Should the game industry ignore countries with overly authoritarian rating regimes?
In other words, should we tell countries like Germany or Australia to "sod off" and rely on the people living in those countries to agitate or illegally import and play computer games, rather than deal with their stupidly authoritarian censorship ratings boards?
There are other countries with horrible rating regimes, of course, but Australia and Germany stick out as two of the worst offenders, because in those countries, games can be made more or less impossible to obtain if not rated by their authorities (the OFLC and USK, respectively). In fact, in Australia, unrated games, or those refused a rating, are illegal to even possess. But what would you expect when their rating agency is a branch of their Attorney-General's department?
This sort of thing makes me sick. It goes so much against my beliefs that this kind of censorship is allowed, and upheld. Which is why I say screw 'em. The industry should refuse to deal with countries this authoritarian, and instead promote agitation by citizens of such nations to rework or remove such systems. Here in North America, we have the ESRB, and while it has it's issues, at least it's voluntary and industry-run. I don't have to worry about becoming a criminal just because I make a game that authorities don't like.
Update: mikesc at GameDev.Net corrects me about the USK. It is actually industry-run, and voluntary. It's the BPjM which is the authority to make games hard to get (if that agency puts it on the "index" it becomes illegal to advertise the game, and possibly to even mention its name in a publication).
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Re: Should the game industry ignore [...] regimes?
To be honest, game ratings are the least of our concerns here in Naziland, err Germany. We have similar laws that make running a forum or website (or a business, or pretty much everything) in a legal way nigh impossible. Making innocent people criminals is one of our state's primary goals, otherwise I can't explain why there need to be so many laws that make you actionable for things which you didn't do and which you obviously couldn't control.
On the other hand, real criminals like Franjo P. can steal millions from dozens of hard working people who now can't feed their families, deliver an oath of disclosure and drive away in their Porsche with a cynical smile. Legally, unquestioned, and unchallenged.
Let's not even talk about the terror in the name of anti-terror and freedom coming from the regime, err government. You have your fair share of governmental terror in the USA yourself, so you know what we're talking about.
Re: Should the game industry ignore [...] regimes?
I'm Canadian, not American, but I know what you mean. Doesn't help that the Harper government would make my country into America Jr.
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Christopher S. 'coldacid' Charabaruk