Report: Australia's Fallout 3 Ban Prompted by In-game Drug Use
Report: Australia's Fallout 3 Ban Prompted by In-game Drug Use
July 10, 2008
As most GamePolitics readers know, Bethesda's highly-anticipated RPG Fallout 3 became the latest victim of Australian censors when it was refused classification (i.e., a rating) this week.
news.com.au now has more info on the Fallout 3 situation. The site is reporting that in-game drug use led to the game's ban Down Under and quotes from a report by Australia's Office of Film & Literature Classification:
In the Board's view these realistic visual representations of drugs and their delivery method bring the 'science-fiction' drugs in line with 'real-world' drugs... The player can also select and use 'Morphine' (a proscribed drug) which has the positive effect of enabling the character to ignore limb pain when the character's extremities are targeted by the enemy.
news.com.au notes that disappounted Aussies have reacted badly to the news about Fallout 3. In an online posting, one gamer asked, "What are the syringes in Bioshock filled with – magic fairy dust?"
Australia's lack of a rating that scales beyond the 15-year-old level is apparently at fault. As GamePolitics has previously reported, South Australian Attorney General Michael Atkinson has been a major force opposing the addition of an R18+ rating.
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Posted 11/08/09 at 01:07am
Austin_Lewis: Health insurance, brought to you by the same kind of bureacrats who couldn't, in timely fashion, investigate the comments of any of the men Obama appointed Czars. Or their past. Or their history of not paying taxes.
Austin_Lewis: Health insurance, brought to you by the same kind of bureacrats who couldn't, in timely fashion, investigate the comments of any of the men Obama appointed Czars. Or their past. Or their history of not paying taxes.
Posted 11/08/09 at 01:06am
Austin_Lewis: Yes, and what a piece of crap it was. Arresting and fining people just because they don't make a personal choice to buy healh insurance, creating over a hundred new bureacracies, and worse.
Austin_Lewis: Yes, and what a piece of crap it was. Arresting and fining people just because they don't make a personal choice to buy healh insurance, creating over a hundred new bureacracies, and worse.
Posted 11/08/09 at 12:24am
ZippyDSMlee: JDKJ:the only trouble is a bunch of witless hacks wrote it....its going to be a train wreck....
ZippyDSMlee: JDKJ:the only trouble is a bunch of witless hacks wrote it....its going to be a train wreck....
Posted 11/07/09 at 11:33pm
JDKJ: BREAKING: In a photo-finish at the wire, House passes health care reform bill. Relatedly, in a fit of pique, Austin Lewis kicks innocent dog.
JDKJ: BREAKING: In a photo-finish at the wire, House passes health care reform bill. Relatedly, in a fit of pique, Austin Lewis kicks innocent dog.
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:27pm
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:26pm
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:23pm
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:18pm
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
Posted 11/07/09 at 03:34pm
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:58am
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:56am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:51am
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:48am
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:11am
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:07am
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:05am
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:03am
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:56am
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:45am
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:37am
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
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Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
I graduate in *two years*, then I am *out* of this backwater hole. The GTA IV censoring was the first time a game had been targeted that I actually cared about - unless you count rule of rose i guess. This is the deal breaker though. Thank goodness for import sites - not that i actaully buy any of my games local these days, what with the 120 dollar price being standard. For those from overseas, out dollar is currently running fairly close to the US, and the cheaper postage options are WAY less than the gap between local and international prices.
sigh, here we go again:
-OFLC has pointless double standards that only hurt australian consumers & retailers
-average gamers are adults with the ability to procreate and drink themselves stupid, a game's not going to fuck them up any more than a baby retarded by alcohol abuse
-we have perfectly good laws stopping children getting inappropriate stuff
-atkinson is a knob.
@Gate into Blue: Geez where do you live mate? Might I suggest ebay, the store dungeon_crawl is my particular favourite, most of the games I get from there are $30-40 less than the shelf price in wagga's EB
Perth! Ostensibly the 'city of lights' - but *nobody's home*. Also the most conservative capital city in Australia by a lot, so i dont expect to see anyone getting up in arms about this.
A question to the Australians: Was this ratings board around when StarCraft introduced the Stim Packs for the Terran Marines? Their use in-game sounds pretty close to the Morphine use in Fallout 3.
Yup, rated M for medium level animated violence. Gotta love consistent standards, or you would if they showed any...
didn't a little game called half life 2 have morphiene use and was classified in australia?
Naah, the NZ OFLC has an R rating for games, so Kiwis should be fine.
The GTA IV screw up was due to Rockstar being half assed about shipping, and you eventually got the R version anyway.
My wife and I were in the local (Perth) EB today and they had posters up offering collectors edition Fallout 3 preorders.. man were they suprised, and irritated, by this news.
This is rediculous, Australia always gets the bad end of the stick.
Why can't Australia get to grip with the fact that we need a higher rating! I agree with Aliasalpha that they have doube standards which only hurt Australian consumers and retailers. This is a fact!
When will we get over this crap. :(
http://www.amaturegamers.com
Yeah it is kind of a double standard if they allowed bioshock (which has more needles than hellraiser :P) and then be offended by Fallout 3.
I'd love to find out what Mr. Atkinson's argument could be against having an 18+ rating. Doesn't he know that a large number of gamers (I'd say at least half) are adults?
Has Australia banned any books? I mean Sherlock Holmes was huge coke head but i bet you can find Conan Doyle's works in any of thier libraries.
Opium sir, he was an opium addict. Biiiiiig diffrence.
He does not want 18 rated games because he thinks kids will be able to get them. -_-
They should have called it "Morphane", then they could claim it's a "futuristic drug that was like totally legalized in 2250"
-- If your wiimote goes snicker-snack, check your wrist-strap...
So, basically they're offended by realism in their fiction?
-Gray17
Well, because fiction exists in our reality, and there's some realism in fiction, then this realism is already in fact a part of our reality, and we can't have that. No matter how much we isolate fiction into more fictional works unto themselves, that isolation is still happening in our reality ;)
Did I blow anyone's mind yet?
Pay close attention and this may be what happens if politicians get their way in America. Australia has hit the slippery slope. It started refusing games only with extreme violance such as GTA 4 and Manhunt 2, but now it's refusing games just for drug content. It's only a matter of time before they refuse any game over a T rating, y'know, for the children.
I think we should take this as a sign of what might happen if we retreat and let even one game get banned over here.
Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait, WAIT.
WERE the needles in Bioshock filled with magical fairy dust? O_O
It explains EVERYTHING!
Poor Australia. I'd like to wish all the Australian gamers luck in overthrowing this turkey faced asshole Atkinson. Long live freedom, bitches.
-If shit and bricks were candy and tits, we'd all be livin' large. For information on games and psychology, look up: Jonathan Freedman(2002)Block & Crain(2007)Grand Theft Childhood, by Harvard Medical School researchers Larry Kutner and Cheryl Olson
Well I am going to import it from the UK just like I did with GTAIV despite if there is a censored version or not. The OFLC over-reacted on this, but to be fair they are only 20% to blame. Atkinson that conservtive SA Attourny General is to blame, protestes should not be staged in Canberra but rather in the "City of Churches"
Michael Atkinson = enemy to freedom, from the same breed as Howard and Rudd. But thats what happens when you elect christians, they will have a bias and force their religious views on others, look at the world youth day laws.
I've pinged the OFLC about this, and I'm rounding up other contacts who might be worth yelling at.
I've asked them to explain how Fallout 3 was refused classification when there are three strong precedents that use drugs in exactly the same manner (Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout: Tactics) and were classified as MA15+.
just download the game with bittorent
I Agree with Gate into blue 100%- I don't understand it, fallout 2 had no overtly named drug use but the concept of reward for drug consumption was rampant. How else could one powergame one's character? Further, one could pimp ones spouse for money and last time I checked organised prostitution carried a heftier penaly than misdemeanor drug possession in this god awful catholic country. Fallout 2 did not have the same profile as Fallout 3 and as such was a smaller target for the south australian catholic hate missiles. It is unfortunate Fallout 3 has in effect become a target due to its predecessor's success. (Take it as a tibrute to its greatness). Oh well, now im going to have to download it through steam and physically donate $90 to Bethesda to support their good works. PS this will probably happen again with Bioshock 2.
I suppose they better reclassify Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion too, seeing as all those "potions" were clearly inciting mystical drug abuse.
*sigh*
Does the OFLC have an office anywhere? Especially one in Western Australia, by any chance...? I think I need to go down there and yell at someone.
Before anyone mentions, yes, I know it's not the fault of the OFLC, and that they're merely following the laws that they didn't come up with, but it sure as hell would make me feel better.
bastards...sure they allow saints row witch had drug use-bongs ect, bioshock witch needles were rampant , gta with the fun game with hookers , maxpayne..in witch he consumes more drugs than a back alley crack addict anyway what video game store would sell a ma15 and over game to a minor ,it should be the parents choice not that old fat fucker beh probably cant play viloent games cus he gets nightmares if he happens to read this by luck 'heres hoping" u can go suck on what comes outta my ass u decriped old bastards hope yah die
The Age Newspaper's gaming blog published an article of mine last week, here: http://blogs.theage.com.au/screenplay/archives//009921.html Ironically, it was written a week before Fallout 3's banning, and was a response to the lower-profile banning of Shellshock 2. Jason Hill ran it in a hurry when it was in danger of suddenly becoming irrelevant. How funny it is that the central idea of my article was that the Classification Board (formerly the OFLC) needed to be more consistent in its decisions, and its lack of consistency meant they were in danger of losing the trust of the Australian people. Whoops! *sigh* Hopefully this will be the big push that was needed to finally get us our restricted 18+ rating, Michael f--king Atkinson be damned.
Most of the people are addicted to game drugs inAustralia
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brook
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Gallagher can araç kiralama say all he wants, but I strongly rent a car believe it's due to his crappy leadership and E3 being a joke. ESA's Board of Directors need to find a way to get out rent a car of this horrid contract with this Bush cronie before there's no one left on the Board.
Btw, I think Atari and Midway will drop out too, but mostly travesti because these guys have done nothing ttnet vitamin or little and need to start saving costs.
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Btw, I think Atari and Midway will drop out too, but mostly travesti because these guys have done nothing travesti or little and need to start saving costs. and dizi izle
YES.
Now I don't have to get off my ass for the important shit anymore!
Whats next, ordering pizza from Xbox live?
Wait... I think that sounds like a good idea.
But I think voting should MAKE you get off your ass, and see outside or a second while you go vote. I mean, your picking the president of the United States of America for God's Sake... least you can do is drive down there and punch out a card.
film izle
When will we get over this crap
koçluk Perth! Ostensibly the 'city of lights' - but *nobody's home*. Also the most conservative capital city in Australia by a lot, so i dont expect to see anyone getting up in arms about this. tabldot yemek