GameSpot AU takes a look at the biggest and most active pro-R18+ groups here in Australia and how they are trying to rally the Australian population behind the cause.

To read about the different groups and see how you can become involved, click here

-Computer and Video Game Sales Crack $170 million in 2009-

New Zealand, January 26, 2010 – New Zealand’s interactive gaming and entertainment industry shows no signs of an economic slowdown achieving a record sales result of just over $170 million for the 2009 calendar year.

Despite the economic challenges of the last 12 months, sales data compiled by independent market research group GfK Retail and Technology Australia indicates computer and video gaming sales of $170 million – an increase of 12 per cent from 2008.  The data includes all sales from hardware, gaming peripherals and traditionally boxed software, yet excludes revenue generated from online retail sales, downloadable content, online games subscriptions and games delivered to mobile phones.

‘Family Games’ are a key factor to the industry’s growth proving to be the number one selling genre in 2009.  27% of all software sales were from the ‘Family Games’ genre – up 34% from 2008.

Growth figures for the New Zealand market were three times larger than Australia’s gaming market which recorded a 4 per cent growth.

According to Mark Goodacre, President of ISANZ, the record sales results reveal the strength of New Zealand’s interactive gaming market, particularly compared to overseas markets that have seen smaller or negative growth figures due to last year’s turbulent economic climate.

“New Zealand’s interactive gaming industry continues to buck global trends and achieve steady growth in sales despite last year’s tough economic climate.  Video games have joined mainstream entertainment as a popular pastime that involves the entire family,” said Mr Goodacre.

Hardware sales increased by 13.51% per cent from last year and software sales remain steady with 1.132 million units sold in 2009 compared to 1.075 million units sold in 2008.

Sales for gaming peripherals also experienced an increase of 37%, which is no surprise considering the sheer number of households in the country that now own gaming consoles.

“Despite the economic challenges of the last 12 months, interactive gaming has proven to offer families good value entertainment.  We expect that in 2010 the industry will continue to maintain its steady sales performance as playing video games becomes as popular as watching television or surfing the net,” said Mr Goodacre.

- Ends -

About ISANZ:

Interactive Software Association of New Zealand is a trade body designed to represent and encourage the growth and development of the software industry throughout New Zealand. The Association is made up of eight members, Total Interactive, Microsoft, Sony, Electronic Arts, Mad Man, Monarco Corp, Atari and Take Two.

Contact details:

For further information please contact:

Bob Glancy – bob_isanz@yahoo.co.nz; 021 612 920

The table below shows the sales of all of the current generation consoles in Australia from their launch until 31/12/09.

Platform                                                                       Total Units

Nintendo DS                                                                2,546,222

Nintendo Wii                                                               1,713,766

Playstation 2                                                               2,549,463

Playstation 3                                                                 770,000*

Playstation Portable                                                   604,022

Xbox 360                                                                        850,000*

Source GfK Retail Sales

*GfK Retail Sales + Internal B2B data

Safer Internet Day is an annual international event which aims to raise awareness about the safe and responsible use of new technologies—especially among children and young people. Organised by Insafe, the European internet safety network, Safer Internet Day will take place on Tuesday 9 February 2010.

This year’s theme is ‘Think before you post’.

In 2009, Safer Internet Day was celebrated through 500 events in 50 countries all over the world.

Safer Internet Day activities are co-ordinated in Australia by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (the ACMA). Australia has participated in Safer Internet Day celebrations since 2004, when the event was launched internationally by the European internet safety network, InSafe.

 ‘Think before you post’ is an important topic for young people as the risks are both personal and can have an impact on others.

The ACMA, through its national cybersafety education program, Cybersmart, will mark the day with a series of internet safety events and activities. These include:

• a Cybersmart Detectives activity involving schools across Australia
• Launching cybersafety-themed videos produced by children and young people on the Cybersmart website
• A ‘Hot Seat’ in children’s networking website SuperClubsPLUS Australia for upper primary and lower secondary school students
• A mailout to all Australian local councils and public libraries with Safer Internet Day posters and other cybersafety materials.

A broad network of partners supports Safer Internet Day across Australia.

Think before you post

‘Think before you post’ is an important internet safety message for children and young people. It applies to both their use of the internet and mobile phones. A simple technique of stopping to think about the consequences before sending or posting online may help to reduce the negative experiences online.

The Cybersmart website provides easy-to-recall tips which detail some of the most important points. These include:

• Think before you hit send or post. Once something is posted, it can be online forever.
• Don’t post anything you don’t want others to know—or that you wouldn’t say to them face to face. Treat others as you would like to be treated.
• Remember that private images and videos you send or post on a social networking site may be easily passed on to others and uploaded to public sites. Once they’re up, it’s almost impossible to remove them completely.
• Respect other people’s content and be aware that if you post or share their content it might breach copyright laws. For example, a photo that your friend took is their property, not yours. You can only post it online if you have their permission.
• Keep your personal information private. Don’t share personal details like your name, address or school with people you don’t already know in real life.
• If you plan to send private information to anyone using your mobile phone, talk to a trusted adult before you send. Be cautious.

For more information, visit www.cybersmart.gov.au

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The ACMA’s Cybersmart program

The ACMA provides comprehensive cybersafety initiatives and education programs as part of the Australian Government’s cybersafety policy. The ACMA’s program, Cybersmart, includes undertaking targeted information and awareness-raising campaigns, activities and programs, developing cybersafety education materials for use in schools and at home, and researching current trends in cybersafety.

The Cybersmart program includes:

• The Cybersmart website www.cybersmart.gov.au. This website provides a comprehensive, one stop shop for cybersafety information aimed at young people, parents and teachers.
• Cybersmart Online Helpline service—provided by Kids Helpline, this service offers free, confidential online counselling to young people who have encountered negative experiences online. The Cybersmart Online Helpline is accessed through the Cybersmart website.
• Targeted information and awareness-raising campaigns and activities, such as Safer Internet Day and participating in National Child Protection Week.
• Developing cybersafety education materials for use in schools and at home. These programs are designed for children from 5 to 15 years and include Hector’s World™, CyberQuoll, CyberNetrix, Cybersmart Detectives and Wise up to IT.
• The Cybersafety Outreach program of Professional Development for Educators and general internet safety awareness presentations for parents, teachers and children.
• Researching current trends in cybersafety and young people’s use of online media.
• The Cybersafety Contact Centre offering callers information and advice about internet safety issues and concerns. Telephone 1800 880 176.
• A complaints hotline for members of the public to report offensive internet material. Visit: www.acma.gov.au/hotline.

Everythig you need to know about video game classification in Australia

If you’re an Australian and you’re a gamer, then you’re probably already aware that game classification in this country has some problems; namely, that the lack of an R18+ rating means any title deemed unsuitable for anyone under the age of 15 is refused classification, which effectively bans that game from sale. But do you know why Australia doesn’t have an R18+ rating? Who’s to blame? Why do we need an adult rating for games? What do the opponents of an R18+ say? And what can you do about it? This GameSpot AU feature aims to answer all your questions, and more.

Jump over to the GameSpot AU FAQ here.

For the latest coverage on the R18+ issue check out here.

-Video Game Sales Crack $2 billion in 2009-

Sydney, January 20, 2009 – Australia’s interactive gaming and entertainment industry continues to hold its own achieving a record sales result of just over $2 billion for the 2009 calendar year.

Despite last year’s challenging economic climate, sales data compiled by independent market research group GfK Retail and Technology Australia reveal video and computer gaming sales record of $2.05 billion – an increase of 4 per cent from 2008.  The data includes all sales from hardware, gaming peripherals and traditionally boxed software, yet excludes revenue generated from online retail sales, downloadable content, online games subscriptions and games delivered to mobile phones.

‘Family Games’ remain key to the industry’s stability proving to be the best selling genre for the second year in a row.  27 per cent of all games sold were from the ‘Family Games’ genre – up 11 per cent from 2008.  The second most popular genre was Action, making up 15 per cent of all games sold.

According to Ron Curry, CEO of the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (iGEA), the healthy sales results highlight the buoyancy of Australia’s video and computer gaming industry, particularly compared to overseas gaming markets that have not seen increases in sales due to the economic turbulence of the past 12 months.

“Australia’s interactive entertainment industry continues to maintain sales despite the global economic slowdown.  Video games remain a popular household pastime that can be played by the entire family.  Whilst a modest increase, we need to view this against a very tough economic environment and avoid comparing it to last year  where consumers  used their Government stimulus package to invest in a form of entertainment that brings the whole family together and can be enjoyed time and time again,” said Curry.

Software sales increased by 6 per cent from last year and hardware sales remain steady with 2.247 million units sold in 2009 compared to 2.249 million units sold in 2008.

Sales for gaming peripherals also experienced an increase of 31 per cent, which is no surprise considering the sheer number of households in the country that now have consoles.

“Despite a challenging economic climate, interactive entertainment has proven to offer families good value entertainment.  We expect that in 2010 the industry will continue to maintain its steady sales performance as playing video games becomes as popular as watching television or surfing the net,” said Curry.

The Powerhouse Museum is letting you relive the golden age of video gaming during a packed weekend of retro gaming, 29-31 January 2010. Play 80’s arcade games, learn about game creation and design and a whole bunch more.

Full details can be found on their website here.

The National Business Review published NZFACT’s Tony Eaton’s thoughts on the justification (or lack of) for illegally downloading movies.

Tony reminds readers that “every illegal download of a movie deprives a filmmaker of payment for their work. And that has flow on effects to what is literally a cast of thousands involved in that project.”

The NBR article is availble here.