EB Games Joins Campaign For R18+ Rating For Videogames

EB Games, Australia’s largest videogame retailer, has now officially thrown its support behind the campaign for the introduction of an R18+ classification for games.

Yesterday we saw the in-store posters telling Australia to grow up and today we have the official word.

EB has announced that in all 350 EB Games stores across Australia customers will be able to sign a petition that will be used to lobby the Government to introduce an R18+ classification category for computer games.

The petition can also be viewed and signed online at the EB Games website.

EB has moved to petition the Government in response to the discussion paper on videogame classification released for public consultation in December.

Managing director Steve Wilson says EB is launching this campaign because “our customers asked us to.”

“With the release of the Government’s discussion paper, we knew as a company that we needed to act on this issue as it continues to cripple our industry and cost local jobs,” Wilson says. “We did however want to be sure that our customers were as passionate about the matter as we are.”

Throughout January the EB website had been polling its customers on the issue. Of the more than 50,000 people who responded, 84% said they were in favour of an R18+ rating for games.

“Our customers have sent us a message loud and clear that this is an issue that needs to be addressed and we only get one shot at this,” says Wilson. “Once this Government paper is closed, it could be many years before we get another chance to voice our opinion on this issue. The time to be heard is now.

“This is not a call for violent video games, but rather a call for a better classification system that brings Australia in line with the rest of the world and other Australian entertainment industries, such as films.”

To sign the petition and have your voice heard, head into your local EB Games store or visit the EB Games website. The campaign will run until February 14 to ensure all submissions are made before the Government’s deadline of February 28.

UPDATE: The online petition is currently down. According to EB’s twitter: “slight issue with the online petition for now – but keep signing in-store! will inform when the online petition is working again…”

UPDATE: The petition is back up! Here’s the direct link.