In yet another great feature by Laura Parker over at GameSpot AU, she checks in with the Labor Party, the Coalition, and the Greens to gauge their views on four important gaming-related issues in an effort to help you decide who will get your vote on August 21. GameSpot is also going to help you make your voice heard, with an e-mail form that you can send directly to your current Federal member letting that member know you’re a gamer and you’re an important part of the political spectrum. So read on to find out each party’s views, and then head on over to their automated form to send your letter and get politically involved!

Check it out here.

 THE HON BRENDAN O’CONNOR MP

         MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS        

R 18+ CLASSIFICATION FOR COMPUTER GAMES

CONSULTATION REPORT RELEASED

The Standing Committee of Attorneys General today agreed to release a status report following public consultation about whether Australia’s Classification Scheme should include an R 18+ classification category for computer games.

Minister for Home Affairs Brendan O’Connor said: “The report released today shows the initial outcomes of the public consultation process which received approximately 60,000 submissions – an overwhelming level of response.”

Preliminary analysis indicates: 

• approximately 98 per cent of submissions support an R18+ classification for computer games

• submissions were received individually by email (12 per cent), fax and post (2 per cent), as well as being delivered by retailer EB Games (59 per cent)  and ‘Grow Up Australia’ (27 per cent), and

• a sample of approximately 24,000 submissions shows that while submissions were received in all age and both gender categories, the overwhelming majority were from males aged 18 to 34.

The status report also contains samples of frequent ‘free text’ comments and a summary of arguments raised by 34 community, church and industry groups who lodged submissions.

“It is not just the weight of numbers that need to be considered. It is also the strength of the arguments on each side. That is why Ministers today agreed that further work needs to be done before a decision can be made.”

“This issue is of considerable interest to Australians so the Government is releasing a status report on the consultation to ensure the community is kept well informed of its progress.” 

“Censorship Ministers have not yet made a decision on whether or not an R 18+ classification for computer games should be introduced and have requested further analysis of community and expert views.”

“The Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department continues to process and analyse submissions from the public consultation, so figures are preliminary and may change as the processing and analysis of submissions continues,” Mr O’Connor said.

“Thank you to the thousands of people who made a submission,” Mr O’Connor said.  

“This feedback will play an important role in assisting Ministers to make a decision on this important public issue.”

 The status report is available at www.ag.gov.au/gamesclassification.

 Stakeholder submissions and samples of submissions received from individuals will also be made available on this website. 

This report details the findings from the 2009-2010 Becta commissioned project ‘Gaming in Families’ which was highlighted as an area for urgent research by the Byron Review.

The report includes key results from the literature review and Ipsos MORI survey along with findings from interviews with ten families who classified themselves as gaming families and three family workshops focused on gaming. The key audience for this report is policy-makers. However, the report also contains recommendations for parents and industry and may also be of interest to educators.

Key findings from the report

Parents and young people, that is, those aged 5-15, perceived that there were benefits to playing video games as a family, with the main motivation being enjoyment. Parents and young people reported the following benefits from playing video games together: 

• parents are provided with an opportunity to review and understand the games that their children are playing

• parents are able to ensure that their children are playing age-appropriate games

• parents are able to moderate games so that children learn social skills such as collaboration, turn taking and sporting behaviour

• games provide opportunities for further communication between parents and their children

• games provide opportunities for discussion of sensitive issues of morality, particularly in relation to warfare and fighting

Links to reports:

Final report: Gaming in Families (262kb pdf)
Literature review: Gaming in Families (190kb pdf)
Parents’ and children’s views on and experiences of gaming – survey analysis (240kb)

Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA) and AusGamers believe that it is time that Australia accepts that games are not just for children – that games are a highly expressive media capable of conveying complex adult themes that are not suitable for children but which should not be banned. They believe that Australians are capable of making responsible choices about what games they play and what games they allow our children to play. They believe, crucially, that introducing an R18+ rating will help parents and all Australians make more informed choices by providing a clear indicator of video game content and aligning games classification more closely with film classification.

A copy of their submission to the R18+ discussion can be found here.

Australian Interactive Media Industry Association (AIMIA) today submitted their view on an R18+ classification for computer games.

AIMIA argues that while traditional media continues to be available and regulated to its specific format, new media poses regulatory challenges. For a full understanding and a copy of their submission make the jump here to thier site.

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

+++++++++++++++++

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.