Jaffe: Government Censorship "Utter BS"
God of War creator speaks out on Australian bannings.
God of War creator David Jaffe has discussed the issue of censorship in computer games, and called the methods of the Australian classification board* “utter BS” in the process.
Speaking at the Game Connect: Asia Pacific conference in Melbourne, Jaffe said that cutting content from his own games is a distinct possibility if governments are unwilling to shift on what is considered ‘acceptable.’
Says Jaffe; “There’s a government board and if they say it’s too offensive, in that case there’s no fight to fight - it is what it is. There’s not much you can do if you’re making games aimed at a mature audience.We never like to cut it, but what are you going to do? You’re dealing with governments.”
So, Mr J isn’t exactly happy about the whole affair, and the subject very quickly focused on Australia’s own system, which recently banned Aliens vs Predator. “There’s absolutely an inconsistency in the consciousness about video games. The reality is people still see a lot of these things as kids’ toys. It’s utter BS.”
We’re just disappointed he didn’t throw a trademark ‘f*ck’ or ‘motherf*cker’ in there. God of War III is on track for a March 2010 release in PAL territories, but the game has yet to be classified in Australia. Hopefully, there won’t be any mature content in the game. Right?
* Classification Board, Classification Review Board and the Attorney-General’s Department
Source: IGN
Speaking at the Game Connect: Asia Pacific conference in Melbourne, Jaffe said that cutting content from his own games is a distinct possibility if governments are unwilling to shift on what is considered ‘acceptable.’
Says Jaffe; “There’s a government board and if they say it’s too offensive, in that case there’s no fight to fight - it is what it is. There’s not much you can do if you’re making games aimed at a mature audience.We never like to cut it, but what are you going to do? You’re dealing with governments.”
So, Mr J isn’t exactly happy about the whole affair, and the subject very quickly focused on Australia’s own system, which recently banned Aliens vs Predator. “There’s absolutely an inconsistency in the consciousness about video games. The reality is people still see a lot of these things as kids’ toys. It’s utter BS.”
We’re just disappointed he didn’t throw a trademark ‘f*ck’ or ‘motherf*cker’ in there. God of War III is on track for a March 2010 release in PAL territories, but the game has yet to be classified in Australia. Hopefully, there won’t be any mature content in the game. Right?
* Classification Board, Classification Review Board and the Attorney-General’s Department
Source: IGN
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Comments
Joji 8 Dec 2009 14:59
1/2
I totally agree with what Rebellion did with AvsP game. This is creative product that's already hard enough to make, so to edit down a version just for the sake of the few seems totally wrong. Its long overdue for the industry to take a stand against this crap. Don't yield, Jaffe. Even governments, big or small can still be wrong.
If AvsP can't be on sale in Aussieland, then so be it. Smart gamers will just import it instead. While this may be questionable to some, the likelihood of Aussie customs holding up every DVD sized package seems very slim. And if they did, it will do well to highlight the problem such a flawed rating system causes.
If AvsP can't be on sale in Aussieland, then so be it. Smart gamers will just import it instead. While this may be questionable to some, the likelihood of Aussie customs holding up every DVD sized package seems very slim. And if they did, it will do well to highlight the problem such a flawed rating system causes.
YenRug 8 Dec 2009 15:34
2/2
@Joji
The thing is, the Aussie's have a legal right to import games that aren't available over there, or are available more cheaply; oddly enough, all thanks to region bypass chips being granted legal protection as it gives Australian consumers more choice where they obtain products from.
The thing is, the Aussie's have a legal right to import games that aren't available over there, or are available more cheaply; oddly enough, all thanks to region bypass chips being granted legal protection as it gives Australian consumers more choice where they obtain products from.