Fallout 3: Banned in Australia

[Janus]

This info was released a couple of days ago.

Originally Posted by IGN

Last week, we told you about a rumour doing the rounds that Bethesda's upcoming post-apocalyptic title, Fallout 3 had been Refused Classification in Australia.

Unfortunately, it is now my job to break the bad news that the rumour has turned out to be true, with Fallout 3 now effectively banned in Australia.

At this stage, we're unsure about exactly why the title's been deemed inappropriate for Australians, but we'll be chasing that up with the relevant authorities.

We were all hoping that this week, we'd have news that showed the rumour as having no basis in truth - but, looks like our lack of an R18+ rating strikes again, with Vault-Boy and friends the casualties this time around, after both earlier Fallout titles were granted an M rating in past years.

Given that this is such a big name title, I imagine the game will be edited and re-submitted to the Classifications Board, to ensure its - modified - release into this country. No, it's not the same, but it's better than nothing, isn't it?

...if you're angered by this news, keep an eye out - when the Australian government calls for responses as to whether or not this country needs to revamp its video game classification laws, make sure your voice is heard.

Which was followed today with a bit of detail on exactly why it has been banned.

Details are starting to trickle through about just why Fallout 3 has been refused classification by the Classification Board. While you'd be forgiven for thinking that it may have been for the violence, decapitation, dismemberment, gore, and other such delightful topics that the Fallout series is renowned for, you'd be on the wrong track.

In fact, what has gotten the game effectively banned in this country is the drug use, which the Classification Board deems is "related to incentives and rewards", particularly when it comes to the use of the in-game drug Morphine.

Whether or not the game would have received the same fate if the drug had not shared its name with a real-world prescription-only substance is unknown, but we've received the official documents from the Board and will share the details with you.

For those of you who were concerned that the Board may not have played the game in question, it is outlined in their documents that the classification took into consideration an application from the publisher, a written synopsis of the title in question, plus the game itself. It was not mentioned whether the game was played by a publisher's representative (which is common in these applications), or if a member of the Board picked up a controller and had a go, but the actual game was definitely at least shown before the decision was made.

In case you'd been living under a rock, here's the synopsis for the game as presented to the Board, to give you a recap of what we're talking about:

According to the Board's majority view, Fallout 3 has warranted the RC classification in accordance with item 1(a) of the computer games table of the National Classification Code, that is:

Also, the Guidelines for the Classification of Films and Computer Games also include, as a general rule:

So. In Fallout 3, gamers are given the option to take a variety of "chems" - drugs which are administered through a device connected to the character's arm. These "chems" may contain both positive and negative effects, with some "chems" increasing your strength or stamina, improving your resistance to damage, or upgrading your ability or hit points - while also possibly lowering your intelligence stat, or causing your character to become addicted to the substance.

In order to take the substance, it's simply a matter of choosing the device attached to the character, which presents a menu, showing you the selection of "chems" available to your character. This is no simple text-based list, however, with each title also displaying a small visual representation of the drug. In Fallout 3, these representations include tablets, pill bottles, blister packs, a "crack-type pipe", and syringes. It is the Board's opinion that these images are more of a problem than the drugs themselves, as they present gamers with realistic visual representations of drugs and their delivery method - taking the substance out of the "science-fiction" world the game is set in, and more into the real-world where we live.

It doesn't stop there, however. The original rumour from last week referred to the in-game use of Morphine. In Fallout 3, your character can select and use Morphine, "which has the positive effect of enabling the character to ignore limb pain when the character's extremities are targeted by the enemy." In the real world, Morphine is a proscribed drug which has similar effects - so, according to the Guidelines, the Board has considered Fallout 3 to be "promoting or encouraging proscribed drug use".

While, possibly, one or the other of these major points wouldn't have been enough by itself to prompt the game being Refused Classification, the Authorised Assessor's report states that "chems are an essential part of Fallout 3, and the player will likely use a variety of them throughout the game".

So. According to the Board, the drug use via means of selection from a menu (in particular the use of a proscribed substance) is related to incentives and rewards - basically, taking the drug will make progress through the game easier, and your characters abilities will be enhanced - and, as such, the game has been effectively banned in Australia.

What's next?

While it's unsure as yet whether Red Ant, Fallout 3's Australian distributor, will either appeal the classification or submit an edited/censored version, that seems a likely course of action with such a highly-anticipated title. This could be as simple as changing the name of a drug and removing some icons, or it could be more in-depth than that.

In the meantime, it does highlight the effects that Australia's lack of a Restricted 18+ rating for video games is having on our leisure time. The game is considered inappropriate for 15 year olds, and so the rest of the country misses out.

We'd hoped that the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General, when they last met back in March, would change their mind and give Australians the rating they're now mature enough to deserve, but it wasn't quite that simple. Instead, the Committee has agreed to call for public consultation on the topic - which was a great start, but we haven't seen very much since then.

With Fallout 3 being one of the most notable titles to have been refused classification in this country, we're expecting debate to flare up again and - hopefully - for the government to get their act together and make a move, one way or the other. We are currently waiting to hear back from the office of the Victorian Deputy Premier and Attorney-General Rob Hulls, who was the key speaker on the issue back in March, in the hopes that they may be able to shed some light on the issue, and tell us when our opinions will be heard.

This just continues my countries stupid policy of rating video games. For those who don't know the problem comes from the fact that Australia doesn't have a rating for 18+ games, despite the fact that one exists for movies, TV etc., and thus if something is considered to harsh for the MA15+ rating then it automatically is refused classification in our country as is therefore effectively banned.

In the past games like GTA3, Manhunt, Manhunt 2, N.A.R.C. (also for drug use) and Soldier of Fortune: Payback, have been refused classification unless they are censored by the makers to take out the "offensive" parts of it.

In order to change this law and introduce an 18+ rating system it requires all the state and federal Attorneys General to agree to introduce one. At the moment all are on board except for one, South Australian Attorney General Michael Atkinson. I'm sad to say that I am from SA and know Michael Atkinson and can say that he is one of those religious people who think that they are saving us by banning us from being able to play these games and will thus never change his mind, regardless of how much sense it makes or what public opinion is.

[Viper007Bond]

Quite comical that a video game can be banned.

[watto]

^It's only banned because there is no R18+ segment in the gaming market... Ridiculous.

[Viper007Bond]

Originally Posted by watto

^It's only banned because there is no R18+ segment in the gaming market... Ridiculous.

But the fact that a video game is able to be banned seems crazy to me. Or is it not banned but stores just won't carry it since it doesn't have a rating?

[TJP]

A stupid decision because gamers will buy the game from overseas sellers or ebay & the nanny state can't do anything about it.

Australia has a long and quite sad history of censorship.

[awdrifter]

I guess this will make piracy of this game go through the roof.

[Janus]

Originally Posted by awdrifter

I guess this will make piracy of this game go through the roof.

Exactly, or people will just order it from overseas, most likely for cheaper then it would be in the Australian stores anyway.

I know I was actually going to buy the collector's edition, and I haven't bought a game in a LONG time, as I am a long time Fallout fan but now I will just acquire it elsewhere....if you know what I mean.

[Hidden_Hunter]

Here's the thing, it's basically some religious nutjob in South Australia holding up the R18 classification

[Janus]

Originally Posted by Hidden_Hunter

Here's the thing, it's basically some religious nutjob in South Australia holding up the R18 classification

Exactly what I said. I know the man personally (remember knowing is different from liking) and he is a religious nut job who wants to "protect" us and also thinks this gets him votes, although I have no idea why people vote for him and I'm sure they wouldn't if they knew half the stuff I know about him.

All the other Attorneys General, both state and federal, see the need for an R18+ rating to bring it into line with movies, TV, books etc. but sadly it requires unanimous support and he is the only one of them holding out at every meeting, which occur every couple of years or so, it is raised at, and it has been raised at the last 3.

Thankfully there may be some light at the end of the tunnel with the government agreeing to hold "consultation" with the community to see if they think one should be introduced, but sadly this will most likely mean they will haul in a bunch of 50-80 year old and ask them what they thing about it, provide them with a horribly one sided view and they will all say that they are outrageous.

In the words of Kent Brokman.

Originally Posted by Kent Brokman

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: democracy just doesn't work.

[Dsemaj]

I really am tired of the outdated old assumption that the only people who play video games are children. Added to that, I can't stand when those stupid boards think they know better than us. I mean, if people can't make independent, mature decisions, how on earth do these sort of people function in society in the first place? We're all not a bunch of mindless naive drones.

That said, those in power certainly seem to be..

@Janus funny you say that, because I have a friend who's mother works with the guy. Adelaide is way too small.. *shivers*

[Viper007Bond]

Can someone answer my question for me -- can they actually censor video games in .au? Or is it just getting no rating meaning stores won't sell it?

[Hidden_Hunter]

Originally Posted by Viper007Bond

Can someone answer my question for me -- can they actually censor video games in .au? Or is it just getting no rating meaning stores won't sell it?

if they censor an AU version is usually just either remove the offending cutscene or rename the offending thing to something else similar.

[Janus]

Originally Posted by Viper007Bond

Can someone answer my question for me -- can they actually censor video games in .au? Or is it just getting no rating meaning stores won't sell it?

Legally everything needs a rating for stores to be able to sell it so if it is refused classification then it is illegal for any store to sell it and also illegal for any store or individual to import it. Which brings it to the stage when, at least in theory, customs can seize the goods if they detect them being imported. So you then have the choice of do I pay to get it shipped from overseas and potentially get it seized and loose my money, and probably get fined by customs, or do I just "import" it over the phone lines as little 1's and 0's that the government and customs can't detect and stop.

In the case of GTA they took out the hooker as the complaint came from the fact that you could pick them up, have sex with them and then kill them and take the money back. This was seen as "sexual violence" and was refused classification. So they just removed the hookers.

They had a problem with Soldier of Fortune: Payback because you could blow peoples limbs off and they were still alive and you had to finish them off. They saw this as "extreme" violence and made them remove the limbs coming off. Although I find this one funny because they didn't like the fact that the developers made a slightly realistic depiction of combat.

Manhunt and Manhunt 2 they refused it classification because of the extreme violence in the execution scenes.

There are however some important things to remember here. It isn't that Australia is a backwards and overly censored country. We are nowhere near as bad as countries like Germany, where nothing is allowed to mention the Nazi's and they go as far as forcing companies to replace humans with robots or monsters etc in games. Video games is the only thing that has this problem in Australia and that is because of our "old" laws from before video games were seen as a valid artistic and story telling form. It isn't that the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) think that these games are so bad that they shouldn't be played by anyone because they will do harm to adults it is just that we lack any rating over the MA15+ one, which means that anything steps even slightly over the guidelines of the MA15+ rating must automatically be refused classification because there is simply no higher rating it can receive.

[Viper007Bond]

Originally Posted by Janus

Legally everything needs a rating for stores to be able to sell it

That boggles my mind.

[DarkReaper]

Doesn't Fallout have a system where you can get addicted to the chems when you use them too much and you constantly lose health and abilities when you don't take them regularly.

I think showing the kids the bad side of drugs aswell equals out the necessity of combat stims.

I would get very pissed off if my character became crack addicted for the rest of the game, pretty much ruining it.

[EJ25RUN]

Originally Posted by watto

^It's only banned because there is no R18+ segment in the gaming market... Ridiculous.

Yeah, very stupid and pushes the false claim that video games are just for kids. Sux for you Aussies. Get it off ebay and stick it to the man!