Week 10 - Is Australia’s ‘Refused Classification (RC)’ category treating Adults like kids?

The RC category for Australia is treating Adults Unfairly

Refused Classification is classed as "Films, computer games and publications that are classified RC cannot be sold, hired, advertised or legally imported in Australia." The Refused Classification in Australia is used for pretty much no reason as they are treating adults like kids. They believe that they are helping our country by banning content from our national audience. The option should be up to the consumers whether they want to invest their time and money into a game or not. Instead the RC is controlling what people can consume in their video games which there is no need for this and this can be considered treating adults like kids. 

By controlling the consumers, this just leads to illegal actions such as pirating the game since it is not available in Australia. There should not be a constraint on what can and cannot be consumed in a country video games wise since, it doesn't affect the physical world like drugs as an example, they are illegal due to the dangers it can put live into. Now on the other hand, we have games being banned from our country for being too violent and gore. One of the most recent games to get banned from Australia was Mortal Kombat (2011), which was banned due to its violent game play and brutal finishes. Now this game may be different to most games when it comes to gore, but it should be up to the user whether or not they chose to buy and play the game. Most gamers know what they are getting themselves into when they buy a Mortal Kombat game and this should have been no different to another Triple AAA game. 

The Refused Classification does treat adults like kids as they restrict the content from them like parents may from their children. There should not be a restriction on the content people in Australia 

as it should be up to them to decide whether they buy a game or not. There is no need to ban a virtual game that people use as an escape, no matter how vulgar or violent it may be. Otherwise this can lead to illegal actions to obtain a simple game. Therefore, the Refused Classification on games it is treating adult like kids and they should not be allowed to choose what people consume for entertainment. 

Reference: 

Australian Government, na, Refused Classification (RC), viewed 24 April 2017, <http://www.classification.gov.au/guidelines/pages/rc.aspx>. 

Mortal Kombat, 2011, Video Game, NetherRealm Studios