Entry 08: Australian Classification

Is Australia’s ‘Refused Classification (RC)’ category for Video Games treating Adults like kids?
That's a bit of a loaded question isn't it? It's purely subjective and will spark an argument between gamers and 30-50 year old women with nothing better to do because they are ignoring their parental responsibilities and making us front the cost. Gee Burt, I think Jesse might be biased. Ya think, Ernie?

Several decades had gone by since video-games had become mainstream before we obtained an 'R' rated classification for them. For those who don't know video games (allegedly) follow roughly the same guidelines set for films in Australia, which are their to help viewers determine the level of appropriateness for them self or their family with 'R' being the highers (along side 'X') for high impact content. Video games however only obtained the 'R' rating several years ago after constant petitions and one dickhead premier from South Australia who kept voting against it retiring (requiring a unanimous vote to be put through, also this dickhead wanted all R rated films to be coverless, seriously? fight club is just a bar of soap), previously all content that would be classified 'R' would be marked as refused classification or 'RC', which kind of made sense, given there was no adult rating at the time, so it was only the lack of one that was pathetic.

Getting this new rating was not the homestretch. Sure the classification board loosened up, giving us back Mortal Kombat 9, and letting Valve re-apply Left 4 dead 2 uncensored (it's free dlc on steam check it out if you want) which given the first game was almost the same was  without any censorship to begin with was its on controversy, but it didn't stop games being classified as 'RC'. Why is this? Short answer: hypocritical assholes. Longer answer that isn't quite the long answer: contradictory guidelines and statements made in the forms the classification board is supposed to follow; within the guidelines of the classification board includes two lines that roughly go like this "an adult is allowed to view, interact with or consume any media they choose," and "refused classification if considered offensive by a reasonable adult," (when referring to any of the classification points, violence, sexual content, etc.). What is a reasonable adult? I don't know, it's probably somewhere along the lines of the board members themselves, but that's irrelevant, if from the start you say people can do what they want, you CAN'T later use terms like 'reasonable adult' which imply and enact a restriction. It's ridiculous it's pathetic, it's a complete fucking joke. You can't even say it's to protect the children.

We need to protect the children. Says the inept parent who doesn't know how to do her(maybe his) fucking job that she signed the contract two when she got horny without protection. That argument is invalid and pointless, or at least it should be, to some people it caries weight still. However there is still an abundance of products that would be considered inappropriate for a child sold on store shelves everywhere every day, and if anyone who looks young wants to buy anything that's considered adult material they need to have ID on them. Every precaution has been taken to make sure kids don't buy inappropriate material, so why would that be an issue. By effectively banning video games (or any other non dangerous product) they are putting on a shelf that's too high for anyone to reach not just children.

To everyone's joy we were blessed with an adult rating for games, that basically did nothing for anyone over 18 leaving us in the same ditch we were stuck in in the first place. Leaving plenty of games still out of our reach just like the children who could no longer play R rated game (given most would have been MA before hand), so yes, we are being treated like children, and while at 20 I still don't quite feel like an adult, talking down to me and telling me what is an isn't okay for my eyes, leads to anger, and anger leads to hate, and you know the rest.

Entry 07: Game addiction

Game addiction has been an apparent problem brought up by dipshits for years. And while it is true that there have been plenty of examples of people being addicted to video games and the consequences of that, actively blaming games for it is absurd.

Video games are often the target of critique, both by media that feels endangered by its popularity, news which just needs a story to drum up controversy, parents who'd rather blame their lack of responsibility on someone else so they don't have to do their job, sjw's and feminists hoping it's an easy target. This is not new to us, and I believe I have mentioned this before and I will definitely later on. The constant and biased targeting of this medium with generally little to no real evidence, definitely puts most accusation against video-games on questionable grounds. The sheer amount of slandering endured by our medium, has trivialized any remark made against them (for some reason comments made by a famously shit posting cunt Anita Sarkeesian were actually taken on board by dickless Kaplan at Blizzard, but thats for another time). But that's not to say there isn't cases of game addiction, just that the accusations are bullshit.

Dopamine is a chemical released in the brain when we do something considered pleasurable, it's actually what makes us consider it pleasurable. Do that thing to often and you will eventually create a strong association of that action with the pleasure you are feeling, eventually you get addicted to that and can't stop yourself from doing that thing. That is a super simplified explanation to how basic addiction works, drugs for example are a little different, you are often directly addicted to the drug not a dopamine reaction. Anything you enjoy can cause addiction as a result of this, and the addiction itself isn't so much a danger, it's what the addiction can make you do, or not do. Addiction to video games can cause you to ignore you're friends, family, job, exercise and even food, you can end up physically unwell and covered in bed sores, and that's just some examples. But are video games any more dangerous than anything else no? No, games are no more addictive than anything else, and repeated near obsessive use will cause addiction, just like anything else, and the symptoms of addiction such as those mentioned above, aren't necessarily any worse than that of any other addiction.

Is game addiction a problem, yes? Is it any worse than anything else, no not at all. If you are a responsible adult you can avoid it, and if you are actually a decent parent it won't be an issue. So everyone can shut up about it and stop scapegoating on a hobby just because they don't like it.

Entry 06: Violence in video games.

Fuckin' sweet.



















































Since the dawn of time government, news media and parent groups have always found some scapegoat to blame societies flaws on, there was rock music, then television now video games to name just a few. And these games were filled with abhorrent content, such as violence, sex and mushroom stomping racial stereotypes, and everything you could want in a scapegoat strawman.

Because of this video games were attacked as a medium with violence being the main cause of grievance (before the regressive left got to them). "think of the children" they said, "fuck off and raise them yourself" I said, well not really since this fight started back around the time of the arcade release of Mortal Kombat, as the uberviolent fighting game was one of the key prompts for the creation of the ESRB. The ESRB was created after the US government effectively warned the game industry that they would instate a ratings bored if they did not do it themselves, after concerns raised about the violent game from worried parents, how about hey just take responsibility for their children and know what they are doing, christ.
It didn't take much longer for games to be rated in such a way internationally, over here in Australia it's handled by the same board that rates films, that board evenly represents all demographics and holds games to the exact same standards as films (sarcasm is hard to get a cross in text).

Despite placing these rating systems that clearly label the content there is a fair share of controversies, due to fuck wits being surprised that R rated game they bought for their kid being in appropriate. A recent example was a push for target to remove GTA 5 from their shelves by a mothers group, the details make it pathetic, it was due to a some feminist being upset that you can kill prostitutes. The game is a sandbox, you can kill people and there are hookers, hence you can kill hookers, its not a goal its a choice, not to mention that this was upon the games second release after being ported to the newer consoles.

I'm not even going to go into the studies on the effect on violence in videogames, I'm not going to touch the theory that the docile nature of society conflicting with out primal aggression that draws us to violence, I'm just going to say this. IF YOU DON'T WANT YOUR KIDS TO PLAY THIS DON'T FUCKING LET THEM.