issue with him taking upon himself what is and isn't okay for others. I didn't say he shouldn't have an opinion as you are stupidly implying, displaying a complete lack of reading comprehension.
There's a difference between criticizing someone's opinion (which I did) and trying to judge what is appropriate for other people (which he did).
There's a big difference between criticizing someone else's opinion (which I certainly did) and trying to say they shouldn't be allowed to express their opinion (which I certainly did not do). People such as yourself don't understand the distinction. You've got the right to express your opinion, and I've got the right to think you opinion is idiotic.
As the famous quote goes, paraphrased loosely... "I may disagree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
Re:you have to admit... (Score:2)
And yes, I will defend your right to call me idiotic any day.
Re:you have to admit... (Score:2)