He's at it again!

South Australian Attorney-General and video game censorship advocate Michael Atkinson is to appeal the MA15+ rating handed out by the Classification Board to Modern Warfare 2.

Speaking to Radio National, Atkinson was asked for his views on the recently released game, described by interviewer Peter Mares as “violent and bloody and graphic and confronting.”

“I’ll be appealing against that classification, I think it’s wrong,” said Atkinson.

Source: Kotaku article drawing from this discussion about the R18+ situation on Radio National.

Thoughts? I can't help but think that if he succeeds and the rating for Modern Warfare 2 is raised to RC, this could prove to be an interesting catalyst in the ongoing debate around the R18+ situation.

Edit by trog: dotarray has done some more digging on this subject and has more information in this article featuring more great quotes, such as Atkinson saying "I have no trust in the Classification Board to apply the guidelines sincerely or correctly".

After playing L4D2 with some friends who have also played MW2 (I have not played MW2) they all seem to be surprised with MW2s 15+ rating as they say it appears to be by far the more violent game.

Didn't he say he couldn't be bothered paying attention to people playing in virtual worlds? Obviously enough to stop adults making their own decisions on what is appropriate to play.

After playing L4D2 with some friends who have also played MW2 (I have not played MW2) they all seem to be surprised with MW2s 15+ rating as they say it appears to be by far the more violent game.

Presumably you were playing the censored L4D2. Of course MW2 is more violent since that is the proper game. They dumbed L4D2 down to a level that isn't close to the boundaries of the MA15+ rating.

If you were playing the uncensored version i say bollocks since you said MW2 was 'by far' more violent. I would say uncensored L4D2 is much more violent than MW2.

MW2 has much more realism about it than the uncensored L4D2 though, so should be rated the same or higher.

L4D2 viloence and gore is more stylised/comical.

Yeah, I don't find L4D2 violent at all really. There's a heap of blood but I'm more worried about getting to the safehouse than looking at the piles of corpses laying around the place. Although I do like the blood effect across the screen when you're beating the s*** outta zombies with a bat or whatever.

If there were an R18+ rating, perhaps this game would have only been sold to people aged 18+ rather than 15 year olds.

Ausgamers should start the campaign to get rid of Michael Atkinson.

Well if the sex scandal involving the SA Premier results in massive backlash against Labor, there's a good chance Atkinson will be gone next Election anyway.

08:24 -- <SAPrem> I totes sexed her for reals she loved it

Holy crap!

Yeah, I think L4D2 is way more violent than MW2, MW2 may be a more realistic setting but its not all that violent, little puffs of blood when you shoot people is as violent as it gets. But its still probably worth an R18+ really, cos its pretty hard hitting in parts.

I'd disagree.

L4D2 and Borderlands are high in gore sure but honestly low in violence.

The difference being gore is not believable.

The difference being gore is not believable.

Yeh this is the key. There really isn't a lot of suspension of disbelief in video games.

In American History X, you don't even see the curb bite boot land! But its a deeply disturbing scene regardless.

Calling L4D2 low in violence is just ridiculous, you can decapitate zombies with axes, or blow out their stomachs and have their intestines trail out behind them. You can hack of various limbs, explode a whole group of them in a shower of entrails with pipebombs, set them on fire and have them stumbling around screaming while they burn to death. All of that is far more violent than anything I saw when playing Modern Warfare 2.

Borderlands, yeah, it was comical and over the top and had a cartoony feel to it, L4D2 doesn't really feel cartoony to me at all, if anything it feels to me like they've tried to make it feel more gritty and "real" than the first one. I know its an exaggerated type of "real", like movie reality, but its still definitely not cartoony and light hearted.

HAHAHAHHAHaaaaaa

Good Luck Mr Atkinson.

L4D2 doesn't really feel cartoony

i think its more comical (not cartoony) than real and gritty.

Maybe khel associates with lots of zombies in Melbourne oO ?

My opinion is that MW2 should be moved to RC, it shouldn't be in the MA15+ category

I thought he didn't care about insignificant fantasy worlds, why would he oppose a rating?

Yeah, it definitely shouldn't be in MA15 (airport scene). So yeah, I'm all for banning the thing seeing we don't have R18+.

I think it should be RC just so it puts more pressure on us finally getting the long awaited R18+

i hope the appeal is successful and it gets RC'd.

because i'm never going to buy the game and maybe it will get more attention to an 18+ rating.

i dont give a s*** if it gets banned because ill never play it.

however, since its the biggest game of the year it will hopefully put more pressure on getting an R18+. the retailers might actually have a whinge about it.

Ausgamers should start the campaign to get rid of Michael Atkinson.

By "campaign" do you mean re-enacting the airport scene in Atkinson's office?

Ausgamers should start the campaign to get rid of Michael Atkinson.

By "campaign" do you mean re-enacting the airport scene in Atkinson's office?

Nah, Dark Carnival.

maybe if we get a convincing 6 year old to say that Atkinson touched him in the naughty places, we can be done with this clown

I think MW2's blatant Republican propaganda is more damaging than a bit of gore. Half the quotes are from Bush Administration officials, and most of the US briefings basically say "war is essential to protect peace".

^

yeah cause "arms are for hugging" will fly so well in a game about war.

Promoted and updated with some more infoz

edit: anyone else thinking Atkinson might be getting kickbacks from Activision? This is the best press they could have gotten! "Quick, buy the game now before it's banned"!@#!#@#!@

edit: anyone else thinking Atkinson might be getting kickbacks from Activision?

Been spending some time in Faceman's company?

[rant]
Ugh, the last thing we need is more games being banned...
Despite the publicity, it's tearing apart the local gaming industry.
And Atkinson contradicts himself YET AGAIN: "I have no trust in the Classification Board to apply the guidelines sincerely or correctly". If only he just LET the R18+ rating go ahead, we wouldn't have this problem (or the problem would just become negligible). The inconsistencies in the Classification Board's decisions are mostly HIS fault.
[/rant]

What will happen to the copies in Aus that've been bought if it does get banned? Will they release a censor patch for all games in Oz? Or anyone who has it so far is fine, anyone wanting to buy it is screwed?

i think atkinson is wrong but that doesnt mean i can get him refused classification and kicked out of the country does it? how can only 1 person have such control. makes me sick. at least he is going to get voted out soon.

atkinson is the jack thompson of australia, except worse.

i think atkinson is wrong but that doesnt mean i can get him refused classification and kicked out of the country does it? how can only 1 person have such control. makes me sick. at least he is going to get voted out soon.

What makes you think that? A mate of mine told me he smoked it in easily last election, miles ahead of his closest opponent.

Didn't he say he couldn't be bothered paying attention to people playing in virtual worlds?

That was the first thing I thought as well. Quite hypocritical really.

could somebody just f***in shoot him already..

could somebody just f***in shoot him already..

We would only be proving his (misinformed) opinion that we adult gamers are too 'violent' for our own good...
Besides:
A) Our gun laws prohibit ownership of a live firearm without a genuine reason (hunting, pest control, etc.) and the permit that is issued after said genuine reason is given for any weapon except those in Category R/E (Flamethrowers, MGs, AT guns, etc.).
[sarcasm]Does Atkinson count as a pest to the introduction of an R18+ rating?[/sarcasm]
B) The best way to hurt his currently massive ego is to vote him out. Mental attacks are potentially more damaging than physical attacks. Easier said than done, however, at this point in time, I certainly think its possible. Vote for the G4C party in the S.A elections in 2010!

This guy is nothing but a grandstanding idiot, who is lapping up the national attention that this issue is getting him. Without this, he wouldn't even be a blip on the national radar.

Let's hope the the SA Premier's sex scandal washes away that whole corrupt and incompetent government.

"could somebody just f***in shoot him already.."

You need to grow the f*** up. It's comments like that, that get quoted on radio over and over again as 'proof' of his position.

It's so frustrating when you have one douchebag ruining it for the rest of the population so I can see why people say "someone should kill him". In a perfect world that would work.

But unfortunately that just makes his point even further. Which is totally wrong anyway.

>8-(

ok we need a non-gamer to shoot him :P

That's impossible as nearly everyone games one way or another. You play soccer on your xbox? gamer. You play chess on your phone, gamer, you play a bit of cricket on a flash site, gamer, gamer gamer.

Dirty, dirty gamers.

More like Michael Atichead!

How the hell does AvP get unbanned but they reconsider slapping the banned tag on MW2?

MW2 should have been refused classification in every country due to the lack of dedicated servers. I welcome any move that takes away sales from MW2 for that reason alone.

I believe the makers of AVP said that the game was aimed for adults!?!?!

What makes you think that? A mate of mine told me he smoked it in easily last election, miles ahead of his closest opponent.

must be all the family first bogan and conservative types and ofcourse they are the majority.. You're not cool unless you vote for the children!

Btw if his appeal is successful (i wouldn't be surprised), what will happen to steam copies, will steam just automatically block us from playing it and refund us the money? also who has to do the refunding?? I reckon it should be Atkinsons campaign that does the refunding..

last edited by Martz at 07:19:02 26/Dec/09

Doesn't the law ban the sales and distribution of the game? So if it was sold prior to the law you could still play it, just not buy it again. Technically not download it again too ?

Half the quotes are from Bush Administration regime officials

Fixed for accuracy.