A bitter irony engulfs the Australian Government's stance on video game classification. Australia remains one of the only Western nations without an adult (R18+) classification for video games, meaning those games whose content is deemed unsuitable for those over the age of 15 are refused classification and ultimately banned for sale.

Ignoring international criticism and cries of censorship, the Government remains adamant that the introduction of an R18+ classification for video games in Australia will allow extremely violent and sexual material to fall into the hands of children and vulnerable adults. But this is already happening. The lack of an R18+ classification is forcing the Classification Board of Australia to leave classification decisions pertaining to video games with contentious material to the discretion of its board members, rather than the guidelines laid out in the National Classification Scheme, resulting in often inconsistent and unpredictable rating decisions. Video games that should otherwise be rated R18+ are slumped into the MA15+ category, and games that should otherwise be MA15+ are refused classification altogether. The only way out is to introduce an R18+ classification for video games and fall in step with the rest of the world; the only thing standing in the way is public ignorance of the issue.

An R 18+ rating will help parents judge what's appropriate for their children.

An R18+ discussion paper was first proposed in March 2008 by federal, state, and territory attorneys-general, who finally agreed to consult the public on the video game classification issue. Australia's gaming community sat up and took notice: finally, a chance to have their say. But the discussion paper was delayed twice over the course of almost two years. At the helm of these continual upsets was South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson, a fervent opponent of the R18+ classification whose stance is mirrored by a handful of other attorneys-general who wish to remain anonymous. Their collective view is that video games differ to films and other forms of media because of their interactivity, which can have more of an impact on those who consume their content. It's on this point more than any other that Atkinson and his colleagues have so determinedly fought with the Australian gaming community: the community has repeatedly pointed to the fact that no real scientific proof exists to show that the interactivity of video games has a negative effect on those who consume the medium.

In late December last year the Government finally released the discussion paper and Australians have until February 28 to respond on the federal Attorney-General's website .