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Australian mature game detractor Michael Atkinson stepping down
South Austrailian Attorney General Michael Atkinson, the gentleman almost single-handedly responsible for preventing the nation from adopting an R18+ rating for games, is stepping down from the front bench. The controversial figure will remain on the Australian parliament until the 2014 elections, but is stepping down from his position to bring in some fresh blood from the Labor party. "I think there are talented people on the Labor backbench who deserve a go," Atkinson explained. There's no telling whether the new A.G. will share Atkinson's position on the outright banning of mature games, but judging by the cornucopia of tips we received from overjoyed Aussies last night, there's plenty of room for hope.
Aussie ratings board to discuss an R 18+ rating at April meeting
A meeting in April might bring an end to the Australian video game bans that many gamers there believe to be overly repressive. Local Aussie website Adelaide Now says that the Australian National Classification Scheme could finally take a look at the ratings issue when it meets in April of this year. One widely-supported solution would be to establish an R 18+ classification for games over there -- currently, any games that don't match up to the MA 15+ rating are automatically banned, which leads to story after story of games that are rated for 18+ instead smashed with the banhammer down under. The one spoiler is South Australian Attorney General Michael Atkinson, who not only opposes the R 18+ rating, but hasn't gotten a very good impression of angry Australian gamers. He'll be at the meeting in April and will have veto power on any measures proposed, so unless he has a change of mind (or gamers who are organizing politically against Atkinson can oust him in an upcoming March election), the meeting in April could end in the same old disappointments for Australian gamers. [Via GamePolitics]
