Mill Park Police have seized close to 7,000 pirated computer games and movie DVDs following successful search warrants for Camberwell Computer Swap Meet and two residential locations in Clayton South and Preston. 

As a result of the Camberwell Computer Swap Meet raid on Sunday, June 21, officers arrested a 27 year old Clayton South man and executed another search warrant on a male from Preston. 

In three separate raids, Mill Park Police seized a total of 6,892 counterfeit computer games and movie DVDs, plus five burner towers, gaming consoles, large plasma screen and computers were also detained. 

Mill Park Senior Constable, Kellie Houlihan said,” Police take a strong stance against any individuals involved in copyright theft and offenders can expect criminal penalties of up to $65,000 and possible imprisonment. 

CEO of the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia (IEAA) Ron Curry, said the IEAA applauds the excellent work by Mill Park Police and hopes the subsequent arrest serves as a clear warning to other potential games counterfeiters. 

“Games piracy is not a victimless crime. These traders are ripping off the hard work of others for maximum profit and adversely affecting the jobs of all those involved with video and games industry. 

“The protection of intellectual property rights is a driver for economic growth and this issue not only affects specific industries, but the Australian economy as a whole,” Mr Curry said. 

The IEAA encourages consumers to purchase games and consoles from legitimate sources,and not to take any legal risks by purchasing or downloading illegal pirated games. For more information relating to game piracy visit www.ieaa.com.au. 

People who wish to report incidents of game piracy can call the IEAA’s Anti-Piracy Hotline on 1800 20 40 19 or email antipiracy@ieaa.com.au 

Further media enquiries, please call Cameron Donovan on 0408 662 007.

Tips for parents who may be concerned about the amount of time their children spend playing video games:

• Game over! Knowing when to stop (PDF, 1.5MB)

Children as young as four are immersed in a new gaming culture, but many parents, educators and health professionals, concerned over violence, sexual content, and reports of addiction, do not consider games to be a positive force in children’s lives.

Game Changer addressed this critique, offering a new framework to use games to help children learn healthy behaviors, traditional skills like reading and math, and 21st-century strengths such as critical thinking, global learning, and programming design.

It specifies how increased national investment in research-based digital games might play a cost-effective and transformative role and provides comprehensive actions steps for media industry, government, philanthropy, and academia to harness the appeal of digital games to improve children’s health and learning.

The report was co-authored by Ann My Thai, David Lowenstein, and Dixie Ching, as well as David Rejeski of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; support was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Pioneer Portfolio.

For the Executive Summary, Click Here

or for the Full Report, Click Here

Findings from ‘Growing up in Australia’; The longitudinal study of Australian Children (3-4 and 7- 8 year olds), and Media and Communications in Australian Families (8-17 year olds) 2007.

Read the Report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority