The South Australian Attorney-General feels more at risk from gamers than he does from motorcycle gangs.
Speaking on ABC TV's Good Game about the debate around an 18+ rating in Australia, Atkinson said, "I feel that my family and I are more at risk from gamers than we are from the outlaw motorcycle gangs who also hate me and are running a candidate against me.
"The outlaw motorcycle gangs haven't been hanging around my doorstop at 2am. A gamer has," he said referring to a letter he said was posted under his door.
Australia's largest videogame retailer, EB Games, is currently promoting an online and in-store petition for an R 18+ classification. The sooner this goes through, the better for everyone.
This would be hilarious if it wasn't a downright sad comment to make, he should ask Americans who live in areas where gangland activity is common which would they prefer. Maybe they can cut a deal, the US gets all the Aussie gamers in trade for the notorious gangs, Crip, La Eme and all.
Hardly an idiot if someone is taking things way too far. By all means do things the right way but do it though proper channels, as it only hurts us as gamers. I do think there is this thing that because it has game on the end of it you relate game to kids and if the content is adult ratings should be taken seriously plus devs should look at the content they are developing and see can they be more constructive but not for the loss of game...or some common sense as it does seem that some people do not have common sense...like banning a racing game under the reasons it encourages speeding...why blame something not related...if someone speeds it was them not the game that made them do it choices choices...
Yeah on here you get the odd rancid fanboy just typing rubbis and idle threats he has no intention/balls of ever carrying out. Gangs would gladly firebomb through his kids window as he/she slept for looking at him the wrong way or saying something that displeases them. There is a difference.
I'm sure all the gamers would be banging on his door, tooled up to the eyeballs looking for revenge... if we weren't all so fat from sitting there all days eating junk food, or afraid to go out in the day light in case our pasty white skin reacted badly to the natural light.
"The outlaw motorcycle gangs haven't been hanging around my doorstop at 2am. A gamer has," he said referring to a letter he said was posted under his door.
Is he absolutely certain it was a gamer and not just the postman?. Maybe the postman is a gamer?(I hate using that filthy 'g' word by the way). Who the hell does that freak think he is, posting letters under the door like that?. Clearly, letters go through the letterbox, not under the door. You'd think a postman would know that.
I blame the games myself. He's obviously far more of a danger to the general public than any of those Hell's Angels blokes. They're just misunderstood.
This completely sums up Australia's completely uneducated views on videogames. The politicians make assumptions based on their own massively outdated opinions, and dream up arguments to support them. At least we have some balance in England, even if politicians still attack games themselves for terrible enforcement of the ratings system/irresponsible parenting.
Until countries, laws and societies stop treating games like scapegoats and meaningless distractions, we're going to have to endure a lot more of this. Happily, it looks like more people are starting to come round to the idea that they're an adult hobby, if not an art form.
Ugh, what's with our moronic politicians, what's even sadder is this guy is our attorney general, how on earth did this guy become our attorney general in the first place?
Just another piece of evidence on how Australian government is f**ked up in terms of allowing its citizens to enjoy Entertainment in terms of Videogames, Movies and Literature.
The censorship in Australia is getting beyond ridiculous. All the government needs to get laid, take a chill.
It is always disappointing to hear that as an Australian Adult I'm not trusted to make my own choices about what I buy (and if I had children, what they play). A lot of money is spent checking and double-checking that a game is 'safe' to promote, has lots of warnings about content and uses large, colour-coded ratings stamped all over the boxes. If a parent still chooses to purchase a well-marked, high-level violence, or high-level cobottom language game, then it's not the fault of the product, and the majority shouldn't be patronised as a result.
However, while this situation is both frustrating and sadly bureaucratic, let's not start painting the whole government with this colour. Yes, this Governor believes that games are unhealthy and dangerous and whatever other negatively con-notated words he wants to use, but other members of the government are fighting pretty hard against him. As always, minds are turned by the 'five-second news' that floods our media, but it just isn't as one-sided as it sounds.
He's more afraid of gamers than bikers because he isn't doing anything to p**s bikers off. The guy is a total bottomhole. If he was passing legislation that p**sed bikers off, I'm sure he'd feel differently.
I watch GG every week, check it out...
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/
..It's not as good as it used to be mind. Not since they replaced the excellent 'Junglist' with some annoying scene chick, just to try & stay "down wiv da kids".
He better be careful making comments like this in public, because he may be a victim of drive by gaming next. Gamers pull up along side him and force a joypad in his hands and a copy of GTA IV!!
I suppose the interactive nature of extremely violent games in a public arena where a small minority of individuals are irresponsible (and underage) is definitely a cause for concern but gamers worse than outlawed gangs?
Oh my.
Could you imagine if this was true? Driving to a motorcycle bar and showing em your Sixaxis, then watchin em cut you a wide path. Hell, Bayonetta is more realistic than that suggestion.
I'm starting to think that games are the cause for all our social ills, just get rid of them all although wait until AVP comes out, I can't wait to collect a few trophies in it.
A gamer outside his house at 2am? it was probably just his son, you know what politicians are like they will put spin on anything to get media attention.
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Gimme a break ffs. Sounds like the guy needs some sort of therepy.
