Valve announced today they have appealed the OFLC refusal to classify the highly anticipated and somewhat controversial Left 4 Dead 2.

A demo of L4D2 was announced days ago, scheduled to drop in late October. Shacknews is reporting that the demo will be exclusive to both Steam and Xbox 360 pre-order customers on October 27.

This is looking like bad news for Aussies if the ban appeal by Valve is unsuccessful. We've contacted Valve asking for a bit more information on whether a castrated version may be released for Australia, and whether or not there will be any region restrictions on the demo. We'll keep you posted if any more info is forthcoming.

Any documentary evidence of a successful appeal against an OFLC classification? On face-value it seems to me like a waste of time appealing.

fear 2 was banned. decision was appealed and game was let through.

fear 2 was banned. decision was appealed and game was let through.

Very nice! Correct.

We live in hope, then.

Fingers crossed!!!

Sooner they sort this bulls*** with classifications out the better , i am a 40 year old that likes to game i find it very offensive that some f***stain in an office can tell me what i can play on a PERSONAL COMPUTER !!!! old enough to vote and go to war but not to play a game FFS. Rant over

+10 Reverend

i find it very offensive that some f***stain in an office can tell me what i can play on a PERSONAL COMPUTER !!

the government is not your friend.

The only argument I can see that will solve the lack of an R rated game. Is that by having a lack of an R rating some games that should really have been classified as R get a lower classification (usually via very vague and meaningless changes to content) due to pressure from the public and companies. Which then defeats the whole purpose of ratings in the first place.

so, do you think a plane would take off if it was on a treadmill?

if that was the case, we wouldn't need an R rating.

to make an R rating meaningful we need to has harsh penalities for stores that sell games that are MA15+ and R18+ to people under those age limits. once that is in place and enforced no one can argue OMGthinkoftheCHILDREN.

and by harsh i mean fines to the company ($20K+) and fines to the clerk ($5K+)

so, do you think a plane would take off if it was on a treadmill?

Creationists and people who say it wouldn't are a special group of people.

Rev

i am a 40 year old that likes to game i find it very offensive that some chucklef***s in an office can tell me what i can play on a PERSONAL COMPUTER !!!!

Fix'd

yeah, some guy that only 13,074 people voted for is blocking this when all the other attorny's general are willing to look at the studies and consider it. great system we have here.

The only argument I can see that will solve the lack of an R rated game. Is that by having a lack of an R rating some games that should really have been classified as R get a lower classification (usually via very vague and meaningless changes to content) due to pressure from the public and companies. Which then defeats the whole purpose of ratings in the first place.

pedo spotted.

fear 2 was banned. decision was appealed and game was let through.

what? that game is nothing.. soldier of fortune 1 and 2, you could get your knife out and chop up dead carcasses and that made it through :/

Owww my god, they need to appeal this! Anyone else fall in love with the first Left 4 Dead?!

Uh, they did appeal, that's what the article is about.

Also, they're not called the OFLC anymore, just the Classification Board.

What I love about australia.

I can shoot babies (with snakes/tentacles coming off of their backs) in the face with a laser pulse rifle and get full dismemberment in dead space... but zombies and axes in L4D are a big fat no no.

And what about Fallout 3?
You can do all kinds of things to actual humans in that game. And even their dead bodies. :P
(what is it with that anyway?)
Ironically it was originally refused classification for drugs? Righto...

Not that I'm saying Fallout 3 is wrong on any level, but if you can perform melee decapitations in one game but not shoot a bunch of zombies, the classification board's decisions seem pretty inconsistent.

I don't really feel like video-game action is violence. Like, when I play Left 4 Dead I'm not thinking about guns or killing, just enjoying the game for the objectives and competition. Only exception to this would be the end of Half-Life 2: Episode 2, but that had the player in an observing role (like a film, ooh).

I think its the cricket bat weapon that got them titchy.

so, do you think a plane would take off if it was on a treadmill?

of course it would, a planes engines pull on the air, not the ground.
maybe if the treadmill was in a vacuum, you might get some results... lol

you signed up to say that?

It wouldnt take off. No lift under the wings :D

I wonder how much it costs (if anything) to represent a game that has been refused classification previously?

I remember from when I was working for an online casino that it cost a s***load to submit a new game we had developed to the Gaming Authority for regulatory testing each and everytime before we could launch it.

Just wondering if they have decided to milk the cow so to speak when it comes to games.

amen.


see the free advertising opportunity if you will

HERMITech, computer game classification fees

Exec summary: cheap.

Yay! finally some hope in my future gaming man this game looks awesome!

i am a 40 year old virgin that likes to game i find it very offensive that some chucklef***s in an office can tell me what i can play on a PERSONAL COMPUTER !!!!

Double fixed :P

Blad3Drag0n, I'm glad your signature link is pure fail because that massive s*** would annoy me if your embed actually worked.

Source: R18+ Games Australian

Article originally commissioned by games.on.net (Internode)

1) Was Left 4 Dead 2 examined by any of the same members of the Classification Board that examined the original Left 4 Dead?

The Classification Board acts as a body. It does not discuss or speculate on the opinions of its individual members. The Classification Board is broadly representative of the Australian community.

2) Does the Classification Board believe that the level of violence in Left 4 Dead 2 is objectively greater than in the original Left 4 Dead?

The Classification Board determined that the impact of the violence in Left 4 Dead was ‘strong’, and the impact of the violence in Left 4 Dead 2 was ‘high’. The Board classifies each computer game on a case by case basis.

3) Which specific areas of Left 4 Dead 2 would, in the Classification Board’s opinion, need editing in order to meet the requirements for sale and distribution as an MA15+ title in Australia?

The Classification Board does not advise on how material could be edited to receive a lower classification. That is a matter for the distributor of the computer game. The Board’s decision report contains information about the content that caused the computer game to be classified RC.

4) Have the publishers, Electronic Arts, stated or suggested to the Classification Board that they will be seeking a review of the RC rating for Left 4 Dead 2?

I understand the distributors applied for a review of the classification on 25 September 2009.

5) In the case of such a review, would the same members of the board who rated Left 4 Dead 2 as RC undertake the review with Electronic Arts, or would the review panel be composed of different people?

It would be a different board altogether. The Classification Review Board is an independent board, entirely separate to the Classification Board.

6) Is the Classification Board in a position to comment on the Discussion Paper for an R18+ rating for games which was developed by the Attorneys-General, and is the Board aware of any possible date at which the paper will be released to the public?

See answer to next question.

7) Was the Classification Board consulted on this Discussion Paper in any form, or will it be consulted in the future?

The Classification Board’s role is to classify material according to the National Classification Scheme. Changes to classification policy are a matter for Government.

8) What exactly does the classification bored do?
Not much.

margaret pomeranz from the movie show did an interview about classifications, specifically the lack of an r rating for games

8) What exactly does the classification bored do?
Not much.

I bet they can spell board correctly though. I mean, I'm not usually one to pull people up on grammar or spelling, but "Classification Board" was used like 20 times in the post just above yours and you still got it wrong.

The bored have so much on their plate that they are board.