An adults-only computer game rating in Australia is one step closer to being realised, with a bill introducing an R18 classification is set to become law.
Up until now, videogames intended to be played by adults have either been banned or given a lower classification, enabling children to obtain them.
The decision has been hailed as a victory by gamers, but conservative groups argue video games should not be classified according to the standards of other media, such as films.
"Because of the interactive nature of them, the repetition and the very high degree of simulation which is changing all the time, their effect on people is much greater than the one-off for instance, exposure to a film," "said Brigadier Jim Wallace from the Australian Christian Lobby.
But internet cafe owner James Andrews rejected that argument.
"If you see someone on TV who's been shot, that's real. If you're in a game, I'd like to think most people are intelligent enough to know that they're in a game," he told SBS.
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