EA Takes Stand On Rating

President of EA Games, Frank Gibeau, has said that the Australian government needs to introduce an 18+ category for video games especially when you realise that the average age of gamers is 28.

President of EA Games, Frank Gibeau, has said that the Australian government needs to introduce an 18+ category for video games especially when you realise that the average age of gamers is 28.
In a prepared statement, the publishing head said that “At EA we are committed to the belief that adult consumers can have responsibility for their entertainment choices. Just as a grown ups can decide to see a film or read a book with mature themes, so should he or she be entitled to choose the same in interactive entertainment.

“Government policies that don’t allow for the rating of mature content in video games effectively censor entertainment choices for adults. These policies show a poor understanding of today’s video gaming audience. Existing legislation in Australia that limits age ratings of games to 16, demonstrates a distance between those policies and the reality of the video game industry and the people that play interactive games in Australia today.

‘The spectrum of gamers is as wide as the viewership of television, movies, theatre, and the readers of books.  Governments don’t insist that all books be written for children, or that all television shows be cartoons.  Adult gamers want their governments to treat them with the same respect they get as movie goers and book readers. Adult Australians should be allowed to choose the games they play, including those with mature themes.

‘Around the world, our industry takes very seriously the responsibility we have to protect children from inappropriate content in games. We are committed to robust, easy- to-understand age rating systems designed to help people make appropriate content choices for the right age groups; the OFLC in Australia, the ESRB in North America, PEGI in Europe, CERO in Japan. These systems have been proven as the most efficient way to protect children from inappropriate content and offer parents the right set of information about a game through a recommended age rating, and on-pack information and icons to illustrate themes present within the content of the game.”

The statement comes just weeks after it was announced South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson announced his retirement from the position. In order for a nationwide rating to be implemented, all the States’ attorney generals have to agree to the rating. Atkinson was seen as the stumbling block to the rating, and gaming companies and players alike are hoping a new attorney general in South Australia might be more malleable for a new rating to be possible.